Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana invited supporters to go “back to school” for its annual Lend a Shoulder Day on Nov. 4. On the heels of last summer’s historic $150 million gift from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, Lend a Shoulder Day offers an immersive, firsthand look at how the organization is uplifting students, teachers, and communities across The Region.
Lend a Shoulder Day participants spent the morning visiting classrooms at one of five schools within the Diocese of Gary: St. Casimir in Hammond, St. Stanislaus in East Chicago, Queen of All Saints in Michigan City and Nativity of Our Savior in Portage. They were invited to engage directly with students and teachers while participating in hands-on programming.
Those participating in the day’s events at Nativity of Our Savior School were greeted upon arrival by members of the school’s National Junior Honor Society and Principal Sally Skowronski.
Skowronski said the day’s celebration reminded her of how blessed the school is to walk hand in hand with so many who believe in Catholic education. She shared the theme that Big Shoulders Fund had for the year was “Small Steps Lead to Big Dreams,” and noted that she believes those words fit the Portage school perfectly.
“Every lesson that's learned, every kind word spoken, every act of faith and courage that our students do are the small steps that they take to lead them to where God wants them to be and what he's planned for them. Here at Nativity, we see those steps every day,” she said.
Skowronski explained that whether it's a pre-K student who learns how to share, or a fifth grader who helps a friend understand a math problem, each moment is a building block to something greater. She thanked the visitors for “lending your shoulders to lift up our students, our teachers, our mission.”
“Your support allows us to dream boldly and to guide our Stars ever closer to the light of Christ,” she said.
Savannah White, an executive assistant at One Region, Inc., was one of the local business participants who had the opportunity to interact with some of the Nativity Stars. She shared that she was happy to be getting more involved with the community.
“It’s pretty great,” she said. “I love the mission of Big Shoulders – it’s very important. Being able to support that and see it in action is really cool.”
Dan Kozlowski, executive director of Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana, said that there is something truly special about spending time with the students and seeing their “energy, curiosity and incredible potential for the future.” Lend a Shoulder Day isn’t about just visiting classrooms but “seeing first hand what makes Big Shoulders so special.”
“We are not just supporting schools,” Kozlowski said. “We are helping students dream bigger and reach higher. This year has been one of remarkable progress with a standard of professional development, giving them new tools, training and inspiration to help their students grow.”
Lend a Shoulder Day concluded with a networking lunch celebrating the community partnerships driving the success and honoring the collective commitment to education across Northwest Indiana. As guests enjoyed a lunch at Lighthouse Restaurant in Cedar Lake, they heard from a variety of those involved with Big Shoulders including Kozlowski, Beth White of The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, and others.
“This is one of my favorite days for Big Shoulders because it just brings to life why we do this,” Beth White said. “These kids deserve the best. They deserve a great education. And I know that, with the support of Big Shoulders Fund and the Diocese of Gary, we will make that happen in Northwest Indiana.”
She then introduced Sophia Mejia, a seventh grader at St. Casimir, who spoke of her participation in the Junior Leadership Journey, a program designed to promote confidence and teach leadership skills to youth. She admitted to being shy when she first entered the program, but now feels she has found her voice.
“Some people have asked me, ‘Why leadership?’ and my answer is always the same,” Mejia said. “I want middle school to feel kind, positive and welcoming. Everyone goes through challenges, and I want others to feel seen and heard.”
Mejia is working with her middle school to start a drama and theatre club. After eighth grade, she hopes to attend Bishop Noll Institute and continue in the White Family Scholars program. In college, she plans to study journalism, education or speech pathology to help others find their voice.
Inspired by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, Big Shoulders Fund was founded as an independent charitable organization by a group of business and civic leaders in 1986 to ensure that children in Chicago’s most under-resourced communities can achieve their dreams through access to a quality, values-based education. Today, Big Shoulders Fund invests more than $40 million annually in scholarship support and academic enrichment for students, operational improvements for schools, leadership development programs for the next generation of school leaders and academic programs and professional development for teachers.
In 2019, Big Shoulders Fund was invited by civic leaders and philanthropic funding to replicate their work in Northwest Indiana by sharing its model and best practices with schools in the Diocese of Gary. In June 2024, the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation donated a historic $150M to Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana to invest in support and initiatives that improve the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of Catholic schools in the diocese.
Since 2019, Big Shoulders Fund has helped its 20 schools in the Diocese of Gary increase enrollment by 19%.
“Expectations are high,” said Josh Hale, president and CEO of Big Shoulders Fund. “It’s to be the highest performing network of schools in the country because the children deserve it and that ripple effect from those schools to towns, coming out and going into the region, strengthens a region. We are honored by the gift, but we also carry the weight of that on our shoulders. We couldn’t do that without the support from others.”
For more information about the Big Shoulders Fund, visit https://bigshouldersfund.org/northwest-indiana/. For more details on the Catholic schools within the Diocese of Gary, visit https://dcgary.org/office-catholic-schools.
