The E-Flyer
Loyola College Prep’s on-line newsletter
Sept. 6, 2005      Special Issue
www.loyolaprep.org

Tuition assistance needed
for displaced students

A special message to our alumni:

Many of you have asked how you can help in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in the New Orleans area and what Loyola College Prep's role has been and will be.

If ever we wondered why the Jesuit fathers decided to put a school in Shreveport in 1902, I think the question has been answered in the last week.

Loyola Principal Frank Israel, with the full support of the faculty and Board of Trustees, made the decision to open our doors to all displaced high school students -- regardless of their financial ability -- who have sufficient academic qualifications. Other schools began "waiting lists" or turned students away, but we believe it is our role as a Jesuit-based school to make ourselves available particularly in times such as these. That's the way it was in 1902 and that's how it is in 2005.

As of Tuesday morning, Loyola has enrolled about 90 students who have been displaced. A great majority of these students are from New Orleans parochial schools -- Brother Martin, Jesuit, Dominican, De La Salle, Mount Carmel, to name a few -- and there are a few students from Mississippi.

And we expect more students this week. There is no master plan or "cut off" number. Yes, it will be crowded. Certainly there are logistical problems with having more students enrolled than at any point in the history of the school.

But we will find a way ... just as you would expect. It's that simple.

In interviewing each of these students are their parents, Mr. Israel reports there are so many sad stories being told. Some of these families -- no matter what their financial background -- have lost everything. What is obvious is how Loyola College Prep plays a small role in bringing some degree of stability into their lives.

About 1/3 of these displaced families are attempting to pay the monthly tuition. About 1/3 are paying a nominal amount toward their tuition. About 1/3 can't afford a dime. We have accepted them all.

Here's how you can help. The yearly tuition at Loyola for 2005-06 is $5,675. We recognize that some of these students are with us on a week-by-week basis and some will return home whenever conditions at their school improve. Some, on the other hand, will be here for the foreseeable future.

If you can make a contribution toward the tuition deficit for these students, it would be greatly appreciated. We have no goal in mind. Whatever you can do to help will help. Here's how you can make a contribution:

1. Send a check to Loyola College Prep, 921 Jordan St., Shreveport LA, 71101 ATTN: Development Office. Please note "Alumni/Financial Aid" on the check.

2. You can send credit card information by return email. (Card #, expiration date and amount). All return emails are sent directly to me and no one else has access.

3. If you'd like to make a credit card transaction over the phone, you can call me at (318) 226-6291. If I don't answer, please leave a message and I will call you back as soon as possible.

4. You can also make a secure online transaction from our website  https://www.loyolaprep.org/php/donation.htm (check the "Financial Aid" box.) I must tell you that on some browsers, the "submit" button does not display properly. (My apologies).

This is a one-time request for assistance, independent of our Alumni Annual Fund Drive later this year. About 30 percent of our alumni receive the E-Flyer, so feel free to pass this along to others who might not otherwise receive this message.

On behalf of Loyola College Prep, thank you so much for support. I will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Our alumni has played a vital role in making our school what it is today. No matter what you are able to contribute financially, we know that your prayers are with us and with these families.

God bless,

-- John James Marshall '77
Development Director
jjmarshall@loyolaprep.org
(318) 226-6291