A gift of $40,000 from SSM Health to Marian University will help single parents earn their college degree, transforming the lives and economic futures of their children. The gift is for Marian’s Working Families Grant Program, which provides financial assistance and support services to low-income, single parents earning their bachelor’s degree.
On June 18, Tami Schattschneider, SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital Patient Care Services vice president/chief nursing officer presented the check to Aaron Sadoff, president of Marian University and Kerry Strupp, Marian University’s director of the Working Families Grant Program in a ceremony at SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital.
“SSM Health’s generous gift will not just lift these single parents and their families,” according to Sadoff. “It will have a ripple effect that benefits Fond du Lac and the surrounding communities economically. Our community thrives when we invest in each other.”
“We share an important history together – SSM Health St.– SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital and Marian University were both founded by the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes,” Schattschneider says. “The gift to Marian’s Working Families Grant is one of many ways we work together for the good of the community.”
Since its founding in 2002, 297 students have taken part in the Working Families Grant program, with 236 graduating – an 85 percent graduation rate, which exceeds the national graduation rate of all income levels (64 percent). Participants receive assistance with tuition, childcare, rent, and food, allowing them to focus on their education. Participants must remain enrolled full-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher and give back to the community by working 20 hours of community service each semester. There are currently 20 students in the program.
“With SSM Health’s generosity, we’ll be able to extend a lifeline to even more students, who will discover a college degree is within their reach,” according to Strupp.
For more information about the Working Families Grant Program, visit the Marian University website at www.marianuniversity.edu/student-life/special-programs/#WorkingFamilies.
In 2023, SSM Health’s community benefit ministry totaled more than $630,000 across the communities it serves. This investment helps ensure access to health care for patients who are uninsured or underinsured, train the next generation of health professionals to care for those in need, and fund programs to address the most pressing health needs of our communities.
