History

Every Child is a Seed of Hope

The pioneer of Seeds of Hope was Sister LaVonne Guidoni, a sister from the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. She was well known as an educator and a tireless advocate for Catholic education. Known to go door-to-door to ask for funds, Sister LaVonne dedicated years of her life to raising millions of dollars so that any child with a desire to attend Catholic school could have the opportunity. Prior to the founding of Seeds of Hope, a consortium of six inner-city schools was created to pool resources to ensure no child was turned away for lack of tuition and help save Catholic schools in Denver’s inner city. The consortium – called Schools in Urban Neighborhoods (S.U.N. schools) – was created in 1987.

With the closure of St. Joseph’s Catholic School in 1991 and St. John Paul II’s visit to Colorado for World Youth Day in 1993, the Archdiocese of Denver (AOD) formulated and executed the “Hearts on Fire” capital campaign to raise money to carry forward the work St. John Paul II urged in his visit. Several leading Denver philanthropists insisted a portion of the funds were to be designated to support low-income families in the Denver K-8 Catholic schools. This was the beginning of the Seeds of Hope endowment, which carries on to this day.

Joining Sister LaVonne in the creation of Seeds of Hope in 1996, the Founding Trustees were Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, S.T.L. Dick & Dorothy Campbell, Pete & Marilyn Coors, Bill & Kathy Fortune, Don Gallegos, Rev. Msgr, Raymond Jones, V.E., Tom Morroni, Bishop R. Walker Nickless, John & Carol Saeman, His Eminence Cardinal J. Francis Stafford and Benigno & Teresita Trigo.

Through the years, Seeds of Hope has supported need-based scholarships in addition to grants directly to schools for technology upgrades, building repairs or general operating support. Seeds of Hope’s priority continues to be making Catholic education financially accessible to families in need.

In the 2017-2018 academic year, recognizing there are families who qualify for Seeds of Hope assistance at additional schools across the AOD, the decision was made to expand the mission. Any family in the AOD who meets the Seeds of Hope income eligibility guidelines can now apply for a Hope Scholarship at any of the K-8 AOD Catholic Schools. Seeds of Hope also partners with the AOD’s Office of Catholic Schools on a Variable Tuition Program to make the schools more financially accessible and boost enrollment.

The organization has enjoyed a history of strong executive leadership including Executive Directors Haven Moses, Terry Polakovic, Laurie Vieira, Betsy Boudreau, Maribeth Hanzlik, Natalie Mesko and Jay Clark, as well as an incredible list of community leaders who have served on the organization’s Board of Directors. Seeds of Hope is governed by a Board of Directors and is under the Canonical Stewardship of the Archbishop of Denver, Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, S.T.L.

Seeds of Hope gives families the choice to send their children to a K-8 AOD Catholic school where spiritual, mental, academic and physical formation is provided. The good performed by Catholic schools is undeniable, a mission to joyfully educate the whole person and form witnesses who will transform the world.