Alumni Family Makes Largest Planned Gift in School History

John Marinacci, president of St. Joseph’s Prep, announces that the school has received an $8

million estate gift from an alumni family, the largest planned gift in the 172-year history of the

Prep. The gift will endow the chair position in the Counseling Department, support resources for

the Cape & Sword Drama Society, and fund expenses for the highly-regarded Prep U Summer Program.

“This gift is a significant investment in the future of St. Joseph’s Prep and will make an

incredible impact on this institution for generations of Prep Hawks,” says Marinacci. “On behalf

of the entire St. Joseph’s Prep community, I offer my sincere gratitude to this alumnus and his

wife for their generosity and trust in the Prep.”

According to the alumnus, “It didn’t take long after graduation to see how well the Prep prepared

me for college and beyond. In college, I was more than up to the task, and in my business career, I was able to lean into things that I learned here.”

When deciding how to plan their estate, the couple considered many schools and other organizations that have impacted them. The Prep was foremost in their minds. After many conversations with administrators and others at the school, the decision was made.

“The more opportunities we had to talk with people here, the more comfortable we became that this was the right decision for us,” he says. “They were able to convey trust and leadership; they were transparent about their current needs as well as the vision for the future. It was clear that the commitment to Jesuit education remains as strong now as it has been for decades.”

There was a strong desire on the couple’s part to focus on mental health initiatives. According to the donor, the recent addition of the Howley Learning Commons, especially the Connelly Counseling and Resource Center, shows that the school’s commitment to this key area matched the donor’s ambition. “The Prep has always cared for its students in all ways, and this expansion made it clear that counseling and mental health support are a priority,” he says. “We wanted to assure that going forward, the Counseling Department has dedicated resources to maintain its offerings and the ability to expand when needed.”

The couple also wanted to support the Cape and Sword Drama Society because “it is an integral part of the Prep experience and has always been a favorite of mine,” says the alumnus. “Tony Braithwaite (Director of Dramatics) is spectacular and it is evident that so many students enjoy their time there.”

Supporting the Prep U Summer Program is important to the couple because they see it as an opportunity to attract top students. The alumnus says that he also believes that “boosting diversity” in the Prep U Summer Program will allow the school to continue to attract the different types of students who have always made the Prep a special school.

Betsy Courtney P ’08, ’10, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, says that it is a true gift to be able to work with donors to help them support what they truly love about the Prep. “It was a great honor to work with this alumnus family to ensure that their intentions were known and documented so that their estate gift will benefit the programs that mean so much to them,” she says. “It was wonderful to listen to them and learn how they wanted to make an impact at the Prep, and then help them realize those intentions.”

The donor encourages others considering an estate gift to understand the benefits of it. “It is very flexible and need not affect your current lifestyle at all,” he says. “Plus, a gift to endowment is the best way to support schools like St. Joseph’s Prep for years to come and to leave a legacy that lives beyond you. It allows the leadership and the Board of Trustees to make decisions to continue to keep the Prep thriving.”

That legacy allows the Prep, a school with deep roots, to have a bright future. “This institution is around for the long term,” he says.