Endowment Plans

Dr. Larry Grand, Raleigh, Selection Committee member

For the fifteen years of its existence, the Lewis Award has been completely underwritten by private donations. As the Award functions within, but is separate from, the Diocese of Raleigh, it receives no

monetary support from the Diocese. Plans are underway to build a permanent Lewis Award Endowment, not only to insure the Award’s future, but to allow the Award to develop additional opportunities presently unavailable to honor our dedicated teachers. We hope you will join us to make such opportunities possible.

The purpose of the Lewis Award Endowment is to offer superlative educational opportunities to our young by attracting and retaining exceptional teachers for the Diocesan schools, participating in the expansion of the Diocese of Raleigh's Catholic Schools System in honoring its teachers, and to promote having the Diocesan School System be among the recognized outstanding school systems in the nation. Thus far, the Endowment has been given two bequests totaling $170,000 toward its goal of $1,000,000. Of the Endowment’s annual income, a minimum of 15% is to be reinvested into the corpus for the Endowment’s continued growth. The corpus should not be invaded. The remaining income will be the source of annual funding for all Award activities.

Currently, Lewis Award Excellence in Teaching Recipients receive an honorarium of $1,500, and their schools receive $500 in the teacher’s honor. Finalists for that year’s award receive $150, and their

Ron Byrd, Raleigh, husband of Selection Committee member Joanne Byrd, and E. L. Mayfield, Jacksonville, husband of Maisha Mayfield, Excellence in Teaching

 school receives $250 in the Finalist honor. Among the “Wish List” ideas is to increase the Recipients’ honorarium across the board as the Endowment’s annual income increases

Other Wish List ideas to be implemented as sufficient income allows include, but are not limited to,

-increasing the honorarium to Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients to $5,000 and inaugurate an honorarium to the Recipient’s school of choice.

-for as long as they remain an active full-time teacher in a diocesan school,

at the beginning of each school year Recipients and finalists will be given allocations to purchase classroom supplies of their choosing.

-establish a fund to which Recipients and finalists may apply for tuition grants for enrichment programs.

-establish a fund to which Recipients and finalists, upon commitment to remaining an active teacher in a diocesan school for a specified number of years, may apply for tuition grants to earn advanced degrees.