Fundraising underway for the Ed Daniels Scholarship at Archbishop Rummel
'We talk a lot about faith, community, and service here at Rummel, and Ed embodied all three of those things. So, with the help of his good friend Ken Trahan, the Advancement Department has worked with Ken to put together this scholarship opportunity to help Ed's legacy continue,' said Archbishop Rummel Head of School Matthew Caire.
Tonight, the school hosted the Ed Daniels Memorial Scholarship Event.
Several popular business and sports leaders throughout the New Orleans metro area gathered at the Metairie campus to celebrate the life and legacy of Ed and donate to the scholarship.
'I think it's a testimony to his lifetime of work and service and what he did for so many people at this event tonight. You're going to find people from all the rival schools, and they're contributing to this fund. Why? Because they loved him and they understood just how special he was,' said Owner/CEO of Crescent City Sports Ken Trahan.
Ed's best friend, Ken Trahan, and Archbishop Rummel are working hand-in-hand to raise $250,000 to make the scholarship possible for future Raiders.
For more donation information, click here.
'The scholarship is going to go to a student who otherwise couldn't afford Catholic education. Because that was important to Ed. Ed worked tirelessly with us, with our celebrity waiters' dinner every year, to help raise money for students who otherwise would not be able to afford Catholic education,' added Caire.
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Los Angeles Times
16 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Pope Leo's hometown approves the purchase of his childhood home in hopes of reviving the village
CHICAGO — Pope Leo XIV's hometown is poised to buy his childhood home after the south Chicago suburb's board voted unanimously Tuesday to purchase the property, hoping it will breathe new life into a village saddled with financial woes. Since white smoke billowed in May from the Sistine Chapel and Pope Leo XIV was elected Pope Francis' successor, the new pope's childhood home — a small, two-story house in Dolton, Ill., about 20 miles south of Chicago — has drawn visitors from across the country with many treating it as a pilgrimage site. Cardinal Robert Prevost made history by becoming the first pope from the United States — a stunning decision that Chicagoans celebrated by flocking to churches and sharing memes. Prevost was born in 1955 in the South Side Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville and grew up in suburban Dolton, near St. Mary of the Assumption, where he attended Mass and elementary school. He later studied theology at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood and taught in local Catholic schools, including at St. Rita High School. Dolton Mayor Jason House called purchasing the pope's childhood home a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' during a Tuesday meeting of the Dolton Village Board. The childhood homes of other popes have often been turned into museums or pilgrimage sites. 'This is a proud moment for our village and an opportunity, and we want to make sure that we're doing it justice,' he said. Yet several residents at Tuesday's meeting were skeptical about any benefit to taxpayers, questioning whether the financially strained village could afford to purchase the home and maintain the streets surrounding it. The board hired former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to probe the village's finances last year, and she found Dolton's bank accounts had been depleted. The village was $3.65 million in debt and had unpaid bills piling up. Dolton gained national attention amid allegations of its former Mayor Tiffany Henyard's financial mismanagement, corruption and failure to follow state transparency laws by turning over spending and other records. 'Purchasing the pope's residence is admirable,' Dolton resident Mary Avent told the board on Tuesday. 'But with the state we're in right now, I guess my concern is, do we have the money?' House said he is committed to repairing the streets surrounding Prevost's childhood home and assured residents he understood their concerns. Still, he said the sale will likely close within two weeks. The house's listed owner did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. 'We can either seize this moment going forward or we can let that moment go to an investor,' House said. 'I would like our community to get the benefit of this opportunity.' Other board members echoed the mayor's excitement over the purchase, as some spoke of how the childhood homes of Michael Jackson and Martin Luther King Jr. offered economic opportunity to their communities. A recent post on the village's Facebook account showed workers repairing the house's roof and celebrated the home for 'bringing new energy and attention to our village.' Gino Ferrari, president of Windy City Construction Group, said he offered the full roof replacement for free to the current owner, saying he 'wanted to make sure this roof lasts a long time.' In front of the home, the company put up a sign with an image of Pope Leo XIV and the words 'Pope Leo's childhood home' and 'A roof for the pope's roots.' As crews worked on the roof Tuesday, they chatted with neighbors who offered them water and bike riders who traveled along the lakefront from Chicago to see the house. 'Dolton has been through a lot in the last few years, so this is such a great, positive moment for Dolton,' Ferrari said. 'The community seems pretty excited.' Fernando writes for the Associated Press.

17 hours ago
Pope Leo XIV's hometown approves the purchase of his childhood home
CHICAGO -- Pope Leo XIV's hometown is poised to buy his childhood home after the south Chicago suburb's board voted unanimously Tuesday to purchase the property, hoping it will breathe new life into a village saddled with financial woes. Since white smoke billowed in May from the Sistine Chapel and Pope Leo XIV was elected Pope Francis' successor, the new pope's childhood home — a small, two-story house in Dolton, Illinois, about 20 miles south of Chicago — has drawn visitors from across the country with many treating it as a pilgrimage site. Cardinal Robert Prevost made history by becoming the first pope from the United States — a stunning decision that Chicagoans celebrated by flocking to churches and sharing memes. Prevost was born in 1955 in the South Side Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville and grew up in suburban Dolton, near St. Mary of the Assumption, where he attended Mass and elementary school. He later studied theology at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood and taught in local Catholic schools, including at St. Rita High School. Dolton Mayor Jason House called purchasing the pope's childhood home a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' during a Tuesday meeting of the Dolton Village Board. The childhood homes of other popes have often been turned into museums or pilgrimage sites. 'This is a proud moment for our village and an opportunity, and we want to make sure that we're doing it justice," he said. Yet several residents at Tuesday's meeting were skeptical about any benefit to taxpayers, questioning whether the financially strained village could afford to purchase the home and maintain the streets surrounding it. The board hired former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to probe the village's finances last year, and she found Dolton's bank accounts had been depleted. The village was $3.65 million in debt and had unpaid bills piling up. Dolton gained national attention amid allegations of its former Mayor Tiffany Henyard's financial mismanagement, corruption and failure to follow state transparency laws by turning over spending and other records. 'Purchasing the pope's residence is admirable.' Dolton resident Mary Avent told the board on Tuesday. 'But with the state we're in right now, I guess my concern is, do we have the money?" House said he is committed to repairing the streets surrounding Prevost's childhood home and assured residents he understood their concerns. Still, he said the sale will likely close within two weeks. The house's listed owner did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. 'We can either seize this moment going forward or we can let that moment go to an investor," House said. 'I would like our community to get the benefit of this opportunity.' Other board members echoed the mayor's excitement over the purchase, as some spoke of how the childhood homes of Michael Jackson and Martin Luther King Jr. offered economic opportunity to their communities. A recent post on the village's Facebook account showed workers repairing the house's roof and celebrated the home for 'bringing new energy and attention to our village.' Gino Ferrari, president of Windy City Construction Group, said he offered the full roof replacement for free to the current owner, saying he 'wanted to make sure this roof lasts a long time.' In front of the home, the company put up a sign with an image of Pope Leo XIV and the words 'Pope Leo's childhood home" and 'A roof for the pope's roots.' As crews worked on the roof Tuesday, they chatted with neighbors who offered them water and bike riders who traveled along the lakefront from Chicago to see the house. 'Dolton has been through a lot in the last few years, so this is such a great, positive moment for Dolton," Ferrari said. "The community seems pretty excited.'


Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Improvements underway along 10th Street Corridor; ‘Helping to turn it back into what it was with a new vibe'
The Urban Muslim Minority Alliance (UMMA) is expanding the Harvest Market food pantry — which was opened nearly a year ago and designed as a grocery store — and making strides in creating a community center next door. For more than a year, UMMA has increased its presence in the 10th Street Corridor, which separates Waukegan and North Chicago. While work is being done, Executive Director Hamaas Ibrahim said the people who live in the area will have a say in what is done. With the market already well-established, an addition is being built in the space where a delicatessen once stood between the market and the one-time Catholic school, which will house the community center. UMMA has ideas, but Ibrahim said advice is being sought. 'We're going to have a town hall,' Ibrahim said. 'We want to hear what the neighbors in Waukegan, North Chicago and the greater Lake County community have to say. We want to know what they want.' Construction of the Harvest Market addition started on June 16 on 10th Street in Waukegan, with completion planned in August, while work is underway to prepare the community center for its eventual renovation. When done in September, Ibrahim said the addition to the market will be a multipurpose area serving as a break room for the workers, and a place for additional food storage to assure a supply of fresh produce and other food for the clients. Working with the city of Waukegan on the community center at what was once a Catholic school purchased from the Archdiocese of Chicago in October, Ibrahim said UMMA now has a demolition and remediation permit to prepare much of the building for a gut renovation. Planning to keep the classrooms and the gym with its basketball court as part of the community center, Ibrahim said completion is a long-term project. He hopes to start the renovation late this year or early next year, with completion in 2027 or 2028. Once a thriving working-class neighborhood, UMMA is part of the effort to revive the 10th Street Corridor, putting its market and community center on nearly a block of the roadway immediately west of McAlister Avenue. Both Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham and North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. said they are pleased to see UMMA part of the effort to improve the 10th Street Corridor. During his youth, Cunningham walked or rode his bicycle to work along the roadway. 'The 10th Street of old was a booming business area,' Cunningham said. 'In the last 10 to 15 years, it's struggled with violence and homelessness. UMMA is helping to turn it back into what it was with a new vibe, which will bleed into rebuilding Waukegan.' Early last year, the North Chicago Police Department opened a substation on the south side of 10th Street, which serves as a community center some of the time. Rockingham said the added police presence has benefited both cities. 'I'm glad to see what UMMA is doing on 10th Street to help the community,' Rockingham said. 'They're giving the residents of North Chicago and Waukegan the ability to receive food and be a community. It's a benefit for all who need the services.' Since the Harvest Market opened in August, Ibrahim said it is now open five days a week instead of four, with Wednesday devoted to senior clients. It is open from 2 to 6 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, as well as from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays. 'When we started, clients could take 15 items a week,' Ibrahim said. 'Now they can take 25 items. They use shopping carts just like a grocery store.' As UMMA starts to renovate the former school, Ibrahim said it is stripping the walls down to the studs to make sure there is no asbestos or mold. If there is, it will be removed before further work is done. 'We'd like to have open gym, and basketball tournaments in the gym,' Ibrahim said. 'We'll have a kitchen for healthy cooking classes. We'll move some of our classes from downtown (Waukegan) to 10th Street. There's a bus stop at the corner, making it accessible for those without a car.' Classes will include career readiness, English as a second language, Spanish — beginning and advanced — Microsoft Office, basic computer use and more. 'The classrooms will be bigger than we have now,' Ibrahim said. 'We'll have yoga and healthy motion classes.'