Thanks to a joint effort by Catholic donors and concerned organizations, 400 low-income Catholic school students in Phoenix have Chromebooks and hot spots to use for distance learning for the 2020 school year.

Every Catholic school in the diocese is required to use online learning this fall. However, many needy families do not have devices and internet access.

In July, Domonic Salce, interim superintendent at the Catholic Schools Office, reported the need to V Encuentro Education and Evangelization Task Force, a group set up by Bishop Thomas Olmstead in 2019. The task force is charged with supporting diocesen schools. A member of the task force from Catholic Education Arizona spearheaded the effort to buy the devices. Thanks to quick action by the task force, devices have been supplied to 400 low-income students in time for the start of the 2020 school year.

“This donation is nothing short of a miracle,” Maggie MacCleary, principal at Most Holy Trinity School, said in a release on the Catholic Education Arizona website. “Each student is online and learning.”

The Catholic Community Foundation, Team Logic, Grand Canyon University and several other confidential donors came up with the funding in time for the opening of the schools. Grand Canyon University donated 30 laptops. A total of $112,500 was collected to purchase devices and hotspots.

The schools who benefited include St. Vincent de Paul, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Queen of Peace, Most Holy Trinity, St. Mary’s High School, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Gregory Catholic School.

The devices have been a godsend to the youngest learners at Queen of Peace School in Mesa, who are able to use the Chromebooks to get a personal connection to their teachers and classmates, Principal Renee Baeza said in the release. Without access to the internet and live interaction with their teachers, many of her students would have fallen behind students who had technology. 

Principal Cathy Lucero of Our Lady of Perpetual Help noted that without the devices, her students would not have had the opportunity to learn from home.

“The families feel so blessed to have a Chromebook for their children to continue their education," she said. "May God bless everyone who supports Catholic Education. The Holy Spirit is truly present at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in Glendale!”