Members of the Diocesan community and various supporters of Catholic education gathered on March 5 for a special evening hosted by Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools (BLOCS).
The event, titled “A Toast to Tax Credits,” was held for the first time in the Lehigh Valley at the Lehigh Country Club. Over appetizers and drinks, attendees connected with members of the BLOCS team and learned how Pennsylvania’s educational tax credit programs create scholarship opportunities for students and offer businesses up to a 90% tax credit for their participation.
Among those present was Amy Impellizzeri, Development Manager for the Greater Lehigh Valley Region, who works with local individuals and businesses to expand scholarship opportunities. Over the last two years, BLOCS has increased the number of need-based scholarships statewide from $100 million to $206 million. In the last year alone, Impellizzeri has doubled the program in the Lehigh Valley area from $7 million to $14 million.
Celebrating their 45th year, the BLOCS program supports over 500 schools and 33,000 children in 65 counties across Pennsylvania.
“There’s still a tremendous need right here in our backyard and a tremendous need in our schools,” said Impellizzeri as she addressed over 100 people in attendance.
“If you study, like I do, the list of underperforming schools in our state, 60 of them are in our backyard … and that means those children do not have access to quality education. Many of those students [could] transfer to private schools, or to other educational opportunities, but not without scholarship funding. So our work is not done yet.”
Through her presentation, Impellizzeri shared how businesses can contribute to scholarship organizations, like the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Economically Disadvantaged Schools (EDS) programs and receive state tax credits in return.
For EITC specifically, businesses can receive tax credits of up to 90% of their contribution. Contributors can select what school they specifically would like their money to support.
For EDS, contributions are eligible for up to 99% tax credit; however, contributors cannot specify what schools they would like to contribute to. Contributions to programs like these are then used to provide financial assistance to families seeking a Catholic education for their children through the BLOCS program.
As the evening progressed, attendees learned how their future contributions would impact local schools and communities.
“We have this dream of returning to the days of zero cost for families for this education,” said Rob Delany, CEO of the BLOCS program. Delany also encouraged attendees to bring all the information provided to others to encourage their participation in the program.
At the conclusion, organizers expressed gratitude for the ongoing support of those who help make these scholarship opportunities possible. Through the continued generosity of participating businesses and community members, programs like programs like EITC and EDS continue to expand access to Catholic education for families across the region.
For more information, go to www.blocs.org.
By Jennifer Russell
Photos by Norm Steinruck.
