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Another Round of Hope
Richard F. Burke ’57 of Rye, N.Y., has established The Burke Family Scholarship Fund with a gift of $100,000. Preference in awarding the scholarship will be made for qualified graduates of the newly-opened Nativity Model School in Brooklyn, N.Y., called Brooklyn Jesuit Prep.
Brooklyn Jesuit Prep opened in September 2003 to provide a Jesuit education to economically disadvantaged boys and girls in fifth through eighth grade. The school features small class sizes; an extended day, including afternoon and evening study sessions; an extended year, with a summer leadership camp; academic and financial support through high school; and eventually, assistance with the college application and financial aid process. It is at this point that graduates will be able to take advantage of the scholarship established by Burke if they apply and are admitted to Holy Cross.
Burke says he was excited to see the Jesuits return to Brooklyn after 30 years and open a new school. The original Brooklyn Prep, which Burke attended, closed in 1972, though its graduates continue to hold a sold-out reunion every year. After celebrating his 50th Brooklyn Prep reunion, Burke had the idea to establish a scholarship that would benefit both the students of Brooklyn Jesuit Prep and Holy Cross. “The kids who attended the original Brooklyn Prep were the children and grandchildren of immigrants. The kids who are now attending Brooklyn Jesuit Prep are also, mostly, the children of immigrants. I hope The Burke Family Scholarship gives hope to a new generation of children of immigrants that they can attend college.”