Google search Jack and Peggy Crowe and among the first results to turn up are photos taken of the couple at various benefit galas, balls and high society shindigs.
There they are, Jack donning a tuxedo and Peggy some fur number that regally drapes her small frame, at an opening night performance at the Lyric Opera in Chicago in 2011. Here, at a benefit gala in Chicago that surpassed its $1 million fundraising goal. There in New York City at a benefit ball decorated with silver ginkgo trees.
The couple is no stranger to the world of high-stakes philanthropy, but their most recent act of charity may rank among their most intimate.
Last week, St. Giles School, located at 1034 Linden Ave. in Oak Park, announced that they received a $1 million donation from the Crowes. The couple, who currently lives in Chicago, both attended the Catholic school and were married at St. Giles Catholic Church. Jack Crowe is the cousin of Wednesday Journal columnist Jack Crowe.
Beth Linnen, the school’s director of development, explained that the Crowes, who couldn’t be reached for comment, were motivated to make their unprecedented donation after a recent visit to their alma mater.
“They came for a visit and they loved seeing the kids in the classroom,” she said. “I think they just were tickled by the kids and what we’re doing here.”
The unprecedented donation, the largest in the school’s history, will go toward the creation of the Jack and Peggy Crowe Catholic Education Fund, which will help provide “need-based tuition assistance to families who may not otherwise be able to send their children to St. Giles School,” according a statement released by the school.
“We are thrilled and grateful to the Crowes for their generosity,” said Linnen,. “Through the Catholic Education Fund, the Crowes are giving back to help other families receive a Catholic education like they did. The future of Catholic education depends on this kind of support from alumni of our schools.”
According to school officials, the number of families who need assistance with tuition has increased sharply in recent years, which has required school officials “to make difficult decision about allocating the historically limited funds available for assistance,” the statement reads.
Nancy Zver, St. Giles’ principal, said the recent donation will allow the school to expand its purpose.
“Our mission is to partner with families and provide a high quality Catholic education to all who desire one,” Zver said. “In the past our resources have limited the number of families we were able to support. … This visionary gift … will help the school mission be realized for many more dedicated families long into our future.”
There are currently 470 students enrolled in preschool through eighth grade at St. Giles. Tuition is around $5,500 a year for each child. The Crowes’ donation will allow the school to award up to $50,000 a year for new tuition assistance, district officials said in the statement.
In an interview last Friday, Zver said the $50,000 is the anticipated interest that the Crowes’ donation is expected to generate.
Linnen said that the school receives around $300,000 a year in donations, most of that, she added, coming from families who are already paying tuition. She said that the school also relies on major donors, many of them alumnae, who give up to $10,000 a year.
It helps that St. Giles, unlike many other Catholic institutions across the country, doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.
This summer, St. Edmund Catholic School in Oak Park closed its doors after roughly a century in operation due to what the Archdiocese of Chicago described as declining enrollment and fiscal difficulties.
“Prior to this [donation], we were very stable,” said Zver. “The parish has no debt, we have just over 470 students and so we’re considered a very healthy Catholic school.”
CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com