Jim Gill's Inspiring Journey
Establishing a Legacy of Education – 2023
“The fund is designed to provide annual student scholarships and financial support to the school for decades, and potentially centuries into the future, providing far greater benefits than the initial contribution.”
Jim Gill was born at Fort Benning, Georgia, at the beginning of World War II. His mother was Catholic and his father was Protestant. He did not come to know his father until he was three years old, upon his return home from the war. As he grew up, his mother took him to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. He attended public schools, thus never receiving a Catholic education. As a college student, he drifted away from the Church and stopped attending Mass on a regular basis. After several years, Jim felt that there must be a deeper meaning to life, and found himself at St. John the Evangelist in Lawrence, Kansas. As a result of Vatican II, the Mass was conducted in a different manner than what Jim remembered growing up. He thought the changes of Vatican II were good for the people.
After Sunday Mass, one month following Jim’s return to the Church, Father Al Rockers announced the establishment of a new parish in west Lawrence and introduced Father Frank Horvat. During the construction of the new church, now known as Corpus Christi, Mass was held in a Baptist church on Saturdays, and a junior high school auditorium on Sundays. Jim was not thrilled about the multiple locations, but his mother encouraged him to get involved in the new parish. The more Jim got to know Father Frank, the more his interest in getting involved in the parish grew.
Father Frank invited Jim to become a Eucharistic Minister, for which he felt honored to be selected, due to his mother being one of the first Eucharistic Ministers at Most Pure Heart of Mary in Topeka. He attended the training for Eucharistic Ministry and began serving at Mass regularly.
He has since moved to Olathe, Kansas, and often attends Prince of Peace Catholic Church and also Corpus Christi in Lawrence. Jim has taken advantage of the educational opportunities that Price of Peace offers. From all he has learned through these educational resources, Jim realized how much he has missed by not receiving a formal Catholic education, which was a driving force in his establishment of the James F. Gill Family Education Fund for his home parish, Corpus Christi.
Jim established the JFG Family Education Fund for Corpus Christi Church and School in December 2022, for the purpose of providing a financial opportunity for families of the parish with the greatest economic need. The fund would enable those families to send their children to Corpus Christi Catholic School. While updating his financial planning documents, Jim thought about Corpus Christi School, and how the teachers and staff provide quality education and a life plan in order for their students and families to live happily and reverently. He also had thought back many times about his own education growing up, and wished he had the opportunity to attend a Catholic school. Jim had an initial meeting with Father Jerry Volz, the current pastor of Corpus Christi, to determine if there was a need for a scholarship program and what an appropriate annual amount should be. He began working with his tax accountant to set up an education fund, but shortly realized that the process would be a major effort and expense. His tax accountant suggested that the Church would likely have a program in place to provide the services he was seeking. After minimal research, Jim discovered the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas, and contacted Jane Schmitt to learn more about establishing his fund with the Catholic Foundation. “Establishing the fund was very easy,” says Jim. “The process began at the beginning of December, and my objective was to finalize establishment of the fund by the end of the year. With the help of the Catholic Foundation and Jane, I achieved this objective with no problem.”
The JFG Family Educational Fund was established in such a manner as to remain solvent and provide opportunities to Corpus Christi students in perpetuity. The fund invests in the economy of the United States with both equity and fixed assets, and leverages those assets to benefit students, families and Corpus Christi well into the future. A fund of this nature provides support through changes in economic conditions, needs of the students, and growth of the church community. The fund is designed to provide annual student scholarships and financial support to the school for decades, and potentially centuries into the future, providing far greater benefits than the initial contribution. For example, an initial investment of $150,000 will provide student(s) tuition each year over the next 100 years, plus periodic church bonuses totaling $1.2 million. Of course, realizing this objective is dependent on the continued growth of the economy.
Through the JFG Family Educational Fund, Jim Gill has created the opportunity to provide financial support for families at Corpus Christi School well into the future. Though Catholic school was not an option for Jim growing up, he has ensured that many families with financial need at Corpus Christi, the parish that in many ways supported his return to the Catholic faith, will have that choice for their children. “I am a charter member of Corpus Christi Parish, and the church means the world to me and my belief in God and His teachings,” Jim shares. The JFG Family Educational Fund will contribute to the continued growth of Catholicism in the Lawrence community by assisting students of economic need and support of the school.