The HALO Initiative

Thank you for your support of The HALO Initiative since 2020! This journey has been nothing short of remarkable, and it’s all thanks to your open hearts and minds and generous contributions. It was an especially important time to step forward in new ways. You have fueled our passion and we're proud of the impact we've made together. To each and every one of you who have been part of our story, please accept our deepest gratitude.

We look forward to working alongside you to support Catholic education in new ways in far north, south and west Dallas as more unfolds in the coming months.

If your family has received tuition assistance support through HALO, please know that the Dallas Diocese Education Endowment Trust (also known as DEET or the Endowment Trust) and the Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament funders will continue providing financial aid to nearly 1,000 Catholic school students.

Important Announcement:
𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗢 𝗶𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲

--

New initiatives are starting and The Catholic Schools Office (CSO) is investing in added resources for our community’s evolving needs. As a result, the CSO will no longer contribute to The HALO Initiative operation costs in exchange for services we provide and we are preparing to complete HALO’s work on June 30, 2024.

We have been very pleased to serve the community since 2020, and with tremendous gratitude for our HALO supporters, together we have made a positive impact that will last for years to come. Our most notable accomplishments in these years include the HALO 139 pilot that attracted more than 100 new families to Catholic education at five schools, the Shared Facilities Maintenance pilot that is improving campuses and supporting leadership at seven schools, and the allocation and governance of nearly $11M in tuition assistance distributed on behalf of the Endowment Trust and the annual Bishop's Invitational.

If you are a supporter of The HALO Initiative, we wholeheartedly thank you for enhancing and sustaining our Dallas Catholic school system. If your family has received tuition assistance support through HALO, please know that the Dallas Diocese Education Endowment Trust (also known as DEET or the Endowment Trust) will continue this work that provides nearly 1,000 Catholic school students.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve with you.

Once again, the Bishops Invitational was nothing short of amazing. Before the golfers arrived, Bishop Burns and CHRISTUS Health CEO Ernie Sadau gathered with several of the students who earned one of the 10 CHRISTUS awards provided! This photo also includes some of the amazing people who made the 2023 ⛳ Bishop's Golf Invitational a reality - including this year’s event chairs, Peter and Kara Gehan, Don and Jane Hanratty, Superintendent Dr. Rebecca Hammel. What a great way to kick off the day to this fantastic annual event!

Principal Lora Watson at Santa Clara of Assisi Catholic Academy was pleased to add a STEM lab for outstanding student collaboration and exploration.

All smiles for Halloween - including some Superheroes playing 🍂🎃👻 Halloween BINGO!

HALO is proud to support the Bishop's Golf Invitational each year, and this year is no different. Since the inaugural golf tournament in 2011, the Bishop’s Invitational has raised $7.1 million to provide need-based tuition assistance for K-8th grade students attending Catholic Schools in the Dallas area.

The invitational is next Monday (weather permitting) and there's still time to DONATE! Help us make this an un-fore-gettable event!

https://bishopsgolf.org/

📸 Photo Share:

Students at St. Mark Catholic School - Plano, TX participated in "Mix It Up Monday" - they were placed at random at a table with other students they may not have known as a great way to make new friends and get to know other students!

And kindergarten students at St. Joseph Catholic School Waxahachie learned about the miracle of the sun from 1917 in Fatima, Portugal where the sun appeared to dance in the sky. They watched a video and drew their own dancing suns.

📸 Photo Share:

Saint Paul Catholic Classical School's 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀 in celebration of ✝️𝗦𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝗶 this week!

It was so awesome to see the Falcons back in the nest for the 2023-24 school year! We casually snapped a few pictures of the first day at Bishop Dunne Catholic School yesterday - full of joy, full of opportunities, full of God's blessings.

We want to wish the students, teachers, administrators and staff at all of our Catholic schools a wonderful new school year!

Dr. Hammel with her wonderful Bishop Dunne Catholic School ambassador/tour guide. It was great to be on campus for our HALO Board meeting on the first day of classes of the 2023-24 school year!

As the summer winds down and we anticipate the start of the new school year, we love seeing how students across the Diocese nourished their , and . We also love seeing how schools are preparing to welcome students back to school - from campus improvement projects to welcoming new teachers and school leaders to popsicle parties.