For Catherine Walsh, Giving is second nature
(Catherine Walsh)
It’s no surprise that Catholic Education is a priority for Catherine Walsh. A graduate of St. Agatha’s elementary school in Brooklyn, a Bishop McDonnell’s girl, and mathematics major at St. John’s University – Catherine is a true product of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Brooklyn. This first-rate education, translated into 34 years as a math teacher in New York City Public Schools.
A consummate philanthropist, Catherine is a devoted supporter of her parish, Our Lady of the Angels in Bay Ridge; member of the Court of Honor for the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Annual Catholic Appeal; major benefactor of the Alive in Hope Campaign, and generous supporter of the Annual Bishop’s Christmas Luncheon. She has received a number of distinctions and belongs to several societies including the Bishop’s Court of Arms Club, the 1899 Society of Catholic Charities and the Fons Vitae Legacy Society of the Diocese of Brooklyn. Catherine is also a Lady Grand Cross of the Holy Sepulchre, and a Lady of Charity.
A woman of tremendous faith and devotee to St. Therese of the Little Flower, Catherine humbly shares her time, talent and treasure with all. When she’s not serving as a lector, Eucharistic minister, or attending the Book Club at Our Lady of Angels Parish, she is pouring over one of the five or six books she is reading concurrently.
Catherine was one of the first individuals to take repeated advantage of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA); making generous donations to the Alive in Hope Foundation. The PPA, a part of a new bill passed by Congress in 2006, allows taxpayers, age 70 or older, with well-funded traditional IRAs, to donate up to $100,000 from their Individual Retirement Accounts, tax free each year. It is effective for qualified distributions made in tax years 2006 to date.
Catherine allocated her required distributions toward a cause close to her heart –Catholic Education. The Foundation channeled her donation to the Bishop’s Scholarship Program – a 2:1 scholarship matching effort. Thanks to Catherine, over $15,000 in scholarships allowed new children to attend Catholic elementary schools in Brooklyn and Queens!
During a recent visit at her lifelong home in Bay Ridge, Catherine enthusiastically recounted a recent trip to Italy. As we pored over photographs, she marveled at the architecture, frescos, and food in Rome and shared stories of people met and friendships forged. As she concluded her walk down memory lane, she commented “It was the trip of a lifetime, but there’s no place like Brooklyn.”
We couldn’t agree more.
We salute Catherine – a true Ambassador of Hope – humble and gentle of spirit, and compassionate and generous of heart.
For more information on the Pension Protection Act, please contact Thomas Flood at 718-965-7375.
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