Press Release 082313

Press Release August 23, 2013Contact:  Gregory Floyd                 973 984-9600                 gfloyd@tcsfund.org

Tri-County Scholarship Fund Announces 32nd Annual Dinner Honoring John C. Parry, Sr. Francis Raftery, S.C. and Walter and Irene Crum

Tri-County Scholarship Fund’s Annual Dinner seeks to raise $800,000 to provide scholarships for financially disadvantaged children in Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties.

On October 28th, Tri-County Scholarship Fund (TCSF) will be celebrating 32 years of investing in the lives and education of the area’s neediest children at a dinner honoring four extraordinary individuals with awards for their commitment to children and education.

John C. Parry is Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Solix, Inc., a business process outsourcing provider for government, telecom, broadband, utility and healthcare organizations.  Mr. Parry has more than 40 years of experience, including serving as President of Bell Atlantic Network Systems and Vice President of the Bell Atlantic Global Systems Company (now Verizon).  He served in Vietnam as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy and had various assignments in Surface Warfare, Aviation, Logistics and Intelligence before retiring from the Navy Reserve in 1990.  John and his wife Vicki have two daughters and six grandchildren.

“Tri-County has a most important role in our community by providing students access to education and the opportunity to overcome challenges and realize their potential,” Parry said. “I’m very proud to be honored by an organization that performs such commendable work.”

Sr. Francis Raftery, S.C. finished her term as the sixth President of the College of St. Elizabeth in June 2013.  Sister Francis holds a doctorate in education from New York University and a master of arts in guidance and counseling from Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.  A native of Kearny, N.J., she entered the Sisters of Charity after earning her bachelor’s degree in early childhood/elementary education from New Jersey City University.  She taught at the elementary and secondary levels before joining the College of St. Elizabeth.  In June 2013, the College of St. Elizabeth Board of Trustees named Sister Francis President Emerita.

“It is an honor to join all in investing in God’s children through the Tri-County Scholarship Fund.  God’s blessings on this sacred trust of providing a values-centered education for so many,” said Sister Francis Raftery.

Walter and Irene Crum have served a combined total of more than 50 years teaching at Oratory Preparatory School in Summit, New Jersey.  Upon graduating from Farleigh Dickinson University in 1974, Walter joined the faculty of Oratory and taught all levels of Chemistry, Physics for 35 years.  For the past six years, Walter has served as Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Oratory.  Irene has taught Science, Math and Religion courses in her 20+ years in education.  The Crum’s have four sons who attended Oratory and three grandchildren.

“We are very honored to receive this award and look forward to joining the Tri-County Scholarship Fund in enabling so many needy students to achieve a quality, values-centered education,” said Walter and Irene Crum.

The October 28th dinner raises money to support TCSF’s goal of providing more than $800,000 in financial assistance to hundreds of children in the upcoming school year.

The dinner will take place at the Hanover Marriott in Whippany, New Jersey with a reception at 6:00PM followed by dinner at 7:00PM.

Over its 32-year history, TCSF has opened the door to a brighter future for thousands of children. The non-sectarian fund serves children of many races, religions and backgrounds, enabling them to attend private or parochial schools throughout northern New Jersey.  These scholarships, awarded solely on financial need for students in grades K-12 from Morris, Sussex and Passaic counties, give them the educational experience in grade school and high school that prepares them to move on and succeed in college.

Tri-County Scholarship Fund has a lot more than 32 years to celebrate. In the past three years, Tri-County scholars have received full scholarships to Colgate, Cornell, Villanova, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Georgetown and UCLA, with many of the awardees  being the first in their families to go to college.  The majority of Tri-County scholarship recipients come from families that live at or below the poverty line.

For more information about the dinner, or for interview opportunities with current and past scholarship recipients, Tri-County founders, trustees, dinner honorees and key members of the organization, please contact Gregory Floyd at (973) 984-9600 or gfloyd@tcsfund.org or visit Tri-County’s web site at http://www.tcsfund.org.