Holy Cross Alumnus Establishes Scholarship for Nativity School of Worcester Students

WORCESTER, Mass. – Thomas A. Maher ’84, a business leader with a strong commitment to education for disadvantaged inner-city youth, has established a $100,000 scholarship fund at the College of the Holy Cross to financially assist graduates of the Nativity School of Worcester who will eventually attend Holy Cross.

The Jeanne R. Maher Nativity Scholarship Fund, named after his late mother, will provide financial aid scholarship support to Nativity Worcester students who are offered admission to Holy Cross after completing high school. Recipients of the scholarship must do volunteer service at Nativity Worcester while students at Holy Cross.

The Nativity School of Worcester is a private Jesuit Catholic middle school for boys living in Main South and other vulnerable neighborhoods of Worcester.

"We are grateful and pleased that Tom Maher has once again stepped up and funded a scholarship at Holy Cross for graduates of inner city schools, this time for graduates of Nativity School of Worcester, which we co-sponsor with the New England Province of the Society of Jesus," said Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of Holy Cross and chair of the board of the Nativity School.

"His generous gifts help support our mission to make the best of Jesuit education and all the opportunities it provides available to those who are shut out from the advantages many of our other students have. Just as important, Tom’s commitment reflects his deep commitment to the service of the poor and the marginalized, which is an essential element of a Holy Cross education. We are proud of him and his many accomplishments, both in business and in his work on behalf of inner city youth."

Joanne Glavin McClatchy ’79, executive director at the Nativity School of Worcester, said "We are overwhelmed by Tom’s generosity. We are grateful not only for the scholarship that will assist our students to attend Holy Cross, but also for his vision in providing scholarships for worthy students. The high quality education they are receiving every day will be rewarded for those who are the most determined to succeed. Tom truly embodies the Jesuit motto of men and women for others. We thank him and the College of the Holy Cross for their vision and generosity."

The first Nativity Worcester graduates will enter college in the fall of 2010. The scholarship will help strengthen Holy Cross’ connection to the Nativity School.

"This scholarship fund reinforces the strong bridge between the Nativity School of Worcester and Holy Cross," Maher said. "The scholarship recipients’ service component to their school expands the mission of both schools in the Worcester community for many years ahead."

Maher has established two similar $100,000 scholarship funds at Holy Cross for students from Manhattan and from Lawrence, Mass. Maher, a resident of Andover, is a founding director of Esperanza Academy, a Nativity-model school for girls in grades 5-8 in Lawrence, which will open in September 2006. Maher is a principal at Eastern Development LLC, a Woburn, Mass.-based development firm specializing in retail and office projects throughout New England. He is co-owner and director of the Worcester Tornadoes baseball team.