More working, single parents will take the next step to get their degrees, thanks to a generous gift by SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac to Marian University of Wisconsin.   

The $50,000 gift will benefit the Marian’s Working Families Grant program, which provides financial assistance to single parents pursuing their dream of a college degree. 

The check was presented by Katherine Vergos, president of SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital. The donation was received by Michelle Majewski, president of Marian University and Kerry Strupp, Marian University’s director of the Working Families Grant.
            “We are thrilled with SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital’s generous support of our Working Families Grant,” according to Majewski. “This will enable more working, single parents to pursue higher education while also supporting their families – a great example of SSM Health and Marian University working together to enhance our Fond du Lac community.” 

This current donation from SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac continues a longstanding partnership with Marian University, and in particular, the Working Families Grant program.  

“We’re proud to be a part of this tremendous program, which has benefited so many families over the years,” Vergos says. “It is important to us to support the communities we serve in so many ways, and to help provide individuals and families with the resources they need to live healthier and more productive lives.”
            Participants in the Working Families Grant program receive assistance with tuition, childcare and household expenses, which allows them to focus on their education. To encourage positive outcomes, participants must remain enrolled full-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher and give back to the community by working 20 hours of community service each semester.

Strupp expressed her gratitude for the donation, stating, “This not only helps our students, but it helps their children, too. We’re very blessed to have partners like SSM Health and their generous donation.”

The Working Families Grant program has been a lifeline for many students who may have otherwise thought a college degree was out of their reach. Strupp says recipients of the grant have shared their gratitude, with statements like, “I didn’t think a college degree was for me,” and “I didn’t think a degree was possible.”   

For more information about the Working Families Grant program, visit the Marian University website at www.marianuniversity.edu. 

Marian University was founded in 1936 by the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes, a group of pioneering religious sisters, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The university has a rich tradition of dedication to the education of the whole person and offers a variety of undergraduate, masters and adult learning degrees at its main campus and online. 

SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac’s community benefit ministry totaled more than $400,000 across the communities it serves. This investment helps ensure access to health care for patients who are uninsured or underinsured, train the next generation of health professionals to care for those in need, and fund programs to address the most pressing health needs of our communities.