A prominent Summit Hill attorney, Joseph J. Velitsky, is serving as the honorary chairman of the 2021-2022 Marian Fund, the major fundraising arm of Marian Catholic High School in Hometown.

The drive, launched earlier this year in a mailing to alumni, family and friends of the school, has a goal of $500,000.

Velitsky, a 1962 graduate of Marian who has his law office in Summit Hill for the past 52 years, said, “I am honored to be able to advocate for our alma mater, because it is a special place that has great significance to me.

“I believe in Catholic education and I believe in Marian. I received a great education there and it helped me in my career.”

Velitsky said the Marian Fund is “an integral part of the school that helps make a Catholic education available to families that desire an exceptional education that is rooted in faith, family and tradition for their sons and daughters.”

His commitment to Marian, he said, comes from his late mother, Anna (Rhodunda) Velitsky, saying, “She believed in Catholic education,” adding, “Both myself and my brother, Paul, had our start in grade school at St. Joseph’s Parochial School, Summit Hill, and that’s where we learned our appreciation for the people who were devoted to Catholic education, like the Sisters of Mercy, Sr. Mary Florence and Monsignor (J. Francis) Haley.”

When he moved on to Marian, he said, it was a “rewarding experience that influenced my life.”

The honorary chairman said generations of Marian Catholic High School graduates “have benefited from the wonderful education they received, and the success in their lives, families and professions are a testament to our past and upbringing.”

He stressed the importance of the Marian Fund, saying escalating costs present challenges to supporters of Catholic education.

Generous donations, he added, “will have a tremendous impact on the future of Catholic education, in addition to helping Marian to award much-needed financial aid that assists families in pursuit of a Catholic education for their children.”

Velitsky said, “It is important to carry on tradition of Catholic education,” urging alumni and friends to “make a contribution that makes a difference in the life of every student at Marian Catholic High School.”

Contributions are 100 percent tax deductible.

Other programs in which supporters of Catholic education can help MCHS include the matching gifts, planned giving, corporate matching and tax credit programs.

For more information on those programs, contact Kristine Evina, Director of Advancement, kevina@mariancatholichs.org, or call 570-467-3335, ext. 115.