1. Art and Diseño

Newsletter
Dominican Sisters Vision of Hope
Winter 2015
Sister Barbara Larner
Friend, Champion of
inner-city schools
T
he Vision of Hope family lost a longtime leader
and cherished friend on Nov. 14, 2014, when
Sister Barbara Larner, 82, died as the result of injuries
suffered in an automobile accident.
Sister Barbara opened
Vision of Hope’s South
Los Angeles office,
and during her tenure
there as its first regional
director, 1998-2006,
she was instrumental
in raising more than
$3.5 million to directly
benefit St. Frances X.
Cabrini and St. Michael
elementary schools. She
also initiated the annual
scholarship luncheon
which benefitted all five
Los Angeles Vision of
Sister Barbara Larner will be
Hope schools.
greatly missed.
Bishop Gerald Wilkerson presided at the Memorial
Mass held Jan. 10 at St. Michael Church, Los Angeles,
celebrating her ministry of teaching, helping the less
fortunate and service to Vision of Hope. Parents,
alumni, Vision of Hope board members and
officials of the Archdiocese attended. It was hosted
by Monsignor David O’Connell, Principal Anabel
Rodriguez, Sister Georgette Coulombe and Mary
Canobbio.
Memorial scholarships have been set up at Vision of
Hope and St. Elizabeth High School in Oakland.
Born May 22, 1932, in Berkeley, CA, Barbara Larner
grew up in a family where, she said, “love was the
hallmark of our home.” It was there that she learned to
Continued on page 3
Values: Core of a
Catholic education
“C
atholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service,”
the theme for National Catholic Schools Week, January 25-31,
focuses on the value that Catholic education provides to young
people and its contributions to our church, our communities and our
nation. How do we measure the value of this treasure?
Dominican Sister Mary Peter Traviss of San Francisco
speaks about Catholic education from many perspectives.
Member and secretary of the Vision of Hope Board
of Directors, she is nationally recognized for her work
in Catholic education and Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral
Development.
Sister Mary Peter, noting that her parents were not
religious, says she attended a public elementary school
in Escondido, CA. “My grandmother wanted me to
experience Catholic education, so I went to boarding
school in Pasadena at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy,”
where, for the first time, she learned about God, Jesus
Christ and the Catholic faith.
“There is a sequence in education,” she says. “First you
learn, then you love, then you serve. I wanted to be like the Sisters at
Flintridge.”
She entered the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, not intending
to teach but wanting “to be of service to the people of God. I wanted
to help, and because the Dominicans are a teaching order, I saw that
children must be taught to know God and Jesus.”
After obtaining her college degrees and California teaching credential,
Sister Mary Peter taught and was principal at Catholic schools in San
Francisco and Anaheim before being named director of education for
the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, a position she held for 24 years.
She next was an associate professor of education at the University of
San Francisco, where she directed the Institute for Catholic Educational
Leadership (ICEL), which develops and encourages Catholic school
leaders through master’s and doctoral programs.
Two Vision of Hope school principals are ICEL graduates, Sister Mary
Continued on page 3
ANNUAL FUND CAMPAIGN Our Annual Fund Campaign seeks to raise $1 million. To date, we have
received gifts or pledges totaling $658,000. This means we must raise an additional $342,000 by the end of
July to make our goal of $1 million. There is so much potential in our children, so much enthusiasm for learning
and excitement for the future. A generous gift provides them with the security of knowing their opportunity for
success is real. Visit visionofhope.org today to donate. We are very grateful for your support and partnership.
Bragging Writes give our schools the opportunity to show you, our donors, the “return on your investment” in Vision of Hope. We celebrate not
only the end result, but the journey along the way. Vision of Hope schools take students “where they are” but challenge them to set ambitious
goals for themselves. Our schools encourage students to dream big dreams because people who dream have hope. Success is more than a
good report card; it is becoming a good person. Your support enables our schools to be incubators of transformation and growth.
BRAGGING WRITES
News from our campuses
December 12, Mrs. Blanca Bucio-Morales, mother of Karla and Cesar,
volunteered her time to cut and style the hair of 11 children, two
parents and two teachers, Mrs. Carmen Solis and Mrs. E. Janet Mackey,
East Los Angeles
Sacred Heart Elementary
School students joyfully
clutched their new instruments,
bestowed on them earlier
this year as part of the Young
Musicians Foundation program
which provides weekly group
instruction to 4th, 5th, 6th, and
7th graders on their instrument
of choice -- violin, guitar, flute, clarinet, and trumpet. The Foundation’s
teaching artist and program manager, Jonathan Terry, led the students
in their first concert on December 9 with proud parents attending to
watch their fledgling musicians.
•••••••••••
Thanks to a “Grass Roots” fundraising effort to enhance the school’s
technology learning center, friends of Saint Ignatius of Loyola
School have generously gifted over $6,000, $3,000 of which was
a matching donation, to begin this project. Volunteers from BJ’s
Restaurant, Glendale, applied a fresh coat of paint to the walls, which
who coordinated the event. “We don’t have much materially, but we
have compassion. Rarely have I been prouder,” says Principal Carmen
Orinoco-Hart.
Oakland
As part of a program of
collaboration between Saint
Elizabeth Elementary School
and Saint Elizabeth High, an early
morning algebra class is being
offered to eighth graders. At this
time, 13 students are crossing
the street each day to study
mathematics. When the course is
completed, they will receive high
school credit. This is a marvelous step towards working together with
Saint Elizabeth’s big sister school.
San Francisco
Saint James School is the proud recipient of a $5,000 “Step Up To
The Plate” grant from Wells Fargo Bank for the school’s arts program.
was also a donation from a wonderful benefactor. Wooden supply
cabinets will be refurbished through the masterful touch of Mr. Lipps.
These dedicated individuals have helped provide the students of Saint
Ignatius of Loyola an amazing learning environment!
•••••••••••
After waiting
64 years, Santa
Teresita School
finally has a public
sidewalk that encircles
the entire campus.
Responding to
parent petitions, City
Council member José
Huizar allocated discretionary funds for the project. On December 5,
Mr. Huizar visited the school to receive a certificate of appreciation
and lead the entire student body in a walk around the block to enjoy
the safe, new sidewalk!
South Los Angeles
Gifts from the heart! For more than five years, students, parents,
teachers and staff at St. Frances X. Cabrini School have donated
their own hair to Locks of Love, an organization that creates wigs for
children fighting cancer and undergoing chemotherapy treatment. On
San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford presented the
check in ceremonies December 2 at AT&T Park. The funds will buy art
supplies for Sister Elizabeth Lee’s K-3 classes as well as art electives and
extended care programs.
•••••••••••
Saint Anthony-Immaculate Conception School is proud to continue
the Catholic tradition of promoting the fine arts. Through generous donors,
SAIC provides a music program that includes singing and music theory, and
composition using iPad technology. Art in Action gives students a chance
not only to learn about various artists and art genre, but to work with
different media in creating their own art masterpieces.
Values: Core of a Catholic education
Susanna Vasquez at St. James and Barbara
Moodie at St. Anthony-Immaculate
Conception. More than 50 ICEL
graduates currently hold leadership
positions in Catholic education in the U.S.
These taught and modeled values are
the principal difference between the
education offered in Catholic schools
and that of charter or other private
schools, she says.
Over the course of her long career,
Sister Mary Peter has witnessed the
importance of teachers as role models.
“For children, it’s not just how well
they’re taught, but by whom they’re
taught,” she says. “When I was a principal
and interviewed teacher applicants,
I wanted to know that they had the
knowledge and ability to teach all
subjects, including religion, plus the
personal attributes to be role models of
service, kindness and self-sacrifice.”
Sister Mary Peter sees the future of Catholic
education under threat from both outside
and within the church. “Catholic schools are
in trouble because of society’s increased
secularization,” she says. “And recruitment of
students suffers when Catholic families don’t
support our schools.”
Schools need the financial and moral
support of local pastors. “Too many
pastors don’t demonstrate their belief
that the school is an integral part of
the parish,” she says. “Pastors should
Continued from page 1
encourage the laity to invest in and
support Catholic schools, because they
represent the future of the church.”
The benefits of Catholic education are
far reaching. “Children learn respect for
adults, they learn to be polite, they learn
to serve others – and, they talk to their
parents and family members about what
they’re learning. Catholic families need
help in learning how to live a life of faith.”
“I so believe in Vision of Hope and its
mission to help inner-city schools,” says
Sister Mary Peter. “I remember when
our congregation of Dominican Sisters
approved the formation of Vision of
Hope 20 years ago. It was a unanimous
vote followed by a standing ovation.”
Providing a quality, affordable Catholic
education is why Vision of Hope exists
and why we rely on the continued,
generous support of our donors.
Sister Barbara Larner, Friend, Champion of inner-city schools
Continued from page 1
love and be so embracing of others.
often said, “I’m always out friend building.”
Subsequent to entering the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose
on Sept. 8, 1955, Sister Barbara earned a BA in literature, theology
and journalism, an MA in literature and an MA in
philanthropy and development.
She worked tirelessly with principals, teachers, staff and alumni
to not only raise money for scholarships, but also to expand
teaching resources for the children.
Her first teaching assignments were in two San
Francisco elementary schools, St. Anthony and
Immaculate Conception. In 1964 she moved
to Los Angeles, where she taught and served
as principal at both St. Frances X. Cabrini
and St. Michael elementary schools. During
this time she volunteered as a companion
to incarcerated women at the Twin Towers
jail in downtown Los Angeles. In 1979 she
returned to Oakland to teach at St. Elizabeth High School and
for six years served as St. Elizabeth’s development director.
Sister Barbara began the next phase of her ministry in 1997
working for Vision of Hope, which was organized in 1995 to
provide financial support for eight endangered inner-city
schools sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San
Jose. The commitment was to provide the highest quality
education for all children regardless of income.
In September 1998 Sister Barbara returned to Los Angeles and
was assigned to St. Frances X. Cabrini and St. Michael as Vision
of Hope’s first regional director of the South Los Angeles office
Over the next six years, she organized a board of directors for
each school, working to identify potential funding sources. She
In 2006 Sister Barbara returned to the
Motherhouse to serve as associate director
of congregational development and
communications. For the past five years she
was a volunteer in St. Elizabeth High School’s
development department. Sister Barbara also
directed the Las Casas ESL program helping
hundreds to learn English. On the Sunday
before her death she directed the St. Elizabeth
High School annual alumni Mass and brunch
reunion at the Motherhouse.
Personally, Sister Barbara was always engaged, fun loving and
had a marvelous sense of humor coupled with a hearty laugh.
An avid sports fan, she followed her teams, Cal and the Giants,
and was thrilled with the World Series win. She was a great
conversationalist on a wide range of topics, from politics and
current events to what she was currently reading –– her tastes
were quite eclectic.
Forty-six years of Sister Barbara’s ministry were spent in the
inner city –– 23 in South Los Angeles and 23 in Oakland. She
leaves an enduring legacy with Vision of Hope and its schools
and in the communities she served.
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origin.
Dear Friends,
“Catholic Schools: Communities of
Faith, Knowledge and Service.” Our
eight Vision of Hope schools make this
a reality every day in every classroom
as we “nurture success and impact the
future” –– the theme of our Annual
Fund Campaign.
As evidenced by the Bragging Writes
in this newsletter, our schools are
communities that strive to be strong in faith, academics and
service. Our students are taught and encouraged to give back
in gratitude.
We would have little to celebrate if it were not for you, our
friends and donors. This year our Annual Fund Campaign
seeks to raise $1 million to respond to the current challenges
of our families and schools in the areas of direct tuition
assistance, technology, curricular and administrative support.
We are blessed to have surpassed the half-way point, but have
a few “miles to go before we sleep.” If you have not yet made
a gift, please help make possible a family’s dream of a Catholic
education for their child. Your faith in them –– and in us –– are
the best of all gifts!
May God bless you and your family in this new year with
graces beyond measure!
Your very grateful,
Sister John Martin Fixa, O.P.
Executive Director
JOIN US IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE!
VISION OF HOPE DAY AT THE RACES
Plan to attend this year’s Dominican Sisters Vision of Hope Day at the Races.
Amid the excitement of racing thoroughbreds, there will be fabulous Silent
Auction items, raffle prizes galore as well as delicious food. A day not to be
missed!! Be sure to bring your family and friends. All proceeds go to our
Vision of Hope Schools.
Southern DAR • Saturday, April 25 2015 • Santa Anita Race Track
Northern DAR • Saturday, May 16, 2015 • Golden Gate Fields