If you’ve driven by St. Patrick’s School on 30th Street lately in the last few months, you probably noticed a lot of activity. There’s a great story behind the renovations.
This church-owned school was built in the 1940s but very little had been done to it since then. It received minor upkeep, but the major things such as a new roof and windows were not in the small school’s budget.
When I saw the principal, Dan O’Neal, at the school’s fall festival last weekend, he said the school falls between the cracks when it comes to money because it’s so middle-class. The people who like to donate to charities mostly seek out disadvantaged schools, while the schools that attract more affluent students have built-in funding. St. Pat’s is neither.
So imagine O’Neal’s surprise earlier this year when Shea Homes called and said St. Pat’s had been chosen for a soup to nuts renovation. Yep, all the staff had to do was empty the classrooms (no easy task, mind you) and stay away for 90 days.
A miracle? O’Neal seemed to think so. But there is a history to this generosity. John Shea, owner of Shea Homes and a Catholic, likes to spend his philanthropic money on fixing up parochial schools in the cities where he’s building houses. He pays for everything and sends his crew to do the work.
St. Pat’s received $610,000 worth of makeover, including a new roof, new windows, new flooring, new carpeting in the offices and library, refurbished bathrooms, new cabinets, new heaters, ceiling fans, interior and exterior painting, new electrical outlets, new drinking fountains, a fence — and even new maps, white boards and crucifixes. For free!
Shea even provided an interior designer, who chose the school’s exterior paint color to complement the Craftsman-style homes in the neighborhood. I really like the lavender tile she suggested for the restrooms. It’s nicer than it even needs to be, which makes it special.
Sometimes we need to hear a little good news and know there are still people out there who just give for the heck of it. John Shea certainly is one of those.
