Supporting young mothers and their children

During Lent, Catholics are called to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, not as isolated practices, but as a way of turning our hearts more fully toward Christ and toward those He places before us. For the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation (CCEF), this year’s Lenten Appeal was a powerful expression of that call, supporting students in the KARA program. 

KARA is delivered inside the Calgary Catholic School District at St. Anne’s Academic Centre. The program, founded nearly 40 years ago by Catholic women, supports pregnant and parenting teens as they continue their education while caring for their children. These young women carry responsibilities far beyond what many students their age are asked to bear. They are students, mothers, caregivers, and young women of hope. Their perseverance deserves more than admiration. It deserves practical support, encouragement, and a community willing to walk beside them.  Through the CCEF, our Catholic community is encouraged to bear witness to these young people’s courage and strength.

The Calgary Catholic Education Foundation proudly champions the KARA program by building relationships, inviting community support, and helping secure resources that strengthen the students’ experience. This work matters because it allows the school to remain focused on what it does best: caring for and educating students. Fundraising should not be a burden on teachers, school staff, or students. CCEF’s role is to carry that work forward on behalf of Catholic education so that the school community can focus on formation, learning, dignity, and care.

Through the generosity of donors and the beautiful partnership with Catholic Women’s League ministries in parishes across Calgary and the area, CCEF awarded four post-secondary bursaries of $1,500 each to KARA students. These bursaries will help support the recipients as they take the next step in their education and continue building a stronger future for themselves and their children.

The support of several of the CWLs in the Calgary Diocese has been especially moving. Across many parishes, CWL members live out their ministry quietly, faithfully, and effectively, and their service is rooted in prayer, community, and action. In supporting KARA students, they offered a clear witness to the dignity of every young mother and every child. They responded in a very practical and deeply compassionate way by donating baby items most needed by the students and their children. Their generosity helped fully stock the KARA pantry for several months, easing the pressure of securing essential baby supplies and allowing students to keep their attention where it needed to be: on their children, their studies, and their future.

Gift cards were also donated, enabling students to make choices for their own families with dignity. That matters. True charity does not simply provide help; it honours the person receiving it. It recognizes that young mothers know their children's needs and deserve the respect to respond to them directly.

This is the Church at work.

​It is easy to speak about being pro-life, pro-family, and pro-education. It is much more powerful to show it. The CWL ministries did exactly that. They helped turn compassion into concrete support. They reminded these young women that they are not alone, that their children are cherished, and that their education still matters.

For the students who received bursaries, the impact reaches beyond immediate financial support. A post-secondary bursary says something important: you matter and we care. Our Catholic community believes in your ability to continue learning, growing, and providing for your family.

CCEF is deeply grateful to every donor, parish ministry, and CWL member who contributed to this appeal, which reflects the heart of Catholic education. Your generosity has helped strengthen young families and affirm the God-given dignity of both mother and child.

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Submitted by Janet Lymer, CFRE, Executive Director, Calgary Catholic Education Foundation & Communications Director, Calgary CWL Diocesan. Photos courtesy of Janet Lymer.