Our Story
In 1989, Chicago’s former first lady, Maggie Daley, approached the pastor of Old St. Patrick’s Church, Father Jack Wall, with a bold vision. She wanted to create a new school where children would receive an academically excellent education along with a foundation to guide them to become hardworking individuals armed with a strong moral compass.
The school, which would become known as The Frances Xavier Warde School, would be a place where all families in the school would embrace and accept each other’s faiths, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The boldest part of her vision would be that 30 percent of The Frances Xavier Warde School’s students would receive financial assistance.
Father Wall embraced her vision and the two began a private search to find a principal for this new endeavor. Sister Mary Ellen Caron came to the table with fresh ideas and an immediate passion for building such a school.
At about the same time, the three founded Children at the Crossroads Foundation to support the financial aid portion of the mission. Beginning in 1990, Children at the Crossroads Foundation funded its first scholarships.
Now, thirty years later, Children at the Crossroads Foundation has changed the lives of over 1000 children and has provided over $17 million in financial aid. Ever true to our mission, 30% of the students who attend The Frances Xavier Warde School receive either full or partial financial assistance. With an ever-growing school population, meeting the scholarship needs of our students is even more challenging today than it was 30 years ago. Despite this, Children at the Crossroads Foundation has not wavered in its commitment to provide opportunity, support and hope to the children who receive financial aid annually.