Salvi, his five sons, eight brothers and sisters—as well as most of their children—are all Carmel Catholic graduates and passionate about not only their education but also those who otherwise may not be able to attend the school. The donation is currently being distributed to these families and will alleviate their financial burden, allowing their students to access the high-quality education that the school provides.
“It’s our belief from our school’s founders that all families, regardless of financial means, should have an opportunity to receive a Catholic education, and we do everything we can to make that happen. We are incredibly grateful to the Salvi family for their generosity,” said President Brad Bonham.
Many reasons motivated Salvi and his wife to make this donation, including their longtime passion for Carmel Catholic, not only from the standpoint of delivering the highest quality in education but also the administration, the faculty, staff, and of course, its students. Longtime donors to Carmel Catholic, the school gymnasium has been named after Patrick A. Salvi for more than two decades.
“The entire Carmel community creates a culture that protects one another,” said Salvi. “And it's an environment where the students not only feel safe, but they receive the highest level of education and have opportunities to attend the best colleges and universities. At the same time this allows for them to enjoy their day-to-day student life by being able to focus on their academic, social and spiritual experiences at Carmel.”
“Brad Bonham is such a wonderful president and recently conveyed to me that there are so many wonderful students in the area that would succeed at Carmel but don't have the means,” Salvi continued. “I just think if there are students in Lake County that want to go to Carmel but can't afford it, that just doesn’t sit well with me, so I really wanted to do something significant and provide an opportunity for all of these very qualified students to attend Carmel.”
Dr. Bonham, whose children have attended and graduated from Carmel Catholic, strives to make Carmel Catholic financially accessible for all families. He also understands how many lives will be immediately impacted by Pat and Lindy Salvi’s substantial donation.
“We want to make sure that a Carmel Catholic education is available for everyone, and we do a lot of advocating to people like Pat Salvi who strongly believe in Carmel and want to help families financially. That’s why this donation aligns perfectly with our mission and is so key,” added President Bonham.