See how much good a scholarship can do TODAY. Add to it later.

Judith Heath '67 has been making gifts of varying amounts to St. Mary's annually for decades, but in 2015 after her husband passed away, she made a $10,000 gift to create an endowed scholarship in his name to honor his commitment to love of lifelong learning. She says, "I believe my small amount of money is helping to make St. Mary's a more diverse community. I am so proud of St. Mary's when I see there truly is cultural diversity in the student body."

Why the endowment?

Judith knows that a portion of the investment earnings of an endowed scholarship are distributed each year so the scholarship that bears her husband's name will exist for as long as St. Mary's exists. Each year, students will be inspired by her husband's love of learning and she gets to witness the impact of her gift within her lifetime.

Why St. Mary's?

"College transformed my whole life and I never would have had the confidence or courage to even apply, much less graduate and earn a master's degree, if I had not gone to SMA. It opened up a whole world for me. I want all girls to have the same advantage I had. Giving to St. Mary's is my attempt to pay back a little of what I was given. It's a little bit of noblesse oblige. No child should ever have to be in the position of saying no to a good education because of money. It could have happened to me."

People think they have to be "rich" to start a scholarship. Is that true?

"I came from a working-class family of modest means. My parents worked very hard to afford a Catholic education for me and my siblings. My father worked long hours as a janitor for the Sisters of the Holy Names. My parents couldn't afford tuition but the Sisters allowed me to work off my tuition by doing some clerical work and cleaning in the chapel, library and parlors in the old school building."

"I have always had a strong belief in philanthropy. When I was younger, there wasn't much to give, but I did participate, and once our children were grown, we were able to be more generous. There are a couple charities in my estate plans, but SMA is the largest."

What would you say to those who are hesitant to put a charity in their estate plan?

"I honestly don't understand people who don't leave money to charity in their wills. Our children and grandchildren are doing just fine. I've spent a great deal of my adult life volunteering for causes in which I believe! There is no reason that I would NOT leave them some support when I die. It's one last thing I can do for them."