ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Delta County school is benefiting from the support of some generous alumni families.
Ken Gartland and Donna Richer recently presented a check for $50,000 to Holy Name Catholic School Principal Michelle Brief and Holy Name Pastoral Designate Father Timothy Ferguson, Pastor of St. Joseph and St. Patrick Parish. The money is the result of the income earned on the Staff Support Endowment Fund by Alumni and Friends of Holy Name Catholic School.
Gartland and Richer say Holy Name Catholic School is dear to their hearts. Gartland and his wife Pat are alumni, along with seven of their children and some of their grandchildren. Gartland served on the Holy Name School Board in the 1960s and on the Scholarship Board in the 1970s. Donna Richer’s late husband, Dale, graduated from Holy Name High School in 1958. Their daughter Renee is a 1986 graduate, and their granddaughter Camille is currently enrolled as an eighth grader.
The purpose of the Staff Support Endowment fund is to provide annual economic support to the administration and staff of HNCS.
Principal Brief said, “We are so grateful for all of our supporters. The Gartland and Richer families have been—and continue to be—large supporters of Holy Name, both spiritually and financially.”
“We’re giving back some of what God has given us,” Ken Gartland said. “Holy Name is a phenomenal school. We’re confident it will grow and prosper in the future.”
Holy Name High School – A Chesterton Academy reopened in 2021, the 50th anniversary of the original high school’s closure in 1971. The current school, located at 2203 7th Avenue South, started with 12 students and has since grown to 25 students, with seven graduating in this school’s third senior class in the spring of 2026.
Ken Gartland and Dale Richer are the original fund holders of the Staff Support Endowment by Alumni and Friends of Holy Name Catholic School. It is one of several other funds managed by the Community Foundation for Delta County that support scholarships and operating expenses for Holy Name.
“We want to encourage other Holy Name graduates to give back and are hoping we can inspire others to support the school,” said Gartland.
Those interested in supporting Holy Name Catholic School through an existing or new fund can contact the Community Foundation for Delta County at (906) 786-6654 or email office@cfup.org.
For more information on Holy Name Catholic School or Holy Name High School – A Chesterton Academy, call the school office at (906) 786-7550, visit the elementary school at 409 South 22nd Street, or visit the high school at 2203 7th Ave. South.
