Leaving a Legacy

Throughout his career as a sports actuary, Josephinum Academy volunteer and donor John Dewan lived by an 80/20 rule. For decades, 80 percent of his time was spent on his business, and 20 percent was devoted to service. But when he began to near retirement, he made a decision to flip his stats—his mission was to spend 80 percent of his time volunteering, and use the remaining 20 percent to keep his business going under new leadership. The next logical step? Finding a place to invest his time and give back.

During a chance encounter during an event at Boston College, he discovered the Ignatian Volunteer Corps—a program designed for older individuals to devote two days a week to serving a facility or organization in some capacity. He chose Josephinum Academy.

“When I started, I didn’t know anything about Josephinum Academy. But if I could have designed the perfect place for me to apply my skills, it would be this,” John shared. “It’s a cause that is more central to the fiber of my being than any cause there is.”

John’s commitment to service and appreciation for quality education was instilled in him as a child—both by his parents and through his own Catholic education.

“To have had the opportunity to get a really good education, instead of just going to school, it made all the difference in the world,” he explained. But he knows those opportunities are not distributed equally.

“We have a situation in our world where people of color have less opportunity than others when it comes to education. A situation where girls and women have a harder path to follow,” he explained. “We need to create opportunities for education.”

Last summer, John helped create learning opportunities through the Project Bright Hour work program—an initiative he helped design with Josephinum President Richard McMenamin.

And now, he’s focused on maximizing the benefits from The Jo’s participation with the Illinois Invest in Kids Act, which offers individual taxpayers in Illinois a 75% income tax credit on donations made to schools like Josephinum Academy. That means that when you give $1,000, you’ll receive $750 as a tax credit when you file your tax return next spring.

Dozens of Josephinum families apply for scholarships through the Invest in Kids program each year, and we regularly have students on the waitlist at Big Shoulders Fund and Empower Illinois—the program’s scholarship-granting partner—hoping to receive a scholarship to attend The Jo. John and his family are committed to helping #clearthelist, ensuring that finances are not are barrier to future Josephinum Academy students.

There are currently 31 Josephinum students on the waitlist for the 2023-2024 school year! Help John clear the list and consider making a donation by directing your Illinois state taxes into scholarships for our deserving students.