Partners in Excellence honors benefactor, raises $164,400

The Partners In Excellence (PIE) Scholarship Program honored Earl Linehan, one of its longtime benefactors, at its seventh annual Back-to-School breakfast in Baltimore Sept. 12.

Linehan is the president of Woodbrook Capital Inc., a private investment firm, and was co-founder of Meridian Health Care. Already a papal Knight of St. Gregory, he sits on a number of boards, including for Mercy Health Services and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Fells Point.

Linehan, a parishioner of St. Ignatius in Baltimore, has helped create 400 scholarships for PIE, which supports the four Catholic Community Schools of Baltimore City: Archbishop Borders, Cardinal Shehan, Holy Angels and Ss. James and John.

Sept. 12 also marked PIE’s annual Giving Day. Contributors helped PIE far surpass its $100,000 fundraising goal by donating $164,400, including a significant gift from an anonymous donor in honor of Linehan. The money will be used to create new scholarships to help deserving children attend PIE schools.

The Back-to-School breakfast was emceed by Jason Newton, an anchor with WBAL-TV, and included reflections on the impact of the PIE scholarship program on students and Catholic schools from Aniaya Dixon, a former PIE Scholar and current Towson University student, and Will Backstrom, a senior vice president at PNC.

Archbishop William E. Lori concluded the program with words of gratitude for all those who have supported the work of PIE and its partner schools.

An initiative of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the PIE Scholarship Program provides scholarships for Baltimore City students who wish to attend a Catholic school. In its 24th year, it has awarded more than 27,000 scholarships valued at more than $34 million.

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