By Ana Rodriguez Soto - Florida Catholic newspaper
The 16th annual MACCW Scholarship Luncheon paid tribute to the woman who came up with the idea, Lucy Petrillo, a member of the Holy Rosary-St. Richard Council of Catholic Women who died in 2014.
Scarlett's friends adorn the tables at the 16th annual MACCW Scholarship Luncheon. A singing Scarlett - "I wanna be loved by you..." - became the event's mascot in 2005. Anyone who wanted to hear her sing had to pay $1 toward the scholarship fund.
Posing for a photo at the 2015 luncheon, from left, past MACCW presidents Barbara Asfendis, Linda Smith and Mary Weber, who currently chairs the Scholarship Committee.
Linda Smith looks over the many items that were up for auction to raise funds for scholarships for eighth grade girls who want to continue their education in a Catholic high school.
Father Michael Greer, MACCW chaplain, buys tickets for the Chinese auction from Josephine Gilbert, the group's past president.
Father Michael Greer, MACCW chaplain, poses for a photo with Ann Cubillas, the group's president and a member of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Miami Shores.
Lucy Petrillo's granddaughter, Alexa Petrillo, gets Scarlett, the MACCW Scholarship Committee's "singing mascot," to sing for those gathered at the group's 16th annual Scholarship Luncheon.
Lucy Petrillo's granddaughter, Alexa Petrillo, and her grandmother's best friend, Roseanne Bukowski, get Scarlett, the MACCW Scholarship Committee's "singing mascot," to sing for council members gathered for their 16th annual Scholarship Luncheon.
Photography: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
DORAL | Archdiocesan women recently paid tribute to one of their own, a woman who helped make it possible for young women to continue their Catholic education in high school.
Lucy Petrillo, a member of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary-St. Richard Parish who died July 31, 2014, was the moving force behind the Miami Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women’s Scholarship Fund.
Started in 1997, the fund has distributed more than $200,000 in scholarships to nearly 50 eighth-grade girls from parochial schools— girls who otherwise would not have been able to afford a Catholic education.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Lucy Petrillo's granddaughter, Alexa Petrillo, her grandmother's best friend, Roseanne Bukowski, get Scarlett, the MACCW Scholarship Committee's "singing mascot" to sing for council members gathered for their 16th annual Scholarship Luncheon.
At the fund’s 16th annual fundraising luncheon Feb. 21, the scholarship was renamed the MACCW-Lucy Petrillo Scholarship Award. And the luncheon itself was themed, “We Love Lucy.”
It was Petrillo who noticed that other women’s groups — such as the Jewish Hadassah — enjoyed a lot more name recognition than the MACCW. That, combined with her desire to help young Catholic women, became the impetus for the scholarship program.
“We wanted to make a difference in young women’s lives, furthering their Catholic education, and we wanted people to know what the MACCW was,” Petrillo told the Florida Catholic in a 2011 interview. “MACCW was a well-kept secret. Even our own parishes did not know what we did. We exist and we make a difference.”
At first, the funds were meager: Two girls received $750 each in 1997. Last year, three girls received $5,000 apiece.
“We give out scholarships based on what we’re able to bring in each year. But that’s our goal,” said Mary Weber, the committee’s current chair: three $5,000 scholarships per year.
Funds are raised during the scholarship luncheon, held each February and attended by more than 100 MACCW members and friends from throughout the archdiocese. The Marilyn Gaylord Charitable Trust also provides a generous contribution.
Petrillo herself came up with a unique way of raising money — a stuffed bear she named Scarlett who sings when you press her hand. For $1, donors can hear Scarlett’s rendition of “I Wanna Be Loved by You,” a song popularized by Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s and the “Boop-Boop-a-Doop Girl,” Helen Kane, in the 1920s.
Petrillo’s granddaughter, Alexa, usually accompanied her grandmother as she took Scarlett and her red donation pail to every table at the luncheons. She did the same this year, accompanied by her grandmother’s best friend, Roseanne Bukowski.
Petrillo’s husband of 55 years, Louis Petrillo, and their daughter, Dr. Linda Petrillo, also were guests at the luncheon.
The MACCW scholarship committee will be meeting this month to read this year’s applications, said Weber.
Over the years, she noted, girls from 34 archdiocesan schools have applied for the scholarships. The committee typically receives about 25 applications each year.
The criteria for selection is financial need, academic excellence and service. Applicants must write an essay stating why they want to continue their studies at a Catholic high school. The essays must be accompanied by recommendations from their pastor and principal.
The scholarships are presented at the MACCW’s annual convention, which will take place May 1-3 at the Miami Airport Hilton.
One of the past scholarship recipients is Cynthia Massillon, who went on to graduate from Archbishop Curley Notre Dame Prep and receive a Gates Millennium Scholarship for her college education at Brandeis University.
HOW TO HELP
To donate to the MACCW Scholarship Fund, call Mary Weber at 305-469-3515 or send a tax deductible contribution to: MACCW Scholarship Fund, 1700 N.E. 105 St., #419, Miami Shores, FL 33138.
