January 2014
Dear Friend,
On behalf of Pat’s family and friends, thank you for your recent generous donation to the Patrick J. DiPaolo Memorial Scholarship Fund. Because of you, and so many others like you, not only will Pat’s memory and legacy live on, but young men and women who might not have had the wherewithal for higher education attainment will now be able to attend a college or university of their choice.
We always believed Pat’s influence on his students and players was far reaching, but the tremendous outpouring of love and generosity has more than confirmed this beyond our expectations. Because of this Scholarship Fund, Pat’s lifelong vision of helping students and athletes will continue to be realized. We know you are pleased and take great pride in helping to make that vision a reality. We plan to award the first of many scholarships in Pat’s name in the 2014-2015 school year.
This past fall, additional donations were raised for the fund when the Central Tech, East High and Cathedral Prep football teams honored Pat. Flowers and gifts were presented to Pat’s family and children. East High School recognized Pat for his role as principal and biggest football booster. In his honor they retired the number “1” football jersey, the original jersey Pat purchased for the team once he became principal. No other East player will wear that number again. Central Tech honored their former coach by wearing a decal of Pat’s initials on their helmets all season long.
In addition to the football honors, at Blessed Sacrament School, where Pat’s nephew Gino and niece Gianna attend school, they had a dress down day in December for all the students and faculty. All proceeds were donated to the Scholarship Fund. In 2014, St. George School, where Pat’s daughter Julia and son Dominick (Nico) attend, they too will have a dress down day with all proceeds going to the fund. The Erie School District will honor Patrick on March 14, 2014, by having a district wide dress down day. This date is special because it is Patrick’s birthday. The School District plans on doing this every year on his birthday to benefit the fund.
The Scholarship Committee, working with the website Booster.com, ran a ten day memorial t-shirt campaign and over a hundred t-shirts were sold in his memory. The t-shirt had Pat’s favorite saying on it “W.I.E.I.T.O.T.” (Winning Isn’t Everything, It’s The Only Thing), along with the words he lived by “Never Give Up”. Additional proceeds were raised through the sale of the t-shirts.
Planning is well underway for the Patrick J. DiPaolo Memorial Golf Classic. It will be held on July 25, 2014, at Lake Shore Country Club. We are confident this golf outing will become an annual event of fun and camaraderie, while also continuing to support our scholarship efforts.
Once again, please accept our heartfelt gratitude for helping to create for others post-secondary education that would not be possible without your support.
Visit our website www.wieitot.org. Please keep Pat and his family in your prayers.
Sincerely, and best wishes,
Q. Gregory Orlando, Chairman
Patrick J. DiPaolo Memorial Scholarship Fund, Inc.
Committee