Parents of over 450 students at the Cheder Lubavitch Hebrew Day School of Skokie, Illinois are waiting with great anticipation to be notified if they are fortunate to receive 100% tuition scholarships through the efforts of the school administration to benefit from the Illinois Invest in Kids initiative.
Illinois enacted the Invest In Kids Scholarship Tax Credit Program in 2017. This program offers a 75 percent income tax credit to individuals and businesses that contribute to qualified Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). The SGOs then provide scholarships for students whose families meet the income requirements to attend qualified, non-public schools in Illinois such as Cheder Lubavitch.
“We have set a goal of 2 million dollars to benefit approximately 250 children with scholarships,” said Rabbi Moshe Wolf, the Cheder’s executive director.
Donors are elated to contribute knowing that every dollar they contribute is matched with an additional $3 coming from their own tax dollars they owe the State.
In other words, if someone makes a $400 donation, $400 goes to the kids and they get back $300. Talk about a Return on Investment!
“This is a miracle – to have the State participate in the Chinuch of our children,” said Rabbi Yitzchok Wolf, dean of Cheder Lubavitch. “In my 37 years in Chicago, I have witnessed much siyata dishmaya and brochos from the Rebbe, but this program exceeds anything that we could have anticipated.”
With the deadline of December 10th fast approaching, the administration of Cheder is working overtime soliciting fellow Chicagoans to donate to this initiative. Recipients of scholarships will be notified immediately thereafter, but until then, efforts continue to be made to to reach the goal.
