Shaw Receives $250k Alumn Endowment for the Future

January 30, 2023
by Mr. Alex Cormier

Archbishop Shaw High School has received one of the biggest financial investments in its history. Father Stephen Ryan, SDB, Head of School, announced this past Saturday evening that alumnus Doctor Darrell P. Bourg, Jr., DDS, Class of 1990, committed a $250,000 endowment gift toward the school’s future. 

The donation is distributed across two endowed funds: the Joyce Leaber Math and Science Scholarship Fund and the Saint Dominic Savio Alumni Match Scholarship Fund. The purpose of the endowment is to bolster the school’s tuition assistance program and ensure that no family is turned away for admission due to finances. 

The announcement was made at this year’s Don Bosco Dinner, an important annual fundraiser for the school. Father Ryan knew that the well-attended event would be the perfect opportunity to recognize Dr. Bourg and his investment in Shaw’s young men. 

“What Dr. Bourg has done is inspirational,” reflects Fr. Ryan. “We are hoping that this [gift] inspires other alumni and friends to do the same.”

One of the most important issues for the school is ensuring that families, no matter their financial circumstances, can send their boys for a Catholic education. For Fr. Ryan, the need is at the heart of the school’s Salesian charism. 

“Our school needs long-term planning to offer financial assistance for needy families into the future. By having an endowment which can grow, we can continually fund these boys’ educations.”

Dr. Bourg, after graduating from Shaw, would go on to attend the University of New Orleans, Louisiana State University, and the Medical College of Georgia. In addition to his educational accomplishments, Dr. Bourg would become the founder and CEO of the Exceptional Dental group based in South Louisiana. 

With all of the great gifts God had bestowed upon him and his family, Dr. Bourg was continually looking for ways to give back to the community. Upon the passing of Dr. Bourg’s beloved grandmother, Mrs. Joyce Leaber (for whom one of the funds is named after), he met Father Ryan who was the celebrant for the funeral Mass. 

After their meeting, the two kept in contact and, through this relationship, Dr. Bourg felt inspired by the direction the school was headed in. He began to devote more time and energy into assisting the school and was invited to be the keynote speaker for Shaw’s Career Day in 2022.

Still, Dr. Bourg knew the difficulties that Catholic schools in general are facing. With rising costs come difficult decisions for parents, students, and even faculty and staff. Determined to keep Archbishop Shaw as the choice for education on the West Bank, he worked with the school’s Advancement Office and the Catholic Foundation of New Orleans to establish the endowed funds.

In his address after the announcement, Dr. Bourg reflected on what he hopes to accomplish in this gift: “I want to place the stone that leads to a new pathway for Archbishop Shaw”. 

Dr. Bourg and his family have already commenced funding and will continue to do so annually for the feast of Saint John Bosco. Dr. Bourg also announced that he and his family would match any alumni contributions up to $125,000. 

The Joyce Leaber Math and Scholarship Fund was born out of the encounter between Dr. Bourg and Fr. Ryan during the difficult moment of Mrs. Leaber’s passing. While losing his grandmother was a great loss, Dr. Bourg felt compelled to share her great love and character by naming the fund after her.

Likewise, the Saint Dominic Savio Alumni Match Scholarship Fund was created to ensure that the moral and spiritual formation Dr. Bourg received in his time at Shaw continues for future generations. Scholarships from this fund will be awarded to boys who demonstrate kindness and high moral character. The intention, according to Fr. Ryan, is to offer a Salesian formation for young men striving for holiness—just as Saint Dominic Savio did.

Father Ryan hopes that the school will be able to support the financial needs of up to fifty boys thanks to the ongoing support of Dr. Bourg, alumni, and the entire Shaw community. 

Those interested in supporting the Catholic, Christian, and Salesian mission of Archbishop Shaw are asked to contact Mr. Brandon Surrency (Class of 2009), Assistant Head of School of Advancement.

We want to share with the community the goodness we’re blessed to experience here at Shaw and it’s our Christian duty to evangelize the culture. If you’d like support our student media and journalism, please reach out to us at journalism@archbishopshaw.us.