On Tuesday, March 23, Cardinal Gibbons High School announced a $100,000 gift from Tim ‘74 and Paula Sivore in memory of their close family friends David and Billie Jean Kelly. The donation received from the Sivore Family will be used to create the David and Billie Jean Kelly Scholarship, which will support the academic endeavors of student-athletes in the Cardinal Gibbons football program. 

Through the scholarship, four members of the Cardinal Gibbons football team, who are in need of financial assistance, will receive $2,500 toward their tuition each year for the next 10 years.  In addition to the family’s donation of $100,000, earmarked for the David and Billie Jean Kelly Scholarship, Paula Sivore has personally pledged to contribute a total of $1,000 annually to Cardinal Gibbons, split between the Sivore Lunch Pail Award and the Gibbons Annual Fund.

“Cardinal Gibbons High School would like to express its gratitude to the Sivore family for their generous donation — a donation, which is designed to assist our scholar-athletes. At Cardinal Gibbons, we value those students who excel on the field as well as in the classroom. These young men have a bright future, and it has been made even brighter by the Sivore family,” said Cardinal Gibbons President Tom Mahon.

The Sivores are longtime members of the Cardinal Gibbons community and are dedicated supporters of the school’s athletic programs. Tim, a graduate of the Class of 1974, and Paula cite the strong bond amongst alumni and the family atmosphere of the school as key reasons for their family’s continued involvement in the Cardinal Gibbons community. Tim and Paula’s two sons, McKenna and Patrick, also graduated from Cardinal Gibbons in 2018 and 2020, respectively. 

Investing in scholars and ensuring that student-athletes have access to an exceptional Catholic education were major priorities for Paula, who arranged the donation on behalf of Billie Jean Kelly’s estate. Throughout her lifetime, Billie Jean was an advocate for education and believed that all students should have access to a quality education that prepares them to attend college. Paula was honored to be able to continue Billie Jean’s philanthropic focus on education through the creation of the David and Billie Jean Kelly Scholarship. “Creating this scholarship in Billie’s honor means everything to me. [David and Billie Jean] were always there to support me...I feel so blessed to give back, and I know Billie would love it,” she said. 

Approximately 40 percent of Cardinal Gibbons students benefit from the school’s robust financial aid program. Additional funds made available through scholarships created by generous donors provide supplemental financial support for many students. Through her active participation in the Cardinal Gibbons football program as a parent, Paula saw a need for greater support in developing the talents and abilities of scholar-athletes, who excel not only in their academic endeavors in the classroom but also in their athletic efforts at all levels of competition. “I really want to help support those students who are going to give their all to football. [I want to help them] go to a great school, get a great education, graduate, attend a college or university and earn a degree,” Paula said. “If I can do that, I’ll feel like I’ve done my duty.”