Our Work

We had the privilege of interviewing this year's gala honoree, Rick Henken, during his visit to East Boston Central Catholic School.

Rick spoke about his philanthropic journey with the Catholic Schools Foundation, his favorite thing about the Building Minds Scholarship Fund Gala, and some of his fondest memories during his time with the organization. Read the full interview below!

How did you become involved with CSF and its mission?
At least 20 years ago, a gentleman who worked for me introduced me to Daniel diBartolomeo, a member of CSF’s advisory board. I learned more about CSF and their mission.

My company operates a 502-unit apartment complex in Cambridge, where we have 1,500 kids. The idea of getting these kids out of inner city public schools and into a values-based Catholic education really resonated with me. After meeting with Dan and learning more about CSF’s mission, I committed to making a donation.

Peter Lynch reached out and asked me to get more involved with CSF. I felt so welcomed and passionate about the good work we were able to do for the kids. Not only to give them scholarships, but to provide them with all the support necessary and make sure that we maximize their chances of success. Shortly after, I started getting involved in some of the committees and learning more about the organization.

The Catholic school’s education is in so many ways superior to any of the alternatives. There is a good curriculum, technical training, reading, writing, and arithmetic, but all within a values-based framework where the kids feel loved and appreciated. They feel like they want to be good citizens and give back to their communities.

Can you share a memorable moment or story during your time with CSF?
CSF’s Building Minds Scholarship Fund Gala is my favorite night of the year. I love meeting the kids and seeing their science and art projects.

The bus tours are also fantastic. One memory that stands out to me is when I went on a tour of one of our schools. Former Patriots NFL player Troy Brown was on our board at the time, and I was in his group. When we walked into one of the classrooms, a little boy looked at Troy, and he did a double take. He rubbed his eyes, and a big smile formed across his face. It was priceless! Afterwards, Troy went out and threw a football with a bunch of the kids in the recess area. That was a great moment.

I am also so grateful that I have been able to spend a lot of time with CSF alumni Abraham and Gabriel Mieses. They are kids who I sponsored as GO Scholars during their time at St. John’s Prep. I met Abraham one year when his school was doing the greeting at the start of one of CSF’s galas. At that time, he was probably a junior in high school. I got talking to him and ended up hiring him to be my summer intern at one of my properties that summer. We have stayed in touch ever since. Both Abraham and Gabriel graduated with 4.0 grade point averages. They are personable, smart kids who want to give back to their community. It is great to see!

Why do you think people should consider getting involved with CSF?
CSF changes lives more directly than any organization that I know. The great equalizer in society is a good education. Without it, you fall behind. However, with a good education and hard work, you've got the fundamentals and the foundation to do anything. I have never seen or found a better way to directly transform the lives of kids and their families.

There is no greater gift and nothing more important than a good education. These kids are learning in a loving, nurturing, and values-based environment. This means that not only are we investing in these kids and their futures, but we're investing in a society where we will have all kinds of civically engaged people with a helping spirit who want to give back to their community.

It's the whole package. When you walk into any one of our schools, you can see up close and personal the results of what you’re doing by donating to the Catholic Schools Foundation.

What is your favorite thing about CSF’s annual gala?
I love everything about the Gala! I love meeting the kids when I get to the top of the escalator and seeing the sparkle in their eyes when they tell me about their artwork or their science project, because they're so proud.

The student stories are always very moving and inspirational. So many of these kids are heroic and have fought against many disadvantages. Regardless of what they have experienced, they still have a positive outlook on life. After hearing the student speaker at my first gala, I went home and wrote a check that was above and beyond what I had committed to.

The gala is an amazing night that changes the lives of so many scholars and their families. It is so important that we can give them peace of mind and tell them that they don’t have to worry.

As a Jewish benefactor, what drew you to support Catholic education specifically?
Growing up on the south side of Newton, I didn't know a lot of Catholic kids, and I didn't really know much about Catholic schools. We were primarily Jewish. When I went to college, I met a decent number of kids who had gone to Catholic schools.

They always seemed to be the best prepared kids. I had gone to a very competitive public high school, but when it came to grammar, reading, writing, and arithmetic, the Catholic school kids just always struck me as ahead. Since learning about it, I’ve always had a positive association with Catholic schools.

As a Jewish donor, what differentiates the Catholic schools beyond exemplary education is the fact that Judeo-Christian values are not only taught every day, but they're lived every day. In every classroom and school I've been to, there is a vibe that you feel. You just feel the love.

We create good citizens in our Catholic schools. We create people of faith. We create people who want to give back. You're being taught to love your neighbor as yourself. The whole notion of asking, ‘What would Jesus do?’ — it seems to me that whether you take him as Lord and Savior or not, if you follow his guidelines, you will do OK.

You have gotten to know several scholars more personally over the years. Why do you think that’s important, and what have you learned from that?
The generosity of funders is what provides the lifeblood for these schools. It allows the hiring of wonderful staff and administrators and provides the great teaching and education that we give to CSF’s scholars. As a donor, that is my first responsibility, and to help make sure that we provide the lifeblood.

In addition to your treasure, if you donate your time and really get involved, you are really doing a good thing for a lot of people. It also gives you the opportunity to see how you are benefiting the wellbeing of these kids.

I've been so fortunate to get to know a bunch of kids over the years and to be able to mentor them. I could not recommend any more strongly that, whether it's time or treasure or both, I would say to anyone, get involved.

Around ten years ago, CSF’s board members launched the Young Leaders Committee. It is so gratifying to see these young leaders, who are now between the ages of 23-45, get involved and put their time and efforts into helping these kids. To see the younger generation making the kind of commitments that they make to this organization really improves my outlook on the future of our society.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Growing up, I wanted to be a professional baseball player, and I was cured of that pretty quickly. During my time in high school and college, I didn't really have a strong direction and didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I made sure that my grades were good enough and my options would stay open. Throughout school, I thought about becoming a psychologist; however, I decided to study economics and go into business.

I ended up in a place where my business is about helping people, and it was purely accidental. It's one of the many blessings I have, and I do it really well. My job is in low-income housing, and we take care of people with all kinds of challenges. We accept these challenges and try to break the cycle of poverty by giving them a good home and the support they need. By transforming their lives, we are helping to break the cycle of poverty and giving people opportunities.

We also take care of the elderly, and we do everything we can to ensure that they age gracefully in a caring environment. During the pandemic, our staff were the lifeline for these poor seniors who were trapped in their apartment and were scared. We felt blessed knowing we were able to offer them comfort.

Growing up, I didn’t know what career I wanted; however, I let go and let God, and it brought me to where I am today, and for that, I am truly grateful.

You have generously put CSF in your will, why is it important to you and for other donors to do the same thing?
My most important philanthropic effort is the Catholic Schools Foundation. I have been donating consistently to the mission for over 20 years and feel blessed to have been able to increase my gifts over that period. I'm not going to be around forever, and I do not want to leave it to chance which of my philanthropic efforts my heirs will choose to continue.

What I say to other long-term donors who are getting older is, “You've been giving $10,000 a year forever, and you want to make sure, as Peter says, that no kid is going to be turned away because your $10,000 isn't showing up this year because you have passed.

If you leave $200,000 to the Catholic Schools Foundation in your estate plan, that is enough money to make sure that the foundation will have $10,000 a year to spend forever. By doing this, you are creating a real legacy.”

A good chunk of your life will continue into perpetuity, and that is what prompts me to make sure that CSF is in my estate plan. No matter what happens, they can count on me, whether I'm dead or alive, to show up every year for the kids.

Learn More About the Building Minds Scholarship Fund Gala Today!

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