BOSTON -- WCVB Channel 5 initiated and has for many years been a proud sponsor of the Catholic Schools Foundation/Inner City Scholarship Fund (ICSF)( http://www.csfboston.org/). ICSF began in 1984 as the St. Anthony Fund. That first year, 560 students in 50 schools received a total of $238,647 in scholarship awards. In 2006-07, 5,545 students in 100 schools received nearly $6.5 million in financial assistance.

This summer, WCVB wants to make the future even brighter for one special school in Roxbury. During the week of August 12-17, Channel 5 and the Inner City Scholarship Fund will sponsor the "Extreme Makeover: My Hometown," the local version of the ABC Sunday night hit "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," at St. Patrick's Elementary School, located at 131 Mount Pleasant Avenue in Roxbury (http://www.stpatsroxbury.com). This will be the eighth renovation project Channel 5 has sponsored in the greater Boston community.

St. Patrick's has been a stalwart presence in the community for over 130 years. The school was founded by the Sisters of Charity in order to provide the Irish immigrants who had settled in Roxbury with a Catholic education. Today the school serves 218 students in grades K1-8. In 2006-07, the average total family income level of students receiving ICSF scholarship funds at St. Patrick's was $33,000. Half of St. Patrick's students are non-Catholic and 100% are non-white.

St. Patrick's has been one of the beneficiaries of the ICSF "Adopt-a-School" program. Through this program, ICSF donors provide support to schools in crucial areas that are above and beyond scholarship assistance. These areas include tutoring, continuing education programs for teachers, library and art supplies, and field trips. In addition, donors can provide professional expertise and guidance to schools in areas such as marketing, development, and public relations.

Local investment firm Loomis, Sayles & Company was one of the first companies to participate in the "adopt-a-school" program. In addition to scholarship support, Loomis employees travel to St. Patrick's each week to provide tutoring assistance. Last year the company built a playground at the school with the help of Suffolk Construction, and when the school's computer lab was robbed in August 2006 Loomis stepped in to provide new computers and a new server just in time for the first day of classes. There are many other schools in need of "adoption." Below are several worthy schools that were hoping for an Extreme Makeover. For more information about the adopt-a-school program or to support any of these schools, please contact Lynne Sullivan, ICSF Program Officer, at (617) 778-5981.

Schools in Need of "Adoption":
Our Lady of Good Counsel in Lawrence
St. Margaret School, Lowell (K-8)
East Boston Central Catholic (K-8)
St. Mary Star of the Sea, East Boston (K-8)
St. Angela School, Mattapan (K-8)
St. Mary of the Hill, Milton (K-8)
St. Catherine of Siena, Norwood (K-8)
Cheverus Centennial School, Malden (K-8)
St. Clement School, Medford (K-12)
St. Mary of the Assumption, Lawrence (K-8)
Mother Caroline Academy, Dorchester (6-8)
St. Francis Xavier, Weymouth (K-8)
St. Jerome School, Weymouth (K-8)
Nativity Prep, Jamaica Plain (6-8)
Sacred Hearts School, Bradford (K-8)
St. John School, Boston (K-8)