HENDERSONVILLE — Retired Immaculate Conception Church parishioners Michael and Mary Ann Quinn wanted to help keep Catholic education alive in western North Carolina. Both had attended Catholic schools growing up, so when they heard their parish school needed some financial assistance, they wanted to make a difference.
The couple had a condominium in California which they had purchased decades ago and used as a rental property when they relocated from California to North Carolina to be closer to family back on the East Coast. They recently decided they no longer needed the condominium, so they looked into ways to be able to donate it to help set up an endowment to further Catholic education.
The Quinns donated the property to the Diocese of Charlotte, which in turn sold the property and used the proceeds to establish the Quinn Family Endowment Fund to benefit Immaculata School in Hendersonville.
The fund, set up in August 2016, has a principal of $403,000, which means the school will be able to use approximately $20,000 annually to help fund scholarships and provide other financial help to the school.
“We were happy we were able to do this,” Mary Ann Quinn said. “Hopefully, it will benefit all of the children who want a Catholic education.”
Michael Quinn volunteered for years with faith formation at Immaculate Conception Church, so it meant a lot to him to be able to give in a meaningful way to help foster Catholic education.
“Both of us went through Catholic grammar school, high school and college,” Mary Ann Quinn said. “We just felt that when we heard the school was having some financial challenges here, we remembered that, and knowing there aren’t that many Catholic schools in western North Carolina, we wanted to help.
“This section of the state seems to be growing and so we didn’t want that to go by the wayside, not having a Catholic school around here,” she explained.
“Many people set up an endowment through a bequest in their will,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan development director. “However, for those who own more than one residence, whether it be in North Carolina or another state, making a gift of one of those residences – just like the Quinns have done – is a wonderful way to support a parish, school, ministry or the diocese.
For details about establishing an endowment or providing an estate gift, contact Ray-Eric Correia, diocesan director of planned giving, at 704-370-3364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter