Sue Ferandin, left, and Tonya Stevenson have led the Augustine Educational Foundation for more than a decade. (Courtesy photo)
By Jennifer Rector
Hawaii Catholic Herald
As the Catholic Church begins its Jubilee Year, faithful across the globe have been called by Pope Francis to be “pilgrims of hope” — to “fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision.”
In Hawaii, the Augustine Educational Foundation has been a consistent sign of hope and looking forward for families with school-age children for four decades. This year, the nonprofit organization is also marking a milestone in its leadership.
Executive Director Sue Ferandin is celebrating 25 years at the helm of the foundation.
“I think I just feel really lucky to get to do this work. It’s not always easy but it’s always worth it,” Ferandin said.
The AEF is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization under the auspices of the Diocese of Honolulu. It has two purposes: to provide tuition assistance based on financial need to families whose children are enrolled in Catholic schools, and to provide teacher curriculum grants to help improve the level of instruction in the classroom.
Long history of aid
Since the 1980s, the foundation has helped many thousands of students, allowing them the opportunity to obtain a Catholic education.
“The AEF serves EVERYONE — not just Catholics. We just want our students that walk the halls of their Catholic school to know and feel God’s love,” said Ferandin.
People who qualify for tuition assistance are usually those with a high level of financial need.
“We work hand-in-hand with all Catholic schools by having an application for anyone that wants to send their child(ren) to a Hawaii Catholic school but needs some help to make the tuition payment a little easier,” Ferandin said.
The AEF was also called to action when the deadly Lahaina wildfire destroyed Sacred Hearts School in August 2023.
“While they worked to relocate and eventually landed in a temporary/permanent school in Kaanapali, the AEF was asked to step in and provide some help with the application process to receive tuition assistance,” Ferandin said.
The foundation operates separately from the Diocese of Honolulu but receives support and office space. It also raises its own funds with the exception of an annual parish collection in February.
“That is an important collection for us because we are able to raise money during that annual collection and give it all out in the following September in the form of tuition assistance,” Ferandin said.
In 2026, the AEF will celebrate its 40th year of awarding scholarships for a grand total of $19,752,000 since its inception.
“Every gift matters and every scholarship we share with a student matters. I keep thinking of the starfish story and that one person, one action can make a difference in life,” said Ferandin.
(In the starfish story, adapted from “The Star Thrower” by Loren Eiseley, many starfish are stranded on the shore after a storm and a child tosses them back into the sea, one by one. The child is questioned by a man who says returning the starfish that way won’t have an impact, and the child replies, “It made a difference for that one.”)
The Sacred Hearts School community commemorated a year since the deadly 2023 wildfire in Lahaina last August at its new temporary campus in Kaanapali. (Courtesy Hopsing Coon)
Background in education
This pilgrim of hope got her start long before knowing about the AEF or even arriving in Hawaii.
Ferandin moved to Oahu from California in the early 1990s when her husband was hired by Aloha Airlines.
She wanted to learn more about Hawaii so she joined the Kailua Canoe Club.
Soon she met her future AEF associate director, Tonya Stevenson, and they quickly sparked a friendship.
Ferandin saw Stevenson become the first AEF employee under Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario in the mid-1990s.
“She spoke so highly of the work at the AEF and her job, and that she looked forward to going to work every day,” said Ferandin.
From there Ferandin would often help Stevenson with the AEF events.
“I learned more about the foundation through these events, and when Tonya got married and was planning on moving away for her husband’s job in the Navy, it felt like a natural fit to apply,” Ferandin said. “I had teaching experience in California, and the job I had at the time was working with a woman that was a board chair of two California nonprofits that I had helped in fundraising efforts.”
Once Ferandin joined the AEF, she encountered challenges she had never faced before — but with an open spirit she embraced them with determination.
“Everyone was so welcoming and inclusive, but there was a lot to learn,” Ferandin said. “How to run a scholarship program, how to acknowledge donations and try and solicit new gifts to support the mission felt like climbing a mountain with no summit.”
Not to mention how different technology was in 2000.
“Remember back in those days, we were on dial-up internet and most of our work was on paper?” Ferandin said. “I remember the first year of running the scholarship program, my office floor was covered with stacks of files so I have a lot of appreciation toward FACTS (an education technology service) that helps us manage all the applications and data now.”
Fast-forward to 2011, and her old friend returned to Hawaii. Ferandin wasted no time in recruiting Stevenson back to the foundation.
“I was able to convince her to return to the AEF and run the tuition scholarship program and the teacher curriculum development grant program among 100 other duties,” she said. “It’s great to have both of us here in the AEF office to bring our combined experience to serve our mission.”
Now at her very own jubilee year, she reflected on the years witnessing “that there are good people sharing their faith, efforts and gifts with children every single day.”
She hopes more people will continue to be a part helping those in need.
“My hope for the future? To continue to raise funds and awareness about our mission and purpose,” she said. “We still have so many students on our waitlist each year, it’s been hard to say no to families when I know they really need us. So, I guess my hope is that we can say yes to everyone with financial need.”
The annual AEF parish collection will be held Feb. 8-9. For more information about the AEF, visit augustinefoundation.org.
Pilot program will award high school juniors for leadership, service
The AEF board has approved the Augustine Scholars Program this year as a pilot program. Aimed at celebrating students’ good actions with leadership and community service, it’s open to two nominated juniors from each Catholic high school and would apply toward the award winners’ senior years.
Nominations will come from heads of school and/or principals. The nominated students from each class of 2026 will write an essay and do a one-minute video to share on social media about what their Catholic education has meant to them and why they either provide leadership or service in the community.
The goal of the program is to help the students practice for their college essays and also to share the great things that students are doing in their school.
The AEF has a very generous sponsor for this program and is excited to review the applications and announce a winner on Feb. 14. First prize is $4,000, second is $3,000 and a third prize for the most liked video on our Augustine Educational Foundation Instagram account (@augustinefoundation) is $2,500.
— Augustine Educational Foundation
