Eli Manning To Attend Fundraiser To Keep Legendary Jersey City High School Open
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork)-- Eli Manning will be among the featured guests at a gala dinner to keep a legendary high school open in Jersey City.
St. Anthony High School of Jersey City may be best known for its basketball program. Under Coach Bob Hurley, the Friars just went 32-0 for their 28th New Jersey state championship.
St. Anthony is also known for its academics. It's had a 100 percent college acceptance rate for the past 20 years. Yet, year after year, it struggles to keep its doors open.
The fundraiser will be held tomorrow at Liberty House in hopes of raising money to stay open another year.
WCBS 880's Steve Scott spoke with Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Hurley.
"Our tuition is about $6,100 and it costs us almost $14,000 to educate each child. On a yearly basis, we have a business plan which really doesn't work so we need to fundraise somewhere shy of $1.5 million," he said.
Many of the students at the school come from low-income neighborhoods. Because the high school is an inner-city school, they do not have an endowment, Hurley said. He said it's a year-to-year battle plan to meet the funds needed to keep the school open.
"We have to keep the mission alive, which is to educate the city kid which is looking for a Catholic education at an affordable price," he said.
Phil Simms will also attend the fundraiser, making it a star-studded event.
"We're really excited. For people who love Giants football and also want to give back to a good cause," he said.
You can buy tickets to the gala by calling (201) 653-5739 or visiting the school's website.
