When Monte Johnson’s mother was killed in a Chicago nightclub fire in 2003, Chicago Public Schools promised to help finance a college education for Johnson and the other children who lost their parents.

But when CPS failed to come through for Johnson, an anonymous donor stepped in.

Johnson, a biology major, completed his freshman year at South Carolina State University, with the help of a marching band scholarship. But he had to return to his home in Chicago last August because he was unable to afford his tuition, the Chicago Sun-Times reported on March 25.

“I was devastated. I had a long bus ride back and had a lot of time to think,” Johnson told the Sun-Times.

But Johnson will now have the opportunity to return to college, thanks to a stranger’s $25,000 donation.

Johnson was watching cartoons when his grandmother told him about the donation made by an anonymous donor. “I was kind of speechless,” he told the Sun-Times.

Although CPS collected more than $118,000 for the fund after the accident, the school district has yet to distribute any of the money promised to Johnson or any of the others affected by the disaster. CPS spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler told the Sun-Times that the district was in the process of determining eligibility for the funds, and that those who were affected will soon receive letters about their awards.

Johnson’s grandmother, who has raised him since his mother died, still has a handwritten note from Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education Arne Duncan, who was the head of CPS at the time of the fire, according to the Sun-Times.

“Your grandchildren are very, very lucky to have you in their lives. Please let me know if I can ever do anything to be helpful,” Duncan wrote.

But even without the CPS money, the donation should be enough to pay Johnson’s way this year. Room and board for out-of-state students at SCSU was just over $25,000 for the 2012-13 academic year, according to the SCSU Office of Financial Aid’s website, meaning the donation will likely cover almost the entirety of Johnson’s tuition at SCSU for the upcoming year.

Now, however, Johnson is expressing his thanks for the donation and will be able to return to SCSU in the fall. “I’m grateful [because] they didn’t have to help me,” he told the Sun-Times.

The donor, who does not want to disclose his or her identity, told the Sun-Times that Johnson would receive more money so long as he keeps his grades up.

“I grew up poor, and my father did everything so that he could send me to school,” the anonymous donor told the Sun-Times. “People talk about inequality, but the greatest source of equality is a good education.”

Johnson still had not received any sort of letter or details about scholarship eligibility from CPS as of March 25, when the Sun-Times reported on the donation. However, Johnson told the paper that if he does receive money from CPS, he plans to donate his money back to the CPS fund so it can be distributed to other students who need it.

Said Johnson to the Sun-Times: “Somebody gave to us. Why not give back?”

Published on April 4, 2013 at 12:43 am

Contact Michelle: mlsczpan@syr.edu