Letter from Geaton A. DeCesaris, Jr. on Improving our Home

February 2005

Dear Fellow Classmates,

I can actually call you all fellow class members now. You see, last spring I received the first ever honorary diploma from Bishop McNamara High School, and had the honor and privilege of graduating with the Class of 2004 on May 28th at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.

But enough about that -- what I really want to share with you is what I learned about our Alma Mater and the Class of 2004:

These 200 outstanding young people performed over 21,135 hours of community service. 59% of the class finished a rigorous four-year college preparatory curriculum with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. 98% of the class was accepted into 207 of the finest colleges and universities in the country. 45% of the class attended their colleges and universities on academic based scholarships, grants or aid. Together as the historic class of 2004, they earned over 6 million dollars in scholarships, aid and grants.

These are our young people. These are our future.

Let me quote from the woman of the year, Miss Kara Williams, as she spoke to her peer ministry class, "My life is a gift from God. How I will live that life will be my gift back to God." And from the man of the year, Patrick Agustin, as he shared at his senior retreat, "Each morning when I wake up, I ask that God will use me to do his work in a way that will honor him." Two very inspirational messages with profound meaning-and to think that's only two of the 200 students graduating in 2004!

The Valedictorian, Mary Brazelton (for those of you who forget, that the #1 student in the graduating class), graduated with a 4.38 GPA and received a full scholarship to Harvard!! 98% of the students were accepted into college. We can only pray that every high school in the country could come close to these statistics. Mary quoted Albert Einstein in her speech to the class "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." May we always believe that everything in life is a miracle, guided by the hand of God.

My wife JoAnn and our five daughters were at the Bishop McNamara graduation ceremony with me, and Elizabeth, my 25 year-old, made the following comment -- "Dad, I feel so much better about our future leaders with students like this graduating today." Of course, you and I know that this is not the scenario everywhere. It is imperative, therefore, that we do what we can to ensure that our future leaders receive the best possible education and the spiritual background that we all believe in to succeed.

As most of you know, I was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in October 2002. In March 2003, my surgeon was able to remove all of the cancer, and I know this outcome was a miracle from God. The Good Lord has blessed me with a great family, a terrific business and now restored good health. As Kara said, "... and the way I live it is my gift back." Well, a partial "gift back" for me is to help the future leaders coming out of Bishop McNamara-the high school and community that laid the foundation for my faith and success. With this letter, I am asking you to do the same.

You may know from previous correspondence from the school that there is a fundraiser for "Improving Our Home". There is a plan to replace the gym floor, install air conditioning and do other much needed renovations. I was not asked to send this letter-as a matter of fact, I called and asked for permission from the school to do so. I believe in the great job that President Heather Gossart and Principal Marco Clark are doing with the students of Bishop McNamara, and I know that if you saw it first hand, as I have, you would agree. With this in mind, it is crucial that we do all we can to make sure that they are able to continue their good work. Recently the school built a Fine Arts and Athletic Center, in large part because of a sizeable donation from an individual who cares about the faith of our children-the faith they are learning at Bishop McNamara. But there is much more to be done. No matter what you are doing today, please take five minutes to make a donation in any amount you can afford. Whether it is $100 or $5,000, the support you provide to the school will help improve this wonderful facility and will be very much appreciated.

Thank you for you help and also for your prayers and good wishes during my illness.

God Bless You All,

Geaton A. DeCesaris, Jr.
Class of 1973

1988-2001: President and Chief Executive Officer of Washington Homes
1994: Washington Business Journal, Entrepreneur of the Year
2001-2003: President of Homebuilding Operators and COO of K. Hovnanias Enterprises
2003: Geaton and his wife Joann became major benefactors of the Greaton and Joann DeCesaris Cancer Insittute at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis.
Daughters: Maria, Kristie, Elizabeth, JoAnn and Angela