Registered Patent Attorney Lance Venable has lived in Arizona for 35 years and has practiced law in the Valley for 25 of those years. Having left his previous workplace in 2014 to start his own operation, he takes charge as a business owner and takes advantage of available tax credits to help organizations like CEA and the individuals that they serve. Venable joined Catholic Education Arizona to talk about his Catholic school upbringing and how he, as a business owner and as an individual, finds ways to contribute to children’s futures.

Shaped By Catholic Education

Venable went to a Catholic school in Chicago. Looking back at his time spent there, he can appreciate his experience. He says, “You weren’t just attending school. It was sort of an extension of what day-to-day life was in the community.” He elaborates on how invested the workers at the school were in the children’s futures, saying, “Everybody from the principal down to the ladies who were working in the cafeteria… had our best interests in mind and all wanted us to succeed, not just academically.”

McCoy-Cejka exclaims, “Listening to your background, your story, it’s understandable why you would want to give the gift of Catholic education to other people; not just your own family members, your own children, but really to invest in the community as a whole.” Venable’s investments in the Catholic community go beyond those of an individual — he makes contributions as a businessman.

Simple Steps Make a Big Difference

Venable makes the most of the uniquely exceptional tax credits that Arizona has to offer. It does not take much effort for businesses to make a significant impact when they direct tax credits to Catholic charities like Catholic Education Arizona. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2019, about 56.6 million students attended elementary, middle, and high schools in the U.S. The number of these children who will go on to receive a high-quality Catholic education will depend on contributions from both individuals and businesses.

Tax credits have made it possible for Catholic Education Arizona to effect change. McCoy-Cejka says, “Our number is at about 138,000 students that we’ve been able to serve over the course of the last 23 years. For Venable, directing tax credits was a no-brainer. He states, “Being a tax credit, it makes it even easier for us, and I’m sure for a lot of others, because it really wasn’t costing us anything.”

It is the idea that there are children who want to attend a Catholic school but have a family that is not financially able to provide them with that privilege, which pushes him to act. “The idea of being able to help families send their kids, to offset those costs so that they can continue on the Catholic school, is very important.” To learn more about how to make the most of Arizona’s tax credits, reach out to the team at Catholic Education Arizona today.