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Porto Charities Inc.
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Porto Charities, Inc. (PCI) is a recognized 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the educational and employment resources available to young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through a grants program in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, VA.
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Our Impact
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Over the last decade alone,
Porto Charities has provided grants of close to $1,500,000 to Diocesan schools, special needs organizations and the Office of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Arlington.
These grants have led to the creation and expansion of special needs programs in all four Catholic highschools and more than a dozen elementary schools.
We also run a unique employment program for young adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities in schools and parishes within the Diocese of Arlington.
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Join the Parents Advisory Council
Are you a parent of a child with disabilities in the Diocese of Arlington?
If you said yes, then we need you! And most importantly, your child needs your advocacy!This is a great way to have a voice and make a real impact on Catholic education for children with special needs within the Diocese of Arlington. To learn more, please click here.
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A call for inclusion from our Catholic leaders
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From the Vatican
"Discrimination continues to be all too present at various levels of society; it feeds on prejudice, ignorance and a culture that finds it hard to appreciate the inestimable value of each person" Pope Francis said in a message for the Dec. 3 celebration of the U.N.'s International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Click here to read the full article from the Catholic Herald.
Watch below the video from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life on people with disabilities. -
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From the Diocese of Arlington
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated the annual Mass for People with Disabilities at Holy Spirit Church in Annandale Sept. 26. You can read about it on our Newsletter November 2021 edition, and check out the photos from the Catholic Herald.
Bishop Burbidge released his 2022-2026 strategic plan, and one of the main goals is education accesible to people with special needs: -
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It is PCI’s belief that ALL of God’s children
deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential
through inclusive education and meaningful work commensurate with their capabilities.
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What family members say of Porto Charities
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All Saints Catholic school
"My son not only is growing intellectually and academically, but he's growing spirtually and emotionally as well. He is being included in a Parish community that he has wanted so much to have full participation in. If you would like to see this more prevalent within our parishes, please support Porto Charities"
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St. Anthony of Padua school
"We are so blessed to have an organization like Porto Charities in our Diocese. They truly want to make our schools more inclusive of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Today my son with special needs is able to attend a Catholic school like his siblings. He is thriving and loves his new school"
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St. Thomas More Cathedral School
"Porto Charities support of our school is helping my family realize the dream of a Catholic education for our youngest, who has Down Syndrome. Seeing her in the same uniform as her siblings has meant the world to us and is a visual reminder of the meaning of inclusion. We are so grateful for all Porto Charities is doing"
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Bishop O'Connell Highschool"When I was 9, I became an older sister to the best little brother with Down Syndrome. When I entered highschool I knew I wanted to become a peer mentor for my classmates in expanded services. This program has taught me what it truly means to value others, and now I'm a freshman in College working to become an Ocupational Therapist"
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