The Kent family has a long tradition of giving back to organizations that carry a special meaning for them. Their giving to Priory dates to 2002, when their son Matt began as a Form I student.

Over the years, the Kents have donated to the Priory Fund, supported Xanadu, Jubilee dinners, the annual golf tournament and more. Their tremendous gift to the Sharing the Promise, Shaping the Future capital campaign supports the outdoor amphitheater and students' common spaces, and will be named The Kent Family Student Commons and Plaza.

The spirit of giving is a family affair for the Kent family. Each family member has their own desire to give back in meaningful ways.

Matt Kent, who graduated from Priory in 2008, said the capital campaign gift came out of his love for Priory. "I had a great experience at Priory. Most of my best friends are from high school. Priory prepared me well for college. The rigorous classes and the thesis program proved to be very beneficial."

Matt attended and graduated from University of Notre Dame. He met his wife Ana there, and they share a 4-year-old son, David, and a 1-year-old daughter, Julia, and have another one on the way.

Some of his classes as a freshman at Notre Dame, according to Matt, were basically review. "Father Cassian taught me economics for a trimester. When I got to Notre Dame and took microeconomics, I realized 90 percent of the class had been covered in one trimester at Priory. It was amazing."

On choosing Priory, Matt remembers needing a change when it was time to look for a new school. "I knew I wanted a Catholic school because that's a very important part of my life. I liked that Priory is a small all-boys school with great values and great connections. Attending Notre Dame was always a goal of mine, and I knew that Priory would provide the opportunity to get into a great university."

Matt currently serves as senior vice president of planning and corporate development for both TierPoint and Cequel III. He previously worked at Ernst & Young, and while there earned his CPA license.

Reflecting on his professional career, Matt says he benefitted from the rigorous education at Priory. He says his family wants other motivated and talented students to have the opportunity to get a Priory education and benefit from what the school has to offer.

"When they came to us about being a part of the Sharing the Promise campaign, it started out differently than where it ended up," Matt says. "We've watched the evolution. By updating the facilities, the STEM initiative at Priory is going to be wonderful. I also really like the idea of the 7 ^th and 8 ^th graders being under one roof with the high schoolers to foster greater community among the forms."

Jerry Kent, Matt's father, considers Priory a special place. "It's an organization that puts out fine young men with great character. However, when you looked at Priory's facilities, they weren't great. The 150-acre campus is impressive, but the facilities - particularly STEM - were falling behind Priory's peers. The capital campaign renovations are helping Priory get back in line with its competitors. We are excited to be a part of upgrading the campus and putting Priory in competitive positioning."

Jerry currently serves as chairman and chief executive officer of both Cequel III, a technology management company he co-founded; and TierPoint, an information technology and data services provider.

He is a pioneer in telecommunications and technology industries. Jerry began career as a CPA with Arthur Andersen in 1979, and in 1983 left to head up acquisitions and finance for an upstart cable company. The company was sold in 1991 and Jerry served for an additional year. He then left and co-founded Charter Communications, Inc. in 1993. He led the company to what was then the third-largest initial public offering in U.S. history. He later managed Suddenlink Communications, which was the seventh-largest U.S. cable company before it was sold in 2015.

FAMILY FOUNDATION

The Kent family at Rachel's wedding from left to right: Jerry, Judy, Rachel, Daniel, Ana, David, Julia, and Matt.

The Kent Family Foundation supports a wide variety of organizations and includes many educational institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University, and College of the Holy Cross. The foundation also supports organizations like the Saint Louis Zoo, The Magic House, and Easterseals Midwest.

"The New Testament says that any amount of giving back is important," Jerry says. "It's important to give emotional and financial support to organizations that mean something to you. It is gratifying to be able to provide better opportunities."

Jerry says he and his wife Judy both grew up in middle class. They feel fortunate to be able to provide support to good causes. "We feel we owe it to the community to give back to local institutions. We believe highly in education. Providing educational opportunities is a big focus for our foundation. We think about how we can better lives. Education is one of the best ways to provide opportunities."

The Kents have had a profound impact on many lives with their donations of time and talent. According to Jerry, it is a duty and privilege to give back.

"Judy put herself through college. Washington University provided me with a partial scholarship, and I took out student loans. As a result, that's probably why much of our giving is tied to providing educational opportunities," says Jerry.