ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Mr. John Ebberwein ’86, Savannah Pilots Association, participate in Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program to help Benedictine

In addition to serving the maritime community, John Ebberwein, Benedictine Military School Class of 1986, and his Savannah Pilots Association co-workers generously participate in the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program in support of Benedictine Military School.

The Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program is provided to Georgians by elected officials. In exchange for contributions to Georgia GOAL, Benedictine’s partner student scholarship organization, taxpayers receive a 100-percent state income tax credit. This is a proven opportunity that is a win-win-win for taxpayer donors, scholarship recipients, and BC’s school community. By simply contributing to Georgia GOAL for a 100-percent Georgia income tax credit (by contributing with dollars you must spend anyway), you help maximize financial aid for deserving families desiring to receive a Benedictine education.

“It is a no-brainer to defer your tax payment to support Catholic education instead of giving it to the state, where you don’t know what the money is going to be used for,” Ebberwein said. “For me, personally, I was raised in a family with strong Catholic values. My parents valued Catholic education. It’s something that I’ve always valued. I think Catholic education is important. A BC education was important to Leigh and I as we became parents. When we were given the opportunity to direct those tax dollars to BC it was just a no-brainer.”

Founded in 1864, the Savannah Pilots Association is one of the nation’s oldest pilots’ associations and has always played an important role in the growth and development of the Savannah port, the Savannah economy, and the state of Georgia’s economic well-being. From the early days of commerce in the United States to modern day, the Savannah Pilots Association has safely guided vessels on the 25.5-mile journey from the sea into the port of Savannah.

Ten BC alumni are currently active pilots of the Savannah Pilots Association team: John Ebberwein ’86; Patrick Ebberwein ’11; Christopher Yarbrough, Jr. '06 (Vice President), Michael Foran, Jr. ’11; Carey Harriott, Jr. ’09; George W. Henry, Jr., ’90; Dirk Ressler '05 (Secretary); Andrew McIntosh '07; Madison Bowman '13; and Steven Tilton '14. Leigh Heil (accounting/billing), is the mother of Jake Heil, a 2020 Benedictine graduate, and another member of the team, Samuel Meyer (pilot), is a BC donor.

“The Savannah Pilots Association, all of the pilots contribute to GOAL,” Ebberwein said. “It’s just kind of something that everybody does. It works out better for all of us. Not only does it defer taxes, it reduces our taxes, but it’s something that we all, whether you went to BC or not, are participating in. We give to several different schools, parochial schools. Basically, we just max out our contribution. All the guys that graduated from BC are participating. All of the pilots participate. If we started talking about the retired pilots who graduated from BC, who support the GOAL program, the list would grow exponentially. There are 21 pilots, presently, in the association.”

In 2008, Georgia's elected officials passed the Education Expense Credit law to provide families in Georgia with access to better educational opportunities for their children. Their legislative leadership resulted in what has been described as the nation's best education expense credit law. Ebberwein said he is proud that Benedictine Military School is among 228 of Georgia’s best private schools that have chosen to participate in the Georgia GOAL Scholarship program, which allows taxpayers to play a vital role in improving K-12 educational opportunities.

“It’s important to me, as somebody who came up through Catholic schools,” Ebberwein said. “I think it’s amazing, and I’m really proud of the state of Georgia for continuing to do it. I didn’t think it would last this long, honestly. I’ve seen it from both sides. As somebody who teaches CCD through our prep program at St. Peter’s, I see kids who are in public schools who then have the opportunity through the GOAL Scholarship Program to transition into Catholic schools, and the fact that they’re able to do that, at whatever grade level, is a great program. I’ve seen it from both sides, from people who have been able to take advantage of it and from people who have contributed to it. It’s an amazing program.”

Ebberwein’s father, Joseph, graduated from Benedictine in 1953. Not only did Ebberwein’s sons, Patrick ’11, Andrew, Jacob ’22, and Stephen ’24 attend Benedictine, but his daughter, Caroline, is a former BC theology teacher. He believes the world needs more men with a Benedictine education.

“The brotherhood,” Ebberwein said when asked why. “The word discipline always comes to mind. The four pillars of purpose, discipline, character, and spirituality are critical in educating you men, which is different than educating young women. There’s a difference. The brotherhood and the discipline of raising young men of character who, hopefully, will go out and live out those ideals after graduation, is important. A Benedictine education is a unique opportunity for young men in our community to be raised within the Catholic faith, educated within the Catholic faith, and to have that discipline. The Catholic faith is all about discipline. It’s all about living out God’s plan for you. I think Benedictine does a good job of teaching young men to engage in that plan.”