Our Mission

 To provide the means through which the lives of homeless, underserved and/or at-risk children and disenfranchised families may be improved in order to develop and establish a safe, secure, functional, and productive lifestyle for the well-being of the child and/or for the preservation of the family unit. 

The Rev. John P. Smyth Standing Tall Charitable Foundation was incorporated on July 15, 2005 to provide educational and vocational training scholarships and for the issuance of monetary awards to institutions whose purposes coincide with and further the Foundation’s mission, with emphasis on assisting those most at-risk and in need.

The Standing Tall Charitable Foundation’s purpose is a continuation of a mission established during the distinguished, forty-two year career of Fr. John P. Smyth, as the Executive Director of Maryville Academy, a not-for-profit Illinois child welfare agency. It has always been Fr. Smyth’s conviction that a key factor in eliminating the cycle of abuse, poverty, and neglect toward youth is through education.

The Foundation looks to reach as many youth in need as its funds will allow. These funds will assist impoverished youth and their families who do not have access to schools that have the potential to break the barriers of isolation in distressed areas and offer a child an environment where a well-rounded education could be obtained. Our objective is that eventually the youth-recipients will be able to step into the power of his or her own life for the betterment of the youth, the family, and society as a whole.

The Foundation obtains funding through donations from the general public through fundraising activities. The name and logo were inspired by a paraphrased quote that has been associated with Fr. Smyth for many years: "No person stands so tall as the one who stoops to help a child."