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Belen Jesuit announced that the José Milton Foundation pledged $4,500,000 to the school in 2022. To commemorate the largest single donation made to the school to date, the main school building will be renamed in honor of the foundation. The Unveiling Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, February 1, at 9:30 a.m. in front of the main school building.
This donation will go toward fulfilling the goals laid out in the new Strategic Plan (2022) designed to advance the vision and direction of the school.
“With a gift of this magnitude, we will be able to do many wonderful things to benefit not only our current students, but future generations of Wolverines,” said Father Guillermo M. García-Tuñón, S.J., school president (class of 1987). I’m incredibly grateful to the Milton family for their generosity and, most importantly, for understanding the importance of a Catholic, Jesuit education.”
Of the money being donated, a $500,000 endowment has been earmarked toward the school’s diversity program. For several years, the school has made concerted efforts to increase the racial and socioeconomic diversity of both our student body and faculty. This first-of-its-kind endowment will serve to attract more diversity and ensures that more boys representing diverse backgrounds will have the opportunity to receive a Belen Jesuit education.
The José Milton Foundation was established by the patriarch of the Milton family, architect, and entrepreneur José Milton. His three sons – Cecil (class of 1987), Frank (class of 1988), and Joseph (class of 1982) – work to honor their father’s legacy as active leaders in the South Florida community. Together they manage operations and growth at United Property Management and José Milton & Associates.
“My experience at Belen catapulted my success in my personal and professional life,” said Cecil Milton, ’87. “I am honored to have the opportunity to make a Belen Jesuit education accessible to a more diverse group of students and to encourage my fellow alumni to give back.”
Cuban-born architect José Milton emigrated to Miami in 1963. He worked diligently to build his company and today it is a fully integrated organization that has enhanced greater Miami with numerous landmark condominium towers and quality rental communities. Two grandsons, Justin (class of 2018) and Nicholas (class of 2017) also graduated from Belen.
“This gift is a testament to the Milton family’s commitment to the continued growth and development of Belen Jesuit,” said Fr. García-Tuñón, S.J. “We look forward to the unveiling ceremony and I am confident this show of support and love will inspire alumni and parents to continue to help us in our mission of forming men for others.”
The Society of Jesus is both a missionary and a teaching Roman Catholic religious order since it was founded by Pope Paul III at the request of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1540. The motto of the Society, “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” indicates its goal to help all men and women to live according to Christ’s example of love and service. The Jesuits dedicated themselves to spreading the Gospel in mission lands and to the apostolate of education very early in their history.
The Jesuits founded Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in 1854 in Havana, Cuba. In 1961, when Belen and all private schools were confiscated by the new political regime, the school was re-established in Miami that same year and has grown over the last five decades. Currently, the enrollment is nearly 1,400 male students in grades 6 to 12 and over seven thousand alumni.
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