Approximately 100,000 students are eligible to apply for the EdChoice Scholarship Program for the 2012-13 school year.

EdChoice scholarships are worth $4,250 per year for students in grades K-8 and $5,000 per year for high school students. In the recent state budget, Ohio leaders increased the number of EdChoice scholarships available from 14,000 to 60,000.

“The EdChoice Scholarship Program gives Ohio families the opportunity to send their child to the school that best fits their learning needs,” said School Choice Ohio executive director Matt Cox. “Receiving an EdChoice Scholarship has been a life-changing experience for thousands of Ohio students and families.”

There are 217 EdChoice designated public schools across Ohio, which have received a rating of “academic watch” or “academic emergency” for two of the past three years or are ranked in the bottom 10 percent of schools in the state based on performance-index scores.

Parents can determine if their child is eligible for a scholarship by checking the eligible public schools list available online at www.scohio.org/PDF/Ed%20Choice%20Eligible%20public%20schools%201-25-12.pdf.

Once parents confirm their child’s eligibility, they can check the participating private schools list and begin calling and visiting private schools to find the right fit for their child.

Parents can then enroll their child in the participating private school of their choice, and the school will apply for the EdChoice Scholarship on behalf of the parents.

A student is eligible to apply for the EdChoice Scholarship Program if he or she is one of the following:

— A student who is enrolled in and attending an EdChoice designated public school building.

— A student who is enrolled in a charter school (including an online charter school), and would otherwise be assigned to an EdChoice designated public school building.

— A student who is enrolled in a charter school or non-eligible public school but would be assigned to attend an EdChoice designated public school building in the upcoming school year.

— A student who is eligible to enter kindergarten in the upcoming school year and is assigned to an EdChoice designated public school building.

Currently, 15,403 students are using an EdChoice scholarship to attend the school of their choice. These students must also apply for re-enrollment to continue receiving the scholarship. Students who already attend a private school and students who are homeschooled are not eligible to apply for the program. The application period for the EdChoice Scholarship Program closes April 13.

For more information about Ohio’s scholarship programs, and for the complete lists of EdChoice eligible public schools and participating private schools, visit www.scohio.org.

Through prayer and an act of kindness, Tebow also connected with Joey Norris, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Our Lady of Mercy School in Potomac who is battling leukemia.

This past fall, while Joey was undergoing cancer treatment at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, his dad, Jim, asked him if he had heard about "Tebowing." It's the prayerful gesture made famous by Tebow, who after scoring a touchdown, kneels on one leg and bows his head in prayer, with his arm resting on his bended knee and his fist touching his forehead.

Joey, an avid football fan, had earlier drafted Tebow to be the quarterback on his fantasy football team.

After seeing photos of his favorite player praying, the youngster said, "I want to do that." And there, in his room at Children's Hospital, Joey knelt down near his chemo pole, and his dad took a picture of him. Later, as the two were walking to their car, wondering what to call Joey's gesture, his dad suggested, "Tebowing while Chemoing."

Joey immediately tweeted that photo to Tebow, explaining that "I'm Tebowing while Chemoing!" The youth added that he was a cancer survivor who was trusting the quarterback with his fantasy team.

Within two hours, Tebow tweeted a response back to Joey, noting that the boy's tweet was "my favorite one of the day," and he told him, "Praying for you and God bless you, big man!"

Jim Norris said in an interview with the Catholic Standard, Washington archdiocesan newspaper, that Joey had been "on the fourth day of a brutal five-day chemo regimen" when Tebow tweeted him back.

"By the end of the week, it wipes you out, you don't feel well. He hadn't been to school all week," Jim Norris said. "When Tim tweeted him back, all of a sudden, his eyes lit up. He had the strength to get through that week and couldn't wait for the weekend."

Some weeks later, the Tim Tebow Foundation invited Joey and Jim Norris to attend the Broncos' Jan. 1 home game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. Joey proudly wore his No. 15 Tim Tebow jersey, and before the game at Mile High Stadium, Tebow finished his warm-up tosses and sprinted over to the sideline to meet Joey.

"He gave me a great big hug, and he gave me a game ball they were throwing around in pre-game," Joey told the Catholic Standard. The quarterback also gave him a copy of his autobiography, "Through My Eyes," and a student Bible.

That game, however, lacked a storybook ending, as Denver lost 7-3, and Tebow had statistically his worst game of the season.

Joey said that after the defeat, "you could see the disappointment in his eyes," and yet Tebow still managed to smile and offer encouragement to his two young guests, talking to them for about 15 minutes and autographing Joey's jersey, the book and the Bible he had given him.

Win or lose, Tebow "is just the nicest person, all around," he said. His dad agreed, saying, "He's the real deal. He's a caring, loving person who just happens to play football."

Tebow's season had its ups and downs, with exciting touchdown passes and runs, but also throws that missed their mark; thrilling victories and disappointing losses.

Joey, who has had his own struggles and triumphs in recent years during his four-year cancer battle, can relate. "He's such an inspiration to anybody going through anything," he said of Tebow.

The quarterback's struggles and end-of-game heroics offer a lesson about endurance, Joey said, adding that even when bad things happen during your day, you can turn it around by the end of the day.

As he continues his cancer treatment, that message resonates with Joey. "During those days when you think you can't go on anymore, you might lose the battle, but in the end, you'll win the war. That's more important than anything. Just have faith," he said.

The event is also to feature a “preschool art fair” showcasing projects by the school’s talented young students. Prospective families are able to meet the principal and kindergarten teacher, experience the faith-based atmosphere of the school, tour the state-of-the-art classrooms and computer lab and learn about curriculum, financial aid and enrollment.

St. Richard School is located at 333 Brookside Dr. For more information, call the school office at 419-826-5041.

The premier event features musician Michael James Mette and motivational speaker Greg Wasinski and runs from 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. March 24 at Findlay St. Michael the Archangel.

“The primary focus of the day really is having fun with your faith, for them to get a picture of the wider church of the diocese, to spend time with new friends and, certainly, to grow as young disciples in their relationship with Jesus,” says Deacon Jerry Ziemkiewicz, youth ministry coordinator for the diocese.

He adds the rally was created because there is a need to reach middle school youth to help them grow in their faith.

“It used to be like, ‘OK, now you’re in high school, now you can be in youth group.’ It can’t be that way any more because they’re growing up a lot faster,” Deacon Ziemkiewicz explains. Helping middle school youth get in touch with their faith will help them stay connected to the church as they move through high school and college, he says.

With the theme, “Know, Love, Serve,” the rally is designed to mirror high school youth programs such as the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).

Several sessions are for the entire group and feature activities, music and keynote addresses by Mr. Mette and Mr. Wasinski.

Breakout sessions are planned for each grade level and Father Jeff McBeth, diocesan youth ministry chaplain, is to close the day with Mass.

Youth must register at their parish or school for the rally, which is $20 per person and includes lunch and a T-shirt.

Pro-life leaders hailed Komen's announcement Jan. 31 that it would no longer give grants to Planned Parenthood, but it sparked a maelstrom of negative reaction and an online petition asking the group to reverse its decision.

"I am troubled that the Komen foundation has come under such heavy fire for their recent decision to tighten and focus their funding guidelines," said Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life.

"This week we have all been witness to highly partisan attacks from pro-abortion advocates and an ugly and disgraceful shakedown that highlights Planned Parenthood's willingness to pursue a scorched-earth strategy to force compliance with their pro-abortion agenda," she said in a statement.

Yoest also noted that Komen donors are "now confused about their association with the nation's largest abortion provider."

A statement from Komen's founder and CEO Nancy Brinker posted on the Dallas-based organization's website Feb. 3 apologized to the American public "for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives."

Brinker said the reaction to the decision to discontinue the funding was "deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not."

She also noted that Komen had planned to stop funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation but that it will "amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political."

Planned Parenthood is currently the focus of an investigation by U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., to see whether the organization used federal funds to pay for abortions, which would be illegal. Stearns is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Komen raises millions annually for the detection, treatment and research of breast cancer. One of its signature events is the annual Race for the Cure held in communities around the country. Planned Parenthood, which provides abortions, also offers free breast exams and mammograms, considered key to early detection of breast cancer. The Komen foundation over the years has said that it intended its contributions go toward these exams but could not control how funds were allocated at Planned Parenthood.

Leslie Aun, a spokeswoman for Komen, told The Associated Press Feb. 1 that the organization's decision to end its relationship with Planned Parenthood was based on a new policy that says grants cannot be given to organizations that are being investigated by government authorities, whether it is at the state, local or federal level.

In the new statement, Brinker said the group's goal in the grant process "is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities."

She also added that the organization hopes everyone involved will be able "to pause, slow down and reflect on how grants can most effectively and directly be administered without controversies that hurt the cause of women. We urge everyone who has participated in this conversation across the country over the last few days to help us move past this issue. We do not want our mission marred or affected by politics -- anyone's politics."

In a letter to Congress last April urging lawmakers to exclude from the federal budget any funding for Planned Parenthood or its affiliates, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston called the federation "by far the largest provider and promoter of abortions nationwide."

The cardinal, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said that Planned Parenthood also has opposed "any meaningful limits on abortion, including modest measures such as public funding bans, informed consent provisions and parental notice requirements on unemancipated minors."

In recent years, the St. Louis Archdiocese and several other U.S. dioceses have asked Catholic groups to suspend support for Komen, citing its contributions to Planned Parenthood and the fact the foundation does not exclude the possibility of funding research that uses embryonic stem cells.

Last April, the Archdiocese of St. Louis reissued one of its previous policy statements on the Komen foundation: "Due to its policy allowing affiliates to offer financial support to abortion-providing facilities, its denial of studies showing abortion as a cause of breast cancer, and its endorsement of embryonic stem-cell research, the Respect Life Apostolate neither supports nor encourages participation in activities that benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure."

Last July, Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, Ohio, told Catholic institutions and schools in that diocese to suspend fundraising efforts for Komen and instead direct such donations to a local group of Catholic-run cancer centers.

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Contributing to this story was Joseph Kenny in St. Louis.

That switch represented more than just altered terminology. It signaled an intent on the part of the U.S. church's officially sanctioned film agency to take a more open and positive -- though by no means uncritical -- approach in its assessment of cinema.

In keeping with this new emphasis, that same year, the film office issued its first list of the 10 best movies released over the previous 12 months.

As with many an innovation, the list gradually became a tradition, one that the Media Review Office of Catholic News Service -- which now performs the work originally done by the Legion and its successors -- intends faithfully to honor. So here -- in alphabetical order - are, first, our choices of the Top 10 films of 2011 suitable for a variety of audiences, followed the 10 best films for family viewing.

Here are the 10 best films overall.

A modern-made silent film, "The Artist" recounts the contrasting fortunes of a dashing star (Jean Dujardin) for whom the arrival of the "talkies" presages decline, and one of his adoring fans (Berenice Bejo) who's destined for stardom. French director Michel Hazanavicius' film is, by turns, zany and hilarious, sad and affecting, uplifting and inspiring (A-III, PG-13).

"The Conspirator" is an engrossing historical drama about the lawyer (James McAvoy) who defended Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), the pro-Confederate widow charged with conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Director Robert Redford's portrait of a protagonist admirably committed to the rule of law is made all the more effective by the fair assessment of those with other legitimate priorities (A-III, PG-13).

Stylish -- though frequently violent -- "The Debt" follows a game of cat-and-mouse across two time periods as three Mossad agents (Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Ciaran Hinds) track down and capture a Josef Mengele-like Nazi war criminal (Jesper Christensen). While suitable only for mature viewers, as directed with flair by John Madden, this gritty drama will certainly keep them guessing right up to the end (L, R).

In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," director David Yates' gratifying wrap-up to a decade of blockbuster adaptations, the titular wizard (Daniel Radcliffe) continues to battle his evil nemesis (Ralph Fiennes) aided, once again, by his two closest friends (Rupert Grint and Emma Watson). Many of the symbols and themes in this final narrative echo Scripture and comport with Judeo-Christian beliefs (A-II, PG-13).

Set in the early 1960s, the warm, deftly acted drama "The Help" compellingly portrays the efforts of a rebellious white Southerner and would-be journalist (Emma Stone) to write a book documenting the lives of group of black housemaids (most prominently Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer). Writer-director Tate Taylor's adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel uses vivid characterizations to bring the Civil Rights-era struggle for human dignity alive (A-III, PG-13).

The 3-D fable "Hugo" follows the adventures of a 12-year-old orphan (Asa Butterfield) who lives in one of Paris' great train stations during the 1930s. Director Martin Scorsese's paean to the City of Lights, the human imagination and the pioneers of early cinema casts a charming spell (A-II, PG).

"The Ides of March" is a savvy but raw political drama about an up-and-coming press spokesman (Ryan Gosling) who discovers that the campaign manager (Philip Seymour Hoffman) for whom he works and the candidate (George Clooney) in whom he deeply believes are not all they seem. With a sharp script and a powerful cast, Clooney, who also directed and co-wrote, turns in a slick study in the corrupting effects of power (L, R).

Writer-director Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," asks the question: Would you be happier living in a long-ago, mythically remembered past? A frustrated Hollywood screenwriter and would-be novelist (Owen Wilson) gets to find out when he gains mysterious entree to the French capital of the 1920s (A-III, PG-13).

"Of Gods and Men" is a brilliant dramatization of real events, recounting the fate of a small community of French Trappist monks (led by Lambert Wilson and including Michael Lonsdale) living in Algeria during that nation's civil war in the 1990s. Using the tools of the monastic life itself, director Xavier Beauvois finds a path to the heart of the Gospel through simplicity, a compassionate sense of brotherhood and an atmosphere of prayer enriched by sacred music and potent silence (A-III, PG-13).

In "The Way," after his semi-estranged son (Emilio Estevez) dies while hiking the ancient pilgrimage route to the Spanish shrine of Santiago de Compostela, a California doctor (Martin Sheen) resolves to complete the journey as a means of honoring the lad's memory. Estevez, who also wrote and directed, takes viewers on a reflective, and ultimately rewarding, exploration of elemental themes that challenges materialistic values (A-III, PG-13).

And here are the 10 best films for families.

In "The Adventures of Tintin," director Steven Spielberg's visually sumptuous animated adaptation of Belgian cartoonist Herge's famed comic books, the curiously coiffed young reporter (voiced by Jamie Bell) finds himself drawn into a centuries-old mystery. Themes congruent with Judeo-Christian values are advanced through sympathetic main characters, a screenplay faithful to its classic source material and envelope-pushing 3-D technology (A-I, PG).

Actor Samuel L. Jackson narrates "African Cats," an impressive nature documentary charting the varied fortunes of a pride of lions and a clan of cheetahs. Directors Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill provide the whole family with a top-quality cinematic safari (A-I, G).

Director Joe Johnston's comic book adaptation "Captain America: The First Avenger" relates the origins story of the superhero (Chris Evans) with a complete absence of cynicism and a crackling undercurrent of dry wit (A-II, PG-13).

"Cars 2," director John Lasseter's winsome sequel, sees a veteran racecar (voice of Owen Wilson) competing against a cocky Italian speedster (voice of John Turturro) in the first-ever World Grand Prix. Amid the sight gags and belly laughs are good lessons about family, friendship, self-esteem and acceptance of others (A-I, G).

In "Gnomeo & Juliet," it's love at first ceramic clink for two garden gnomes -- voiced by Emily Blunt and James McAvoy. Director Kelly Asbury's clever animated comedy offers wholesome fun for the entire family (A-I, G).

Vivid animation and a ringing endorsement of the traditional family combine to make director and co-writer Simon Wells' endearing adventure "Mars Needs Moms" a film kids can enjoy and parents will appreciate. Seth Green plays a 9-year-old boy who comes to recognize the deep love his mother (Joan Cusack) has for him after she's kidnapped by Martians (A-I, PG).

Kermit the Frog (voice of Steve Whitmire) and Jim Henson's other singing, dancing, wisecracking puppets return to the big screen in "The Muppets," an old-fashioned and genuinely funny comic outing directed by newcomer James Bobin. (A-I, PG)

"Rio" is a buoyant animated adventure with music about a Brazilian-born macaw (voice of Jesse Eisenberg) who returns to his homeland after being raised as a cosseted pet in Minnesota. Lessons about environmental stewardship and love-inspired loyalty are decked out in kaleidoscopic colors in director Carlos Saldanha's 3-D flight of fancy (A-I, G).

Director Sean McNamara's fact-based drama "Soul Surfer" recounts the story of a devoutly Christian competitive surfer (AnnaSophia Robb) whose life is changed forever by a shark attack. It's an uplifting tale bolstered by stunning cinematography and an unapologetic treatment of religious faith (A-II, PG).

In "Winnie the Pooh," directors Stephen Anderson and Don Hall's delightfully innocent, predominantly animated adaptation of A.A. Milne's classic children's books, the immortal bear (voice of Jim Cummings) finds his characteristic quest for honey interrupted by his friend Eeyore's (voice of Bud Luckey) latest crisis -- and by other complications (A-I, G).

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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.

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Editor's Note: Here are the CNS classifications and Motion Picture Association of America ratings for the movies mentioned in this article. CNS classifications: A-I -- general patronage; A-II -- adults and adolescents; A-III -- adults; L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. MPAA ratings: G -- general audiences. All ages admitted; PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children; PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13; R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

In this series, award-winning author, Franciscan Father Michael H. Crosby makes a strong case for moving from dominative ways of relating to building trust and collaboration, which leads to greater love and compassion in the world. These dynamics are applicable at all levels: personal, organizational and within families as well as in the workplace. Sessions include viewing of the DVD and group discussions.

The program is to be offered on Tuesdays from Feb. 28 to April 3, from 6-7:30 p.m. in the St. Francis Spirituality Center in Tiffin. The cost is $35, which includes all materials. For groups of six or more, the cost is $30 per person.

Registration by Feb. 17 is requested by contacting Jenifer at 419-443-1485 or peace@franciscanretreats.org.

This marks the 16th year that part of a weekend Mass celebration has been designated to highlight, celebrate and thank the men and women in consecrated life and to pray for an increase of vocations.

Forms of consecrated life include monastic life, the order of virgins, hermits and institutes completely devoted to contemplation, apostolic religious life, secular institutes and societies of apostolic life.

For more information on the diverse forms of consecrated life, visit www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/consecrated-life/world-day-for-consecrated-life.cfm.

“I had needed a little assistance with a light bill, and I was so grateful for the help and assistance that I received, so I decided, how can I give back?” she recalls. “And so this place took me in.”

Ms. Davis became an associate member of the Society and was put in charge of monitoring donations of furniture, clothing, appliances and other household goods, which are stored in two garages on parish property and given away free of charge to clients in need.

Now after three years of volunteering with the conference at Little Flower, Ms. Davis is preparing to be received into the church as a new Catholic this Easter.

“I was looking for a faith, a religion and a way to live. And I found it here,” she says. “I’m just happy to be here, and I’m grateful for the people that I know.”

Ms. Davis understands the importance of the mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization that offers person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.

Little Flower is just one of the 59 parish-based St. Vincent de Paul conferences operating in the Diocese of Toledo.

In addition to distributing food, clothing, furniture and other household goods, most provide direct financial assistance to assist clients with various needs including utility bills, rent, transportation expenses and prescription drugs. If they cannot meet a need directly, members often work to connect clients with other community services and agencies.

Vincentian volunteers operate food pantries throughout the diocese as well as thrift stores in Fayette, Lima, North Baltimore and Tiffin.

In Lima, a thrift store and food pantry are sponsored by the four parish conferences and operated entirely by volunteers. Anyone who comes to the pantry is eligible to receive food, according to Mike Briley, a member of Lima St. Charles who serves as president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s southwest district.

“We don’t turn anyone away,” says Mr. Briley. “I look at it like this: Christ said, what you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me. And we need to help some of these people out there that really don’t have anything.”

He notes that few other area organizations offer direct assistance with utility bills or rent, or provide motel rooms or bus tickets for people who are stranded.

“Any way that we can possibly help, we do,” says Mr. Briley, who explains the ministry of the Society is supported by the Catholic parishes of Lima, thrift store proceeds and donations from other community organizations.

In Mansfield, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul works closely with other community agencies including the local Catholic Charities office. Vincentian volunteers collect food donated by parishioners for the Catholic Charities pantry in Mansfield, and organize a parish giving tree that provides hundreds of Christmas gifts to people in need in the community each year.

Laurie Jordan, president of the Mansfield conference, says the Society is sometimes contacted by other social service entities that have run out of options for their clients.

“We assist those in need spiritually and financially and often in unique ways from other community agencies,” explains Ms. Jordan. “Our group has knowledge of community resources that allows us not only to be more effective linking up our clients with other entities of support, but also to be good stewards in the use of our funding.”

Referrals are also an important service provided by the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Fostoria St. Wendelin, which assisted 1,149 clients in 2011.

Carol Lininger, conference president, explains that since the city straddles three counties, the Vincentian volunteers have to be especially well-versed in knowing the services that are available to residents.

Members interview clients twice a week at their office, which is housed in the former St. Vincent de Paul thrift store building. Though the conference had to close its store more than a year ago, it still has donations of furniture, appliances and other household items available in a nearby trailer to give to clients in need.

“Our purpose is to help people with basic needs at their time of need,” says Ms. Lininger.

Amy Aschemeier, a member of Rossford All Saints who serves as communications liaison for the Toledo Society of St. Vincent de Paul, says the spirituality of the organization is what sets it apart from others that offer similar services.

“It’s not just the spirituality that we bring to the clients; it’s also the spirituality that we bring to each other,” says Ms. Aschemeier.

“To be a Vincentian, it’s an honor and it’s a ministry,” adds Ms. Aschemeier, who says members of the Society see “the true face of Jesus” in the poor.

“Some people just help them and that’s it,” she explains. “But we follow through, we call people up, we pray with them.”