Melanie Burney, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Monday, October 7, 2013, 2:01 AM

Given a choice years ago to retire and enjoy life, businessman Robert Healey Sr. decided to dig in. He is on a personal crusade to help save Catholic schools in the region.

Healey, 84, of Lumberton, a successful lawyer and entrepreneur, has become a champion for Catholic education, turning around struggling schools in New Jersey and Pennsylvania by showing them how to operate more like businesses.

As the cofounder of Viking Yacht in Burlington County, one of the world's top luxury yacht builders, and the chief executive of more than a half-dozen companies and several charities, Healey knows how to run a business.

That means no more cake sales to keep the school doors open and the lights on, but a more aggressive strategy used by colleges and private schools for fund-raising and student recruiting.

"I have a passion about children and schools," Healey said in an interview last week. "My focus is to save these schools."

His approach has garnered national attention, and the National Catholic Educational Association will award Healey its highest honor Monday in Washington in recognition of his contributions.

Healey and four others will receive the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award, named in honor of the first native-born American saint.

In a statement, Brother Robert Bimonte, NCEA president, said the award "recognizes great leaders who are supporting Catholic education in many ways."

Continue reading here:
A Catholic school-saving mission