Doug and Monica DeKeyser

The DeKeyser family is all in for the Carmel Catholic Community. From the first day their oldest, Olivia '14, started as a freshman, Doug and Monica DeKeyser found a community that brought value to their family and prepared their children, including Ethan '16, Celia '18, William '21, and Miles '23, academically, personally, and in faith.

"It is nice to have a school that supports our family values," said Monica. "Carmel's parents have similar values. Faculty gets to know the kids personally, and while academics are important, they make the effort to teach the whole person."

"All our children loved their high school experience and said they were glad they went to Carmel. They still have friendships with classmates," Monica continued. "Celia invited a whole table of classmates to her wedding and her bridesmaid was a classmate. When Olivia moved to California, she quickly connected with a classmate who was already living there, and the connection made the move much easier."

The family involvement went beyond their children. Doug and Monica became fully engaged with Street Scenes and made lasting friendships with other parents. Without hesitation, Monica and Doug said their Carmel Catholic experience was a 10 out of 10. Speaking for their children, they confidently said their children would give their experience a 10 out of 10.

Monica and Doug shared that Olivia started freshman year at a local public high school but quickly found that the environment was not for her. When Olivia began as a transfer freshman, she discovered an inviting community where she was quickly accepted and supported. Each of their children found a place at Carmel Catholic where they could thrive.

Monica and Doug feel their children were well prepared for college and life. When times were financially challenging, and they had multiple children attending Carmel Catholic, they received some tuition assistance to help ease the financial strain.

Monica and Doug's priorities have changed as their children grow into responsible adults. They realized they needed to reorganize their assets and develop a sound financial and estate plan as they prepared for retirement. They hired a financial planner, and that planning process led to creating a will, power of attorney, and health power of attorney. They said they had not had a will for a long time, and with the reorganization of their priorities and financial plan, creating a will was an important component.

Providing for Carmel Catholic in their will was an easy decision. With their five children grown and prospering, they found they could support the school more substantially as part of their estate plan. Monica and Doug decided to give Carmel a percentage of the assets in the estate. Monica said the gift would be unrestricted so the school could choose how to use the funds for the greatest need. Their children agreed with their decision.

Monica said, "Once we got into it, the process was simpler than we thought." They felt like they accomplished something important to secure their family's future. Having the plan "was a relief," and they celebrated over a special dinner at their favorite restaurant to reward their effort.

The DeKeyser family gives back in gratitude for what the Carmel Catholic community gave to them. They want to help keep the school financially secure for future families and have this beloved place remain a viable alternative to the area's public schools. They want future families to have a choice and opportunity to have the same positive experience. The DeKeyser family is all in for the Carmel Catholic community, as they feel the community is all in for them.