‘A St. Jerome’s Boy’ has been supporting local schools for the past 20 years

Staff and students at St. John's Catholic Elementary were able to enjoy treats from an ice cream truck earlier this week thanks to the generosity of a Kitchener man. 

He goes by 'a St. Jerome's boy,' and has been giving to several local schools for the past 20 years. 

Paul Gladding, the principal at St. John's, appeared on the Mike Farwell show on CityNews 570 on Wednesday, and said the donor is always coming up with “great ideas that kids would be so excited about,” like the ice cream truck.

Last week, he paid for a trip sending St. John's students to Toronto where they got to visit the CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium, and go to the Rogers Centre for a Jays game.

For some students, it was their first opportunity to travel to Toronto. 

St. John's held a celebration in honour of a St. Jerome's boy on Monday. A purple tree was planted, matching their school logo.

Several members of his family previously attended St. John's, including his father.

“It's the only purple tree on our property and you can see it,” said Gladding. “We just wanted to be very intentional about it and make it special for him.”

Throughout the year, a St. Jerome's boy also drops by the school with different gifts, including holiday presents and grocery gift cards.