The Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF) congratulates Candido “Dido” Palomarez on completing his summer internship at CCF! Working with CCF’s development team provided Dido the opportunity to leverage his interests and talents while learning about Catholic philanthropy and developing professional skills.
Dido graduated in 2020 from Providence Academy. There he excelled academically, receiving recognition as an AP Scholar and a National Hispanic Recognition Program finalist and induction into the National Honors Society. Dido also stood apart for his artistic talent. His art was featured on the school’s annual Christmas card, and he won multiple art competitions. And, as evidenced by his eventual college studies, Dido was known for his thoughtful approach to his faith and spirituality. Upon graduation, he was one of two students to receive the Faith, Knowledge, Virtue Award.
This fall, Dido will return for his junior year at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where he majors in philosophy and theology and minors in English.
During his internship at CCF, Dido helped the development team complete a monumental task with its files and database. More importantly, he applied his studies to help the CCF staff expand its understanding of the theology of stewardship. Then he combined that knowledge with his artistic talents to guide an effort to create a meaningful archive of the philanthropic intentions of CCF’s Legacy Society — and an accompanying representative art piece.
CCF Vice President of Development & Donor Engagement Chris Nelson worked closely with Dido this summer. “The more I got to know Dido, the more impressed I was with him,” says Chris. “His thoughtful approach to big ideas shed light on some key considerations we at CCF should have as we continue our work of perpetual, faith-aligned stewardship.”
Thank you, Dido, for your contributions to CCF!