Rufus Family to Receive Spirit of St. Julie Award

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

The Spirit of St. Julie Award stands as the highest honor that can be bestowed in our Julie Billiart Schools family. In word and in symbol, it represents the founding vision and dedicated leadership of the Sisters of Notre Dame, who through abiding faith, selfless leadership, outstanding service, and unwavering commitment to the truth, have inspired generations of Julie Billiart Schools' alumni, parents, and friends. This year, we were honored to present that award to Kathy and Greg - a family who has carried that same spirit forward, one act of generosity at a time.

When Kathy and Greg Rufus's grandson Lincoln walked into JB Akron as a second grader, they had no idea their family would become part of the fabric of Julie Billiart Schools.

But Kathy and Greg's generosity didn't stop at Akron's doors — it reached across our entire school family. When our Westlake campus needed room to grow, they saw the opportunity to invest in something bigger than any one classroom or campus. They purchased a building in Westlake for the school to lease, and later, in a remarkable act of vision and generosity, donated it outright. That gift laid the foundation for what is now the Westlake Expanding Opportunities campaign — an 8,000-square-foot expansion bringing new classrooms, an innovation lab, a sensory room, and a future Begindergarten classroom to life.

That's the heart of who Kathy and Greg are: grandparents to one JB student, and champions for all of them. Their belief in our mission wasn't bound by geography — it was bound to every child who walks through any JB Schools door.

Their story is a living continuation of the Sisters' charism: faith translated into action, and service that transforms not just a building, but generations of children who will learn and grow within its walls.