“It’s always about the journey, not just the end result,” Joe says. A former high school and collegiate athlete, he’s watched how sports demand teamwork, discipline, and grit. He recounts a family story about pushing past limits on a grueling endurance climb. After his son-in-law and granddaughter, Maddie Mahoney, DSHA ’23, climbed 29,029 feet in under 36 hours, Maddie had a revelation. “There will never be a mountain that’s too high for me to climb,” she said. Experiences like that are exactly what athletics and a mission-driven school can nurture. “You can live your whole life and not learn some lessons sports teach in a day,” he says. “That’s part of why this matters.”

The Tates’ connection to DSHA began close to home—with a granddaughter and niece who chose the school for its challenge and community. They noticed the need for improved athletic fields and safer, more modern facilities, and they recognized how those investments support everything else DSHA stands for: faith-formed leadership, academic excellence, and a sisterhood that crosses grade levels. The school’s new Salvatorian Family House System, which organizes students across classes to build mentorship, service, and healthy competition, resonated with the Tates’ belief that leadership is learned by doing.

Equally important to the Tates is access. “Scholarships are essential,” Jeni says plainly. “We want schools to be inclusive and accessible; without that, we wouldn’t give.” Their family has seen firsthand how their past cornerstone grants to organizations such as Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy and the Sojourner Family Peace Center have had positive impacts on disadvantaged kids and families. “Education changes trajectories,” Joe says. “But only if people can get in.”

The DSHA challenge reflects the Tates’ approach: lead with a bold gift that invites a community to move together. “This is designed to inspire others,” Joe explains. “We hope it sparks the next commitments.” Early signs suggest it will: Subsequent pledges are already following their lead, helping to build momentum toward shovels in the ground and, ultimately, student-athlete experiences worthy of DSHA’s academic rigor and mission.

A challenge gift, by definition, is an invitation. The Tates have issued theirs. Now the rest of us—alumnae, parents, grandparents, and friends—have a chance to respond, to match generosity with our own, and to build the fields, the safety, and the future that DSHA students deserve.

As Joe says, “Athletics teach resilience and teamwork—and that carries into the classroom and into life.” Jeni adds, “We want girls to have chances—to lead, to achieve, and to thrive.” That’s the legacy they hope to pass on—to their children and grandchildren, and to every young woman who wears DSHA across her jersey and carries its values into the world.