Champions of Opportunity

Brad and Barbara Evans’ commitment to Bridgeport students is reshaping futures at Sacred Heart.

From the fall 2025 issue of Sacred Heart University Magazine

Key Highlights

• Brad and Barbara Evans partnered with Sacred Heart University leadership, including President John Petillo, to establish the Horizons at SHU in 2011
• Horizons SHU is an enrichment program serving students from pre-K through high school, designed to prevent “summer slide” and provide academic, social-emotional and life-skills support
• The Evans Family’s continued involvement ensures the program keeps expanding, offering life-changing opportunities to new classes each year

It's a summer Tuesday at Sacred Heart University’s West Campus, and a group of young children are running and laughing as they play a game while participating in the University’s Horizons program. The next day they might be boarding a bus for swimming lessons—a skill all Horizons students learn.

SHU’s 14-year-old Horizons program—with students now ranging from pre-K to high school—was started by Brad and Barbara Evans, whose investment in Sacred Heart has empowered hundreds of local children and supported Sacred Heart students as well.

Brad and Barbara Evans have a long history of supporting education—especially Catholic education. It began when they were living in New York City and read about Catholic schools closing due to lack of funding. “We wanted to help ensure that parents in the city continued to have options when it came to their children’s education, so we began supporting several Catholic institutions to give parents an alternative to public schools,” says Brad Evans.

The couple continued to support children from pre-K through high school after moving to Connecticut. They became involved with the Catholic Academy of Bridgeport and supported the Horizons program at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, which began in the summer of 2000 and also serves Bridgeport students. Horizons strives to eliminate the “summer slide”—when students with fewer opportunities to learn during the summer fall behind academically.

When they considered expanding Horizons, they turned to Sacred Heart and, in partnership with the University, established the second Horizons program on a college campus. “President Petillo was immediately on board,” Brad says. “He said, ‘We’re in. Let’s get started!’”

Petillo, president of Sacred Heart, remembers the conversation as well. “I couldn’t wait to get going. In fact, I suggested that we kick off the program with two classes,” he says. “Brad and Barbara agreed, and since then we have added one class every year. They have made a difference for every one of these kids.”

The program was established in 2011, and the first group of 32 first- and second-grade students came to campus in the summer of 2012. “Our first group just graduated (2024) from high school,” Brad proudly announces, adding that after combining the Horizons programs at SHU and Notre Dame Prep, which SHU purchased in 2024, there were more than 300 students in this past summer’s program.

"Their investment has created not just programs but lasting possibilities for students." - Dr. John Petillo, President of Sacred Heart

Brad Evans credits the program’s executive director, Ashley Freeman, with its continued success. “She’s incredible,” he says.

The admiration is mutual. “Brad and Barbara are truly the reason Horizons exists at SHU,” Freeman says. “Their founding gift opened the door for Bridgeport students to access high-quality summer and school-year learning opportunities. Their belief in this mission gave life to what has become a cornerstone program for SHU and the Bridgeport community.”

She notes that the Evanses have been consistent supporters of the program. “Their generosity has allowed Horizons to steadily expand opportunities for students in pre-K through high school, strengthen our literacy program and sustain the social-emotional learning supports central to our mission,” she says. “Because of their ongoing commitment, hundreds of children each year gain the foundational skills they need to thrive. Their investment has created not just programs but lasting possibilities for these students.”

“Brad and Barbara have influenced the education of hundreds of students, and we are very grateful for their support and partnership both here at SHU and in the communities of Bridgeport and Fairfield,” Petillo states. “Because of their commitment, our Horizons students have kept up with their classmates, learned important life skills and developed a comfort level on a college campus. We are thrilled to see our early students graduate from high school and excited to see what they will do next.”

He adds that the Evanses’ generosity to Sacred Heart has extended beyond their support for the Horizons program. “They are committed to Catholic education and have been major donors here. We are extremely grateful for their dedication to the University and were thrilled to acknowledge that by naming the atrium at West Campus in their honor,” he says. “Through their longstanding partnership with Horizons at SHU, their philanthropic contributions have been extraordinary. Their investments are not only reshaping the lives of participating families today but igniting generational change for years to come.”

Says Freeman, “What makes Brad and Barbara so remarkable is that their investment goes far beyond dollars. They have poured their hearts, their time and their belief into Horizons. Because of them, a program that began with one staff member has grown into a year-round team of five, a seasonal staff of 85 and programming that now serves more than 300 children. They are true champions of Horizons, of Sacred Heart and of the belief that educational opportunities should be equally available to all students. They are also deeply humble—never seeking the spotlight, but always ready to jump in and support whatever the program needs. Whether it’s attending student showcases, cheering on our scholars or asking thoughtful questions that help us plan for the future, they embody generosity of spirit as much as generosity of resources.”

And with each new class of incoming Horizons students, the Evanses’ commitment to expanding educational opportunity only deepens.