Christian faith drives Ewing couple to support others

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton is pleased to honor Mark Bolgar and Bethanne Warrack of Ewing as our Light of Hope of Mercer County.

For Mark Bolgar and Bethanne Warrack, charity is a clear directive rooted in their shared Christian faith. “There is no more fundamental teaching of Christianity than to love your neighbor and to serve your neighbor,” Mark said. “That’s at the core – our faith calls us to place the needs of others above ourselves.”

Bethanne Warrack and Mark BolgarThe couple, who have been married for 25 years, met at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, where they work. Mark is a Senior Scientific Director, and Bethanne is a Principal Scientist there. They credited their parents and Catholic upbringing with instilling their drive to help people in need.

“We were both middle-class kids,” Mark said. “My mom was a homemaker, and my dad, a policeman. They always reminded us how blessed we were and that we should focus on the need around us, rather than what others had that we didn’t.”

It was a lesson they live by, still today. They have been generous supporters of Catholic Charities for 12 years, and they’re parishioners at Incarnation St. James in Ewing. Their passion for education and all things STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) also shape their philanthropy. Bethanne is deeply involved at her alma mater, Villa Victoria Academy, where she is secretary and past chair of the Board of Directors and past president of Villa Victoria’s Alumnae Association. She truly believes in Villa Victoria’s mission to “teach young women to influence the world in a truly Christian way.” Mark, is a licensed pilot, and volunteers with the Young Eagles program, which introduces youth to aviation. Through this program Mark has collaborated with Catholic Partnership Schools in the Diocese of Camden to open up the world of aviation to young people from disadvantaged communities.

They support Catholic Charities because they see its local impact. “You don’t have to look very far to see the need. Catholic Charities really works in our local community. We know how focused they are on living out the Christian values, serving all, and acting on the commands of Christ,” Mark said. “But also, we trust them to be good stewards of any funds they get from us or others.”

Receiving the Light of Hope award is “humbling,” they agreed. “We don’t think what we’ve done here is so special,” Mark said. “We know that there are so many people who do so much in our community to help. So we think of ourselves as representing everyone who supports Catholic Charities and their community. We are all in this together.” Bethanne agreed: “The real thanks goes to Catholic Charities for all that they do for the local community and people in need.”

Celebrate with us!

Mark Bolgar and Bethanne Warrack will be honored during Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton’s Guardian Angel Benefit of Hope on Thursday, September 9th. It’s free to tune in! Register today here.

For more information about or to support the Guardian Angel Benefit of Hope, contact Jennifer Leip at [email protected].

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