charities usa magazine summer 2013

7/29/2019 Charities USA Magazine Summer 2013

1/48

THE MAGAZINE OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA SUMMER 2013 VOLUME 40 NUMBER 3

REACHINGTHE HUNGRYTHROUGH

WALMARTGRANTA TRIBUTE TO

BISHOPSULLIVAN

CATHOLICCHARITIESHEADS TO

SANFRANCISCO

SUPPORTING

PEOPLEWITH

DISABILITIES


2/48


3/48

FeaturearticlesontheworkofCatholicCharities

Povertyreductionsuccessstories

UpdatesonCCUSAslegislativeandpolicywork

NewsfromCCUSAandmemberagencies

Andsomuchmore!

Charities USA is the quarterly magazine

o Catholic Charities USA. In each issue,

youll nd:

Youre missing out...i youre missing

THE MAGAZINE OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA


4/48

Charities USA (ISSN 0364-0760) is

published by Catholic Charities USA.

Address all correspondence to the Managing

Editor. 2013 Catholic Charities USA,

Alexandria, Virginia.

Editorial and Business Ofce

2050 Ballenger Avenue, Suite 400

Alexandria, VA 22314

tel:703-549-1390 ax:703-549-4183

www.CatholicCharitiesUSA.org

[email protected]

Publisher

Rev. Larry Snyder

Managing Editor

Ruth Liljenquist

Sr. Creative Director

Sheena Leaye Crews

Contributing Writers

Patricia Cole

Patrick Brown

Ruth Liljenquist

Editorial Committee

Jean Beil

Candy Hill

Kristan Schlichte

Jane Stenson

Catholic Charities USA is the national oce or one

o the nations largest social service networks. Member

agencies and institutions nationwide provide vital so-

cial services to over 10 million people in need, regard-

less o their religious, social, or economic backgrounds.

Catholic Charities USA supports and enhances the

work o its members by providing networking opportuni-

ties, national advocacy, program development, training

and consulting, and nancial benets.

Donate Now: 1-800-919-9338

Last Issue: SPRING 2013

When I read the U.S. Bishops 1978 Pastoral Statement on People with

Disabilities, one part particularly moved methe passage that reminds

us o Jesus particular concern or people with illnesses and disabilities.

Trough them He maniested, in very real and concrete ways, His

divinity and His power to save, both in body and spirit. He gave sight

to the man who was blind rom birth sitting outside the temple inJerusalem. He quickened the limbs o a paralyzed man lowered on a

mat rom a synagogue roo. He opened the ears and mouth o a dea

mute man. And responding to a desperate athers plea, he drove out the

torments aicting a young boys mind.

What touches me most about these passages is Jesus compassion. He

saw peoples suering and could not stay his hand. And even though

He sometimes chided their lack o aith, He still healed them, renewing

their bodies and their spirits. Were He here with us, I believe He would

be moved with compassion to heal us, all o us, but certainly, those o us

living with disabilities.

Te people in Catholic Charities who dedicate themselves to serving

people with disabilities are also, I believe, moved with compassion to

heal. Our healing is limited, o course, but the gits we bring o hope,

kindness, patience, and service go a long way toward healing the spirit,

even though the physical challenges remain.

Our network provides a number o services to people with disabilities and

their amilies, which this issue oCharities USA presents. Tese services

range rom residential care to recreation camps, rom job development

to Braille instruction, rom guardianship services to lie skills education.

Tese services empower and enrich the lives o people with disabilities,

giving them hope and strength to carry on and the courage to reach their

ull potential.

Until the day when disability no longer exists, this is the healing we can

bring to pass, and in doing so, walk in the ootsteps o Jesus. n

RuthLiljenquist,ManagingEditor

To comment on this issue, please write to Ruth Liljenquist

at [email protected].

Supporting People with Disabilities


5/48

10

20

44

6 Contents7 Supporting People with Disabilities

8 Living with Disability

Te Ongoing Struggle or Full Inclusion in Our Society

11 Working ogether oward Independence

Te Kennedy Institute, Catholic Charities, Archdiocese o Washington

13 Not Just a Residence, But a Home

La Paz and CAHI Housing, Catholic Charities, Diocese o St. Cloud

15 Always Looking or Ways to Serve

Community Outreach Program or the Dea, Catholic Community Services

o Southern Arizona

16 Ensuring a Secure Place in the Human Community

Te U.S. Catholic Bishops on the Responsibilities o the Church to People

with Disabilities

20 A rue Servant and a Shining Example

Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan, 1930-2013

22 Feeding Rural Communities From Coast to Coast

Walmart Foundation Grant Supports Approaches ailored to Local Needs

26 Tree Journeys, One Destination

New Leadership Structure Positions Catholic Charities USA or the Future

28 Empowering Mission through Storytelling

Sojourn Teatre to Bring New Approaches and New Voices to Annual Gathering

30 Working or Better Solutions in San Francisco

2013 Annual Gathering Host Helps People Trive in the City by the Bay

Features

5 Presidents Column

32 Disaster Response

36 CCUSA Update

38 NewsNotes

44 Working to Reduce Poverty in America

Departments

22


6/48

4 | CHARITIES USA


7/48

SUMMER 2013 | 5

Every year, Catholic Charities in Germany

Deutscher Caritasverbandconducts a publicawareness campaign dealing with a particular

social issue. A ew years ago, the campaign o-

cused on people with disabilities. One poster that I remem-

ber eatured a young woman conned to a wheelchair with

a caption that expressed her thoughts: I wish I had red hair.

Another young man, also sitting in a wheel chair, was think-

ing: I hate my big nose. I was struck by these captions.

What they expressed was unexpected, but the meaning was

clear. People with disabilities are not that dierent rom

people without disabilities.

ypically when we look at people with disabilities, we see

their decits rather than their assets, or we ocus on what

makes them dierent rom us rather than what makes them

the same. Te U.S. Catholic Bishops talked about this per-

ception o dierence in their 1978 Pastoral Statement on

People with Disabilities:

Prejudice starts with the simple perception o dierence,

whether that dierence is physical or psychological.

People with disabilities are visibly, sometimes bluntly

dierent rom the norm, and we react to this dierence.Even i we do not look down upon them, we tend all too

oten to think o them as somehow apartnot complete-

ly one o us.

Te Caritas Germany campaign understood this human im-

pulse and worked to diuse it, seeking a more inclusive soci-

ety by inviting people to see those with disabilities in a new

wayas people like the rest o us, living with a challenge but

not being dened by it. While we shouldnt deny or overlook

peoples disabilities, we can oer ull acceptance, recognizingthe challenges they ace, accommodating them, and welcom-

ing their gits and talents.

We as a network are working toward these ends. We provide

services that help people with disabilities reach their ull po-

tential and achieve a good quality o lie. We provide con-

sultation with parishes on how they can better accommo-

date and welcome people with disabilities. We also work to

arm peoples assets and abilities. At Catholic Charities in

the win Cities, where I used to work, our disabilities ser-

vices oce was called the Oce or Persons with disAbili-ties, emphasizing what people with disabilities have to oer.

Pope John Paul II said that there is no one so poor that they

do not have something to give, and there is no one so rich

that there is not something they need to receive. While he

may have been speaking o economic and spiritual realities, I

think it also applies to the talents and gits we have all been

given.

Our job is to build community, to create the inclusivity that

is an integral part o our Christian values. It takes people

changing the way they think, as the Caritas Germany cam-

paign pointed out, but the eort is worth it. With the en-

gagement and participation o our brothers and sisters with

disabilities, we as communities, as parishes, and as individu-

als are all the richer.

ColumnPresidents


8/48

6 | CHARITIES USA


9/48

The care that Catholic Charities agencies provide today or Americans with disabili-

ties has its roots in the long-standing tradition o compassion exercised by aithul

Catholics, particularly religious orders, who throughout much o the nineteenth cen-

tury provided sanctuary to people with cognitive disabilities and taught religious edu-

cation to the dea and blind. In the late nineteenth century, these eorts developed, in tandem

with public eorts, into large residential institutions or the dea, blind, and cognitively disabled.Later, ater the push or deinstitutionalization in the 1960s, Catholic Charities agencies respond-

ed to the need or supportive housing, establishing small group homes and community living

support programs.

Since that time, particularly in the last 20 years, the Catholic Charities networks care or people

with disabilities has broadened into a wide spectrum o services: job development, case man-

agement, counseling, guardianship, recreation, special education, and others. This expansion o

services, while still ounded in compassion and charity, has been inormed by a greater appre-

ciation or the gits that people with disabilities oer, the potential they have or a sel-directed

lie, and their desire to experience ull inclusion in the lie o our society. n

SUMMER 2013 | 7

SUPPORTINGPEOPLE

WITHDISABILITIESWhat individuals with disabilities need, frst o all, is acceptance in this dierence that can

neither be denied nor overlooked. No acts o charity or justice can be o lasting value unless

our actions are inormed by a sincere and understanding love that penetrates the wall ostrangeness and afrms the common humanity underlying all distinction.

The Pastoral Statement o the U.S. Catholic Bishops on People with Disabilities, 1978


10/48

THE ONGOING STRUGGLE FOR FULL INCLUSION IN OUR SOCIETY

Adisability is dened by law as a mental or physical impair-

ment that substantially limits one or more major lie ac-

tivities. Disabilities include, or example, having diculty

seeing, hearing, communicating, walking, bathing, dress-

ing, eating, taking care o onesel, doing activities outside the home,

maintaining emotional health, and other activities. These dicul-ties arise rom a host o physical and mental conditions that may be

present at birth, arise rom illness or disease or genetic predisposi-

tion, or come about as a result o injury or aging. Whatever the cause

or whenever the onset, disabilities signicantly aect peoples lives,

making it dicult or them to unction and achieve a high quality o

lie without support.

Historically, people with disabilities have been mistreateddenied

basic human and civil rights, abused and neglected, and oten insti-

tutionalized or segregated rom society in various ways. This mistreat-

ment stemmed largely rom ear, ignorance, and a lack o compas-

sion, but as societies have come to learn more about disability and

respect the human rights o all people, people with disabilities have

been aorded greater opportunities or personal development and in-

clusion in the lie o the community.

Twenty-three years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed

into law, marking a huge turning point or people with disabilities in

the United States. This landmark civil rights legislation ensured that

people with disabilities had equal opportunity and access to educa-

tion, employment, housing, public services, transportation, technology,

and the community. Since that time, great strides have been made to

expand the rights and opportunities or people with disabilities, but

people with disabilities still ace signicant barriers that prevent ull

inclusion in our society. These issues include:

8 | CHARITIES USA

LIVINGWITH

DISABILITY


11/48

Housing: People with disabilities ace a severe housing crisis.

Finding aordable and accessible housing is extremely dicult.

Accessible housing oers eatures that accommodate the needs o

people with disabilities, such as lowered kitchen counters, wheel-in

showers, widened doorways, and entrances with no steps. However,there is a shortage o accessible housing and the cost to rent such

units is oten high. Further, people with disabilities oten ace dis-

crimination when seeking housing.

Employment: Most people with disabilities are unemployed or un-

deremployed, even though they want to participate in the work

world. This occurs primarily because o a lack o training and sup-

port. Young people with disabilities oten need a good deal o sup-

port to make the transition rom school to employment. State

vocational rehabilitation programs are helpul, but are typically un-

derunded. Poor wages and nancial disincentives also contrib-

ute to the low employment rate. According to U.S. Bureau o Laborstatistics, roughly 18 percent o people with disabilities were em-

ployed in 2012, in contrast to roughly 64 percent o people without

disabilities.

Education:Even though children with disabilities have been as-

sured a ree and appropriate public education, many o them strug-

gle to get the quality education that will help them achieve success

in their uture lives. Special education programs are underund-

ed, and too oten, children with disabilities are not taught by quali-

ed special education teachers. Children with disabilities are also

oten segregated into sel-contained classes, with ew opportunities

to participate socially or academically with their peers who do nothave a disability. This oten leaves them alienated and unprepared

or adult lie.

Health Care:Whether due to unemployment, low wages, or pre-ex-

isting conditions, most people with disabilities do not have access

to private health insurance and thereore rely heavily on Medicaid

or both short- and long-term health care services and support.

While the Aordable Care Act will provide a signicant benet

by prohibiting discrimination based on pre-existing health status,

Medicaid still has large biases toward institutionalized care as op-

posed to home-based or community-centered care. Additionally,

unding or disability care is highly susceptible to budget cuts.

Recent state cuts to Medicaid budgets have reduced the amount

o unding available or health care or people with disabilities,

making it that much harder or them to acheive their ull potential.

Family Support:More than 65 million Americans care or a loved

one who has a disability or who is chronically ill or elderly. These

caregivers contribute a vast amount o time caring or their loved

one, oten oregoing jobs, career advancement, and other opportuni-

ties to do so. It is vitally important to meet caregivers needscoun-

seling, respite, cash assistance, training, inormation, reerralsso

they can continue to provide care and keep people with disabili-

ties in their homes and communities and out o costly institutional-

ized care. Some states oer limited support to amily caregivers and

there are some national programs that provide assistance, but gen-

erally amily support is underunded.

Poverty: All o the above actors contribute to a high poverty rate

among people with disabilities, signicantly higher than the rate o

poverty among people without disabilities. Disability contributes to

poverty because o high unemployment, decreased educational op-

portunities, and discrimination. At the same time, poverty contrib-

utes to disability through lack o adequate health care, dangerous

living conditions, and poor nutrition. Keeping saety net programs

intact or people with disabilities is vital, as is addressing the

above issues to prevent and mediate poverty.

Right to Lie:At a very undamental level, people with disabilitescan also ace challenges to their very right to liethe right to be

born and the right to die a natural death. The unique challenges

posed to people with disabilities by an adverse prenatal diagnosis,

denial o medical care, or assisted suicide are evident.

While these barrires are serious, people with disabilities who have ad-

equate supports are achieving greater personal success and enjoying

greater inclusion in our society. They represent what is possible and

give hope to others with disabilities and to those who love, serve, and

advocate or them. n

SUMMER 2013 | 9


12/48

Housing

Catholic Charities o Brooklyn and Queens operates 21 residences

or adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, oering

24-hour supervision, daily skills training, recreation, and a variety o

psychological, social, and clinical services, such as medical care and

speech training. The services and support provided at these residenc-

es give individuals with disabilities the opportunity to live indepen-

dently and experience real autonomy.

Guardianship

Catholic Charities o North Dakota provides guardianship and other

protective services or people with developmental disabilities through-

out the state. Guardians act in the best interest o vulnerable adults

who are unable to make their own decisions, while ostering the high-

est degree o independence possible.

Services or Autistic Children

Catholic Charities, Diocese o Madison, WI, employs autism special-

ists to provide amilies with inormation and resources related to

Autism Spectrum Disorders. These specialists urther provide consul-

tations and trainings and host an autism conerence each year. The

agency also provides residential care or children with severe autismthrough its Youth Living Alternatives program.

Youth Activities

Catholic Community Services o Lane County in Springeld, OR, par-

ticipates in a Transition Garden program or local youth with disabili-

ties. CCS provides space or the garden plots and Transition Garden

participants maintain and harvest the produce. The ood is shared

with homeless and low-income Lane County residents through the

agencys ood pantries.

HOW WESERVEPEOPLE WITHDISABILITIES

10 | CHARITIES USA


13/48

SUMMER 2013 | 11

For more than 50

years, the Kennedy

Institute o Catholic

Charities, Archdiocese

o Washington has been serv-ing children and adults with a

wide range o intellectual or

developmental disabilities, as

well as the amilies that love

and care or them. With ser-

vices that bridge the lie span,

the Kennedy Institute has been

an invaluable support to the

people it serves.

Just ask Deatress McMillen. Her

daughter, Kimberly, was bornalmost 20 years ago with an in-

tellectual disability. She was

reerred early on to Catholic

Charities Kennedy Institute,

where she has been enrolled

since she was a toddler. Kim

grew up in the halls o the

Kennedy School, where special-

ized learning programs helped

her gain condence in speaking

and all in love with technology.

Deatress watched with awe as

her daughter grew into her own

young adult, eventually securing

a job at the U.S. Department othe Interior.

Kim is now ready to tackle

travel training, almost a rite o

passage into the working world

or young people who have a

developmental or intellectu-

al disability. It involves learning

how to navigate public transit

systems, including buses and

trains. For a young person with

a disability, the transit systemcan be a very overwhelming,

distracting, and vulnerable en-

vironment. Yet it also represents

the last barrier to the indepen-

dence a job provides.

Deatress has some trepidation

about it all. I know Kim is ear-

less and that scares me a little,

but I know the sta will teach

her. I trust the sta at Kennedy

completely. From day one, they

were so loving, so protective

and so caring, said Deatress.

She remembers when two-year-old Kim still wasnt speaking

at all. Kennedy sta saw that

Kimberly responded to music

and started teaching her to

speak through song.

Deatress also credits Kennedy

with helping her. For amilies

with a special needs child, time

is a rare commodity. Providing

a caring and supportive en-

vironment entails long hoursresearching school options,

teaching lessons at home, and

nding someone trustwor-

thy to take care o ones child.

Deatress says Kennedy gave her

the daily peace o mind that al-

lowed her to return to school

and eventually start her own

small business while raising her

daughter.

As Kimberly commutes to her

job at the Department o the

Interior, shell travel via public

transportation, taking a bus and

the train. At rst, shell ride witha sta member rom Kennedy,

who will point out ways to re-

member the stop and saety

habits. Then, shell start riding

alone or part o the trip, with

sta meeting her on the train

halway or meeting her at the

end. Finally, shell make the trip

alone.

Her mom will be a nervous

wreck, o course, but thats justpart o being a parent. Its a big

step or Kim, and or Mom as

well. It represents the culmina-

tion o years o hard work, late-

night phone calls with Kennedy

sta to address challenges, and

working together on Kims road

to independence.n

THE KENNEDY INSTITUTE, CATHOLIC CHARITIES, ARCHDIOCESE OF WASHINGTON

WORKINGTOGETHER TOWARDINDEPENDENCE

Kimberly


14/48

Independent Living Skills

The Community Habilitation Program o Catholic Social Service in

Guam is an independent living skills training and day program or in-

dividuals, age 18 and over, with severe disabilities. Participants learn

to bathe and use the toilet, dress and groom themselves, use public

transit, prepare simple meals, perorm domestic chores, recognize

surroundings, manage basic nances, shop or personal needs, and

complete other tasks. The program also provides socialization op-

portunities, exercise and body awareness learning, and recreational

activities.

Case Management

Commonwealth Catholic Charities in Richmond, VA, is one o

the largest case management providers or individuals with

developmental disabilities and their amilies in central Virginia. The

program serves people with developmental delays by providing

oversight, coordination, and monitoring o the clients health care.

Recipients receive coordination o care services, which aims to

prevent placement in an intermediate care acility.

Services or the Blind and Visually Impaired

Catholic Charities Maine oers state-wide education services or

blind and visually impaired children rom birth through 21 years o

age. The program provides assessment, instruction, and consultation

to the children, their parents, and school personnel. Services include

low vision training, braille instruction, and assistance in use o adap-

tive equipment to help children reach their ullest potential as inde-

pendent, successul members o the community.

Work Training and Supported Employment

Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. in Superior, WI, operates our commu-

nity rehab/work preparatory training centers that help individuals with

multiple disabilities prepare or and secure community employment.

The centers serve more than 400 individuals each year.

12 | CHARITIES USA

47 agencies oer programs specically or people with physicaldisabilities. In 2011, these agencies served 36,119 clients.

23 agencies engaged in legislative advocacy surrounding

disabilities issues.

19 agencies provide sheltered workshops or employment programs

or people with disabilities.

20 agencies provide supervised living or people with

developmental disabilities.

47agencies

23agencies

19agencies

20agencies


15/48

SUMMER 2013 | 13

In 1984, the movement that

resulted in the Americans

with Disabilities Act was

gaining momentum. The

National Council on Disability

was assessing ederal laws and

programs that aected people

who were physically challenged.

In St. Cloud, MN, the local dis-

abilities council recognized a

need or specialized housing or

those with physical challenges.

I went to meet with one po-

tential resident at the time,

and hal o his living room

was taken up by a ramp sohe could use his patio, said

Harvey Schmitt, housing direc-

tor at Catholic Charities o the

Diocese o St. Cloud. When he

exited his building, they had a

ramp, but it was so steep, he

turned his wheelchair around

so he wouldnt all out rom the

momentum.

The St. Cloud area disabilities

council partnered with Catholic

Charities to build Catholic

Charities La Paz Community

housing. The apartment com-

plex houses 36 units o one-

and two-bedroom apartments,

designed or adults with physi-

cal disabilities and their amilies.

We had no ADA guidelines at

the time. We just listened to the

people who were potential resi-

dents, recalled Schmitt.

At the time, almost all poten-

tial residents were wheelchair

bound. About 25 percent othem had cerebral palsy or

some other issue they had had

since birth, and the rest had

been involved in automobile or

other accidents. All could care

or themselves in their new

surroundings.

Fast-orward 20 years, and

Catholic Charities o the

Diocese o St. Cloud was

again approached to meet

a community need or those

who are physically challenged.

Catholic Charities CAHI

(Community Alternative or

Handicapped Individuals) was

built in Paynesville, a rural town

o about 2,000 people. It was

a completely dierent building

experience because we had

ADA Guidelines, best practices,

and building codes we could

rely on, said Jim Rudolph,

ormer director o property

management at Catholic

Charities.

CAHI is dierent rom La Paz in

that it is an adult oster care a-

cilitysta is on hand 24 hours

a day to meet residents physi-

cal and medical needs. This

is because residents physical

needs are coupled with a de-

velopmental illness, a traumatic

brain injury, or some other situ-

ation that aects cognition.

Both acilities have residents

who have lived in them rom

the time they opened to nearly

present day. We really eel that

means that were meeting their

needs, and not just providing

a place to reside, but truly a

home, said Rudolph.

One o our residents raised her

son at La Paz, says Schmitt. To

that young man, this place truly

is his home.n

The St. Cloud area

disabilities council

partnered with CatholicCharities to build

Catholic Charities La Paz

Community housing. The

apartment complex was

designed or adults with

physical disabilities and

their amilies.

LA PAZ AND CAHI HOUSING, CATHOLIC CHARITIES, DIOCESE OF ST. CLOUD

NOT JUSTA RESIDENCE,BUT A HOME


16/48

VOLUNTEERS STRETCH THE REACH

OF CATHOLIC CHARITIESVolunteers are an invaluable help to Catholic Charities agencies in providing lie enriching services and activities topeople with disabilities.

Volunteer Chore Services

Catholic Community Services o Western Washingtons Volunteer Chore Services program serves thousands o seniors

and adults with disabilities statewide, helping them remain independent in their own homes through a network o caring

community members. The services are provided at no charge and serve as a saety net or those individuals who cannot

aord to pay or assistance and do not qualiy or other assistance. Volunteers assist with housework, laundry, shopping,

transportation, minor home repairs, respite care, cooking, and other tasks.

Recreation Camps

Catholic Charities o Orange County, CA, oers its ReCreation Camps, summer and weekend residential camp pro-

grams or adults and children with developmental disabilities, oering participants opportunities or un, social interac-

tion, and spiritual growth while providing valuable respite or parents and caregivers. The camp is staed entirely by vol-

unteers, rom high school students to grandparents, who generously share their time, energy, and talents. The volunteers

make possible a 1-to-1 counselor-to-camper ratio, ensuring that each camper eels included and supported.

Patricia Callahan and Students at St. John the Baptist HighSchool, West Islip, NY

As campus minister at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in

West Islip, NY, Patricia Callahan encourages her students to devel-

op their gits while giving back to help others. Annually since January

2010, Tricia has brought students rom St. John the Baptist to col-

laborate with residents in Catholic Charities o Rockville Centres

Residential Services Program or Developmentally Disabled Adults to

stage an annual variety show. The production, which eatures spirited

singing and dancing between students and residents, is the culmi-

nation o nearly 1,700 total volunteer hours o practice and peror-

mance by Tricia and the students. About 85 students take part everyyear, building relationships with the developmentally-disabled adults

and creating or each a moment to shine. For the high school stu-

dents as well as the program residents, the variety show is truly a

highlight o the year.n

A MOMENT TO SHINE

14 | CHARITIES USA

Photo: Greg Shemitz, 3Vphoto.com


17/48

Forty years ago, a

small group o dea

and hearing students

and aculty at the

University o Arizona ounded avolunteer-run program to pro-

vide services or dea people in

the community. Four decades

later, that programCommunity

Outreach Program or the

Dea (COPD)is a proession-

al agency going strong, provid-

ing a multitude o vital services

or dea, dea-blind, and hard

o hearing people throughout

Southern Arizona.

With just a desk and a phone

at Catholic Community Services

o Southern Arizona, COPD rst

ocused on providing interpre-

tation and employment servic-

es, counseling, and technical

assistance with communica-

tion devices. Over the years, it

has broadened its reach with a

number o other valuable servic-

escase management, summer

programs or dea youth, lie

skills education, computer and

nancial literacy classes, and

various other services. The pro-gram has also reached out to

underserved people, seniors

experiencing hearing loss, the

dea-blind, and, most recently,

dea reugees.

The program is always evolving,

said Anne Levy, executive di-

rector o COPD. We are always

looking or ways to ll in service

gaps, always looking at unding

opportunities that will allow usto serve people.

Just recently, or example, COPD

entered into a partnership with

the Federal Communications

Commission to distribute cut-

ting edge communication devic-

es to help income-eligible dea-

blind people communicate and

thrive in the world. COPD dis-

tributes the devices and trains

dea-blind people in using them.

One device is a braille display,

which can be linked wireless-

ly with computers, smartphones,and tablets. Through this device,

text is transmitted into braille

signals that dea-blind people

can read through specialized

touch pads. Then users can

type out a response using a

braille keyboard. This device

allows dea-blind users to easily

read and respond to emails and

text messages, which makes a

huge dierence in their lives.

COPD has also been working re-

cently with dea reugees. These

people are some o the most

challenging people to work with

because they have very limited

communication skills and have

grown up without access to

dea services. Further, they have

oten been regarded as children

in their native cultures and have

great diculty adjusting to the

responsibilities they are expect-

ed to ulll as adults here in

the United States. Slowly, COPD

is making progress with thisgroupteaching them American

Sign Language and building a

supportive community or them.

Through COPD, dea, dea-blind,

and hard o hearing people

throughout Southern Arizona

are nding opportunities that

help them and their amilies

thrive. They are communicat-

ing, learning lie skills, nding

jobs, understanding their amilyand work responsibilities, ad-

vocating or themselves, and

contributing in their communi-

tiesgreat accomplishments or

them and the little group o vol-

unteers who started COPD 40

years ago. n

COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM FOR THE DEAF, CATHOLIC COMMUNITY SERVICES OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA

ALWAYSLOOKING FOR WAYS

TO SERVE

SUMMER 2013 | 15

Photo: Jay Rochlin


18/48

16 | CHARITIES USA

Thirty-fve years ago, in 1978, the U.S. Conerence o Catholic Bishops released a pastoral statement regarding people with disabilities.

The statement called on the people o the church to examine their attitudes toward people with disabilities, act with justice and compassion

toward them, and, recognizing their gits, work to integrate them into the lie o the community and o the church. The ollowing excerpts,

still relevant today, eloquently explore the churchs response to people with disabilities and their relationship to the church.

Concern or people with disabilities was one o

the prominent notes o Jesus earthly minis-

try. When asked by Johns disciples, Are you

He who is to come or do we look or another?

Jesus responded with words recalling the prophecies o Isaiah

Go back and report to John what you hear and see; the blind

recover their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the

dea hear, dead men are raised to lie, and the poor have

the Gospel preached to them.(Mt. 11:3-5) Persons withdisabilities became witnesses or Christ, His healing o their

bodies a sign o the spiritual healing He brought to all people.

Which is less trouble to say, Your sins are orgiven or Stand

up and walk? o help you realize that the Son has author-

ity on earth to orgive sinsHe then said to the paralyzed

manStand up! Roll up your mat and go home.(Mt. 9:5)

Te Church that Jesus ounded would surely have been der-

elict had it ailed to respond to His example in its attention

to people with disabilities. It remains aithul to its mission

when its members become more and more a people o the

Beautitudes, a people blessed in their meekness, their suer-

ing, their thirst or righteousness. We all struggle with lie.

We must carry on this struggle in a spirit o mutual love, in-

spired by Christs teaching that in serving others we serve the

Lord Himsel. (c. Mt. 25:40) In doing so, we build a com-

munity o interdependent people and discover the Kingdom

o God in our midst.

Te Church, through the response o its members to the

needs o their neighbors and through its parishes, healthcare

institutions and social service agencies, has always attempted

to show a pastoral concern or individuals with disabilities.

However, in a spirit o humble candor, we must acknowl-

edge that at times were have responded to the needs o some

o our people with disabilities only ater circumstances or

public opinion have compelled us to do so. By every means

The U.S. Catholic Bishops on the Responsibilities o the Church to People with Disabilities

The Churchs Response to the Person with a Disability

ENSURING A SECUREPLACE IN THE HUMANCOMMUNITY


19/48

SUMMER 2013 | 17

possible, thereore, the Church must continue to expand its

healing ministry to these persons, helping them when neces-

sary, working with them and raising its voice with them and

with all members o society who are their advocates. Jesus re-vealed by His actions that service to and with people in need

is a privilege and an opportunity as well as a duty. When we

extend our healing hands to others, we are healed ourselves.

On the most basic level, the Church responds to persons

with disabilities by deending their rights. Pope John XXIIIs

encyclical Pacem in erris stresses the innate dignity o all

men and women. In an ordered and productive communi-

ty, it is a undamental principle that every human being is a

person. . . . [One] has rights and duties . . . fowing directly

and spontaneously rom [ones] very nature. Tese rights are

thereore universal, inviolable and inalienable.

Te word inalienable reminds us that the principles on which

our democracy is ounded also guarantee certain rights to

all Americans, regardless o their circumstances. Te rst o

these, o course, is the right to lie.Deense o the right to

lie, then, implies the deense o other rights which enable

the individual with a disability to achieve the ullest measure

o personal development o which he or she is capable. Tese

include the right to equal opportunity in education, in em-

ployment, in housing, as well as the right to ree access to

public accommodations, acilities and services. Tose who

must be institutionalized deserve decent, personalized careand human support as well as the pastoral services o the

Christian community. Institutionalization will gradually

become less necessary or some as the Christian community

increases its awareness o disabled persons and builds a stron-

ger and more integrated support system or them.

It is not enough merely to arm the rights o people with

disabilities. We must actively work to make them real in the

abric o modern society. Recognizing that individuals with

disabilities have a claim to our respect because they are per-

sons, because they share in the one redemption o Christ,

and because they contribute to our society by their activity

within it, the Church must become an advocate or and with

them. It must work to increase the publics sensitivity toward

the needs o people with disabilities and support their right-

ul demand or justice. Moreover, individuals and organiza-

tions at every level within the Church should minister to

persons with disabilities by serving their personal and social

needs. Many can unction on their own as well as anyone

in society. For others, aid would be welcome. All o us can


20/48

18 | CHARITIES USA

visit persons unable to leave their homes, oer transporta-

tion to those who cannot drive, read to those who cannot

read, speak out or those who have diculty pleading their

own case. In touching the lives o men, women and children

in this way, we come closest to imitating Jesus own example,

which should be always beore our eyes. (c. Lk. 4:1719, 21)

Persons with Disabilities and the Ecclesial

CommunityJust as the Church must do all in its power to help ensure

people with disabilities a secure place in the human commu-

nity, so it must reach out to welcome grateully those who

seek to participate in the ecclesial community. Te central

meaning o Jesus ministry is bound up with the act that He

sought the company o people who, or one reason or anoth-

er, were orced to live on the ringe o society. (c. Mk. 7:37)

Tese He made the special object o His attention, declaring

that the last would be rst and that the humble would be ex-

alted in His Fathers kingdom. (c. Mt. 20: 16, 23:12) Te

Church nds its true identity when it ully integrates itsel

with these marginal people, including those who suer rom

physical and psychological disabilities.

I people with disabilities are to become equal partners in

the Christian community, injustices must be eliminated and

ignorance and apathy replaced by increased sensitivity and

warm acceptance. Te leaders and the general membership

o the Church must educate themselves to appreciate ully

the contribution people with disabilities can make to the

Churchs spiritual lie. Tey bring with them a special insight

into the meaning o lie; or they live, more than the rest ous perhaps, in the shadow o the cross. And out o their ex-

perience they orge virtues like courage, patience, persever-

ance, compassion and sensitivity that should serve as an in-

spiration to all Christians.

In the case o many people with disabilities, integration into

the Christian community may require nothing more than is-

suing an invitation and pursuing it. For some others, how-

ever, ull participation can only come about i the Church

exerts itsel to devise innovative programs and techniques.

At the very least, we must undertake orms o evangelization

that speak to the particular needs o individuals with disabil-

ities, make those liturgical adaptations which promote their

active participation and provide helps and services that re-

fect our loving concern

Full participation in the Christian community has anoth-

er important aspect that must not be overlooked. When we

think o people with disabilities in relation to ministry, we

tend automatically to think o doing something or them.

We do not refect that they can do something or us and with

us. As noted above, people with disabilities can, by their ex-

ample, teach the non-disabled person much about strength

and Christian acceptance. Moreover, they have the same

duty as all members o the community to do the Lords workin the world, according to their God-given talents and ca-

pacity. n

We must undertake orms o evangelization that

speak to the particular needs o individuals with

disabilities, make those liturgical adaptations which

promote their active participation and provide helps

and services that refect our loving concern.


21/48

Union with God and the Church

The National Catholic Partnership on

Disability provides support and resources

to diocesan disability ministries, which are

sometimes located within Catholic Charities

agencies. Catholic Charities Cleveland is

one such agency, having a centralized oce

that provides both disability services and

the dioceses disability ministry. The servic-

es run together seamlessly, led, uniquely,

by two brothers, Dennis McNulty and Fr. Joe

McNulty.

Everything we do is ministry, provided right

across the spectrum o needs, said Dennis,

who oversees the disability services side but

works closely with his brother on the ministry

side. Everything we do is geared to integra-

tion into the church and the community.

The Disability Ministry provides services to

help people with disabilities participate ully

in the lie o the church. These include con-

sulting with parishes to help them become

more welcoming and accommodating to

people with disabilities; providing ministeri-

al services that parishes do not have the re-

sources to provide, such as catechetical in-

struction or children and young adults with

severe intellectual and developmental dis-

abilities; and coordinating and perorming

signed liturgies or the dea and audio de-

scriptions o special church celebrations or

the blind. The program also provides edu-

cational and social events and a number o

camps and retreats, which give disabled in-

dividuals opportunities to develop their aith,

while providing respite to caregivers.

Helping people with disabilities participate

in the church is prooundly meaningul, not

just or disabled individuals but also or

their amilies, said Dennis. When we bring

in people with disabilities or union with the

church and union with God, it has a wonder-

ul impact on their growth and wellbeing.

And or their amilies, its healing. They gain

a sense o hope. n

SUMMER 2013 | 19

The National Catholic Partnership on

Disability (NCPD) was ounded in 1982

to implement the directions set orth in

the U.S. Bishops 1978 Pastoral Statement

on People with Disabilities. Since that time,

NCPD has worked to ensure meaningul

participation o people with disabilities in all

aspects o the lie o the Church and society.

NCPD implements the Pastoral Statement by:

advocating on issues aecting the lie

and dignity o people with disabilities,

providing ongoing support and

guidance to diocesan disability

directors and other leaders in

catechetical and pastoral ministries,

evaluating diocesan services and

training priests, seminarians,

deacons, and other parish and

diocesan personnel, and

developing a variety o resources

to help parishes and diocesesunderstand disabilities and the

issues surrounding them.

Our charge is basically pastoral, said Jan

Benton, executive director o NCPD. We

ensure that Catholics with any disability at

any age can be nourished in their aith, pre-

pared or the sacraments, and able to par-

ticipate in and contribute to the lie o their

parish.

Partnership 2013:

Where Faith &

Disability Meet

November 1-3, Houston, TX

For registration inormation, visit www.ncpd.org.

NCPD will be hosting its 2013 National

Disability Ministry Conerence

THE NATIONALCATHOLIC PARTNERSHIP

ON DISABILITY


22/48

On June 7, Bishop Joseph

M. Sullivan, retired auxilia-ry bishop o the Diocese o

Brooklyn and decades-long

advocate and leader in the Catholic Charities

movement, passed away at the age o 83.

With sadness but also gratitude or a lie

ully lived in service to all o Gods children,

Catholic Charities USA pays tribute to this in-

spiring and endearing man.

Bishop Sullivan was a true servant o God

and a shining example o what it means to

ully live out the Gospel call to serve, said

Father Larry Snyder, president o Catholic

Charities USA. He was a respected leader

that all looked up to and were inspired by.

Born and raised in the Bay Ridge neighbor-

hood o the borough he would devote his lie

to serving, Joseph Sullivan turned down a

potential career as a proessional baseball

player and was ordained a priest on June 2,

1956. Ater 24 years as a diocesan priest, in-cluding serving as executive director o the

dioceses Catholic Charities agency, he was

named auxiliary bishop o Brooklyn by Pope

John Paul II in October 1980 and served in

that role until his retirement in 2005.

During his time as auxiliary bishop o

Brooklyn, Bishop Sullivan was a constant

representative o those served by Catholic

social services agencies, sharing their stories

in his responsibilities on numerous boards

and coalitions. In 1999, he led the approv-

al o a pastoral letter on charity by the U.S.

Conerence o Catholic Bishops titled In All

Things Charity: A Pastoral Challenge or the

New Millennium.

Bishop Sullivan played a ormative role in

developing the ongoing mission and vision

o the Catholic Charities network. In 1972,

he was a key member o the group that

produced the seminal report, Toward aRenewed Catholic Charities Movement, com-

monly known as the Cadre Study. He served

as chair o the Catholic Charities USA Board

o Trustees rom 1974-1975, and rom

1982 to 2000, served as Catholic Charities

USAs Episcopal Liaison. Following Bishop

Sullivans retirement, Catholic Charities USA

named an annual award ater him. This

award recognizes an individual who demon-

strates excellence and leadership in deliver-

ing social services to children and amilies.

Catholic Charities USA and the entire

Catholic Charities network will always be tre-

mendously grateul or the tireless example

and inspiring leadership o this true servant

o God.

20 | CHARITIES USA

A RUE SERVAN

& A SHINING EXAMPLE

Bishop Sullivan was a true servant o God and a shining example o what

it means to ully live out the Gospel call to serve. He was a respected leader

that all looked up to and were inspired by.

Rev. Larry Snyder

BISHOP JOSEPH M. SULLIVAN1930-2013


23/48

SUMMER 2013 | 21

On June 12, a Mass o Christian Burial or

Bishop Sullivan was held at Saint EphremsParish in Brooklyn, the church he attend-

ed as a child and the church where he cel-

ebrated his frst Mass as a young priest in

1956 and his frst Mass as a bishop in 1980.

Bishop Sullivans close riend, Msgr. Joseph P.

Nagle, delivered the eulogy, excerpted below,

which captures the person he was.

[Bishop Sullivan] possessed a great human-

ity.He was sympathetic to the human con-

dition, and he understood and accepted the

human railties and weaknesses o people;their ailings and ailures, their human sinul-

ness and weakness. Because o those quali-

ties he was ound very approachable and

very realreal to people.

He made us very proud to be a Catholic.

Why? Because he gave credibility; he gave

tremendous credibility to the Catholic

Church in the public square, in the board

rooms o New York City, in the congressio-nal hearing rooms in Albany and Washington,

and in public speaking platorms across this

country. His voice was not a strident voice

but an intelligent, articulate, respectul and

compassionate voice always speaking on

the behal o the disenranchised, those on

the periphery o lie, the poor, the vulnera-

ble, the needy; always speaking or them, or

them.

On one occasion, in his lie, he received a

letter rom his riend, the ormer Governor oNew York Mario Cuomo, [who wrote:]

With all o your gits, and skills, and

energy, you oer dozens o standards

we would all do well to aspire to, but one

stands above the rest, because it is sweet

and particularly rare. There may never

have been a time when the world was

more in need o the Churchs model o re-

straint, respect, and responsibility, andyou have taught and lived those stan-

dards admirably; but through your public

work and in your private lie, you have

also expressed a deeper truth; that the

greatest beauty o our aith springs rom

its positive applications in compassion, in

charity, in giving ourselves up entirely to

a good greater than we can comprehend.

Certainly your career is a testament to

the eloquence o Christs model o love.

How ortunate, how blessed, how gited weall have been to have had Joe Sullivan a

part o our lives. And secondly, how ortunate,

and blessed, and gited he was to have had

the long, and satisying, and happy lie and

ministry that he did. n

POSSESSING A GREA HUMANIY


24/48

22 | CHARITIES USA

FEEDINGRURAL

COMMUNITIESWALMART FOUNDATION GRANT SUPPORTS APPROACHES TAILORED TO LOCAL NEEDSFROM COAST TO COAST


25/48

Aroostook County in

Maine stretches across the

northern hal o the state,

a 7,000-square-mile area

made up o small rural communities

that is the largest county by land area

east o the Mississippi River. Catholic

Charities Maine has served the people

in Aroostook County or years, and

like many agencies serving rural popu-

lations, ound it a challenge to ensure

that each o their 25 ood pantries

serving clients across such great dis-

tances had resh, nutritious ood.

When they received a git o donated

armland, Catholic Charities Maine

began to explore growing their own

ood to supplement their ood out-

reach eorts. Te large price tag o

arm equipment was initially daunt-

ing, but thanks to an opportunitythrough Catholic Charities USA, the

agency was able to secure unds rom

the Walmart Foundation aimed at ex-

panding access to healthy and aord-

able ood.

Dixie Shaw, program director or the

project, called Farm or ME, said

that the money received rom the

grant has gotten them o the ground.

Te Walmart unding has allowed us

to put this plan into actionits not

how we do make this happen any-

more, its how can we expand this

even wider? Te money has gone

toward the purchase o a tractor, rock

picker, and other heavy-duty arm

equipment.

Te Farm or ME program is just one

aspect o the nationwide partnership

between the Walmart Foundation and

Catholic Charities USA to support

rural ood programs and expand the

capacity o Catholic Charities agencies

to serve the needs o hungry people

across America. Serving as a national

intermediary, Catholic Charities USA

acilitated the distribution o $1.7

million in unding over 2 years to par-ticipating member agencies to ocus

on serving rural communities and

providing much-needed ood services

to amilies and individuals in need.

Te rst year o the program ocused

on building capacity among rural

service providers, says Jane Stenson,

SUMMER 2013 | 23

Catholic Charities Maine began to explore growing their own ood to

supplement their ood outreach eorts. The large price tag o arm equipment

was initially daunting, but thanks to an opportunity through Catholic Charities

USA, the agency was able to secure unds rom the Walmart Foundation aimed

at expanding access to healthy and aordable ood.


26/48

senior director o poverty reduction strategies at Catholic

Charities USA. Te second year o the grant broadened theocus rom strictly rural agencies to cover a more diverse

set o target populations and included a heavier emphasis

on enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance

Program.

One program in the rst year that used the Walmart

unding to expand rural services was Catholic Charities

San Bernardino & Riverside Counties in southeastern

Caliornia. In trailer parks located outside o population

centers, immigrant amilies, and other low-income work-

ers live in dicult conditions, ar rom anywhere that sellsresh produce or other nutritious ood. Reaching out to

these populations was a challenge, says Ken Sawa, CEO

and executive vice president o Catholic Charities San

Bernardino & Riverside Counties.

We were aware o the needs o hundreds o poor ami-

lies living in very isolated trailer parks that dot the desert

valley that our existing programs were not addressing, says

Sawa. While previous eorts to secure unds to target this

underserved community were unsuccessul, the Walmart

Foundation grant enabled the agency to begin an unprece-dented eort to reach out to these rural areas. Te agencys

existing inrastructure was expanded to bring a greater dis-

tribution o resh groceries and aordable ood directly to

the people in need, rather than relying on central distribu-

tion sites.

Sawa says the response to these outreach eorts has been

overwhelming. Historically, those receiving groceries rom

our program have been a highly neglected population. Te

amilies have been amazed by our outreach because it is not

common, and it is ongoing. Sawa says his agency plans toeventually provide ood distribution services to 15 trail-

er park communities, benetting over 300 individuals.

Over the long-term, Catholic Charities San Bernardino &

Riverside Counties hopes to build a volunteer ood bank

that will have the potential to double their outreach eorts

to these underserved communities.

In addition to simply ensuring that individuals and am-

ilies are able to put healthier ood on the table, nutrition

24 | CHARITIES USA


27/48

The ollowing agencies participated in the rst two years o the

Walmart Foundation grant program, each using the unds to ad-

dress the unique needs o their communities.

Catholic Charities, Arlington, VA

Catholic Charities, Charlotte, NC

Catholic Charities, Chicago, IL

Catholic Charities, Fresno, CA

Catholic Charities, Houston, TX

Catholic Charities, Madison, WI

Catholic Charities Maine

Catholic Charities o Central Colorado

Catholic Charities o Central Florida

Catholic Charities o Corpus Christi, Inc., TX

Catholic Charities o Gallup, NM

Catholic Charities, Omaha, NE

Catholic Charities, Raleigh, NC

Catholic Charities, Reno, NV

Catholic Charities, San Bernardino & Riverside Counties, CA

Catholic Charities, Springfeld, IL

Catholic Charities, Stockton, CA

Catholic Charities West Virginia

Catholic Social and Community Services, Biloxi, MS

Northern Valley Catholic Social Services, Tehama County, CAn

BUILDING CAPACITY,

RESPONDING TO NEED

SUMMER 2013 | 25

outreach eorts also lead to broader engagement with the

communities being served. Food is oten a gateway to

more conversations, says Stenson, adding that the outreach

around ood and nutrition oten leads to a better under-

standing and approaches to addressing the needs o a local

community. She pointed to Catholic Charities o Omaha,

which worked together with leadership on nearby Native

American reservations to expand the eorts o the agency

among those needing services. Sawa says that the ood out-reach eorts have broadened engagement with those served

in San Bernardino as well: Our work with these amilies

has created a trust that opens the door to other communi-

ty services and programs that could be very benecial to the

amilies and their children.

In Aroostook County, ME, Shawis leading the Farm or

ME program, which is using the arm equipment purchased

by the grant unds to grow organic vegetables. Tis year

were expanding to three acres o resh vegetables; one acre

o squash, one o beets, and one o rutabaga, Shaw says.We hope to work with a small processing plant so we can

have them in our reezers in the all as well.

With the equipment bought and paid or, the ongoing

growing and harvesting o crops can continue or years into

the uture with very little expense to the agency, Shaw said.

Teir current initiative, like San Bernardinos, is building a

volunteer base rom local colleges, raternities, and service

organizations to help recruit volunteers to help harvest the

crop every all.

For the Catholic Charities agency serving those in north-

ern Maine, just as agencies serving rural communities across

America, the Walmart grant has allowed them to ensure

that no matter where the people they serve live they have

access to high-quality, aordable, and delicious ood.

Tis has really set the stage or us to be able to bring in

so much resh and nutritious ood to the people we serve,

Shaw says. Its been a blessing. n


28/48

26 | CHARITIES USA

ONE DESTINATIONNEW LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE POSITIONS CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA FOR THE FUTURE

One worked as a

successul lawyer

in private practice,

advising Fortune

500 companies, entrepreneurs,

non-prot and government

organizations in real estate

transaction, nancing deals,

and governance issues. One

spent over two decades working

in state government beore

translating that experience intoa career advocating or human

services reorm at the local

and national level. And one is a

ormer high school teacher who

ollowed Christs call to a lie o

service and ministry and just

celebrated his 25th anniversary

as a priest.

By combining their diverse

skills and experiences, Keith

Styles, Candy Hill, and Rev.

Larry Snyder are providing

leadership in a revamped and

renewed management structure

at Catholic Charities USA.

Through the creation o new

positions and the delegation o

key responsibilities, the three

top executives o the national

oce o the Catholic Charitiesmovement hope to bring best

leadership practices to an

organization with over 100

years o history as it pursues

its mission o service, advocacy,

and convening.

The three executives recently

sat down at Catholic Charities

USAs national headquarters to

refect on the rst two months

o the new leadership structure

and their calling to be leaders

o CCUSAs national eorts to

reduce poverty in America. Fr.

Larry Snyder, president, said

there were three reasons he

believed the creation o a chie

operating ocer (COO) and

an executive vice president

would help CCUSA be more

responsive to the needs o itsmember agencies.

First, the national oce has

become more complex as an

organization, Fr. Larry said.

There are several layers o

complexity now at the national

oce. In the past ew years,

Catholic Charities USA has

seen the creation o separate

corporations to run its health

benet trust and manage itsbuilding, and urther separate

corporate structures are in

development.

Additionally, Fr. Larry pointed

out, his role as the public

ace o Catholic Charities USA

has produced ever-increasing

demands on his time. The

role o the president has

changed; I spend more time

out o the oce than I do in

the oce, representing our

network to numerous other

national organizations, to church

organizations, and to the Vatican.

Simply put, he said, he ound

himsel with not enough time to

eciently manage a corporation.

In examining other peer

institutions, he saw the needor an experienced leader

dedicated to increasing

eciency in the organizations

daily work. We looked at the

best management structures,

the best management practices

in the nonprot world, and saw

that having a COO to direct the

management o the oce and

manage liability was the best

structure, Fr. Larry said.

The need or a COO becamevery apparent.

For his part, Styles said, the

opportunity to ollow a new

career path to help serve the

poorest and neediest among

us was a challenge he couldnt

pass up. His responsibilities

include the daily management

and administration o all

The executive leadership o CCUSA, pictured rom let to right, Rev. Larry

Snyder, Keith Styles and Candy Hill.

THREE JOURNEYS,


29/48

SUMMER 2013 | 27

operational aspects o Catholic

Charities USA, overseeing the

nance, mission and ministr y,

programs and services, and

disaster response departments,

as well as inormation

technology, the CCUSA health

care trust, nancial relationships,

and business operations.

While Styles will ocus largely

on improving the operations o

Catholic Charities USA, Hills

portolio will expand to cover all

external-acing communications

and undraising eor ts. Theormer senior vice president o

social policy and government

aairs, Hills new titleexecutive

vice president o social policy

and external aairsrefects her

new roles and responsibilities.

Her experiences in her previous

role, she said, will help her

succeed in her new position.

In working with the adminis-

tration and Congress, advoca-

cy work is all about building

relationships and being a re-

source when called on, Hill said.

Likewise, development is also

about building relationships, at-

tracting people to support our

mission. While the stakeholders

are somewhat dierent, the skill

sets are the same.

With a combined 16 years

o experience in leadership

roles at Catholic Charities

USA, both Hill and Snyder

believe this new way orward

will help the organization to

accomplish even more. Styles

also has a history o working

to position Catholic Charities

USA or the uture, serving as

outside general counsel or

eight years beore joining the

organization. I believe our new

internal structure will allow us

to continue our work o ghting

poverty in better, more creative

ways, said Fr. Larry.

While the president, chie

operating ocer, and executivevice president all come rom

dierent backgrounds, they

have a single ocusto continue

CCUSAs pursuit o excellence

and to live out its mission

in ever-more eective and

productive ways. The three o

us have a strong oundation

o respect, trust, and doing

whats best or the organization,

Styles said. Make no mistake,

Fr. Larry is still the president o

CCUSAits up to Candy and I

to execute his vision and help

CCUSA become an ever-better

organization. n

HARVESTING THE SEEDSOF SERVICE & JUSTICE

Keith Styles, CCUSAs new chie operating

ofcer and general counsel, shared the

ollowing thoughts about his new role on Fr.

Snyders blog, Think and Act Anew.

My parents always stressed the importance

o serving those in need and giving back o

your time and talents. Throughout my career, I

sought out opportunities to lend my expertise

and knowledge to organizations that shared

that mission o service to those in need.

Over the years, my ongoing work with Catholic

Charities USA, as well as Central Union

Mission in Washington, D.C. and other non-

prots, was a constant reminder o what was

really important, and a way to reconnect to

my roots o aith-based service. The energy

and commitment I saw rom Catholic Charities

agencies to help individuals and amilies

achieve sel-suciency and make a better lie

or themselves was inectious.

One experience that will always stick with me

was travelling with CCUSAs leadership or

a meeting in early 2006 in New Orleans,

just ve months ater Hurricane Katrina had

devastated the region. The rows and rows o

destroyed houses, each marked with a spray-

painted tally o the number o survivors and

deceased, was an unbelievably powerul

experience that sticks with me to this day. I

remember the superhuman eorts o Catholic

Charities New Orleans, which served so

many despite a severe lack o resources.

Experiencing the devastation rst-hand lled

me with resolve that we as a nation simply

cant let something like that happen again.

I couldnt resist the call to become part o

this organization with such a long history o

helping people in need and such potential

or bringing about substantive change.Its as

i Im coming ull circle, back to the seeds o

service and justice planted in my childhood in

Connecticut. I couldnt be more excited. n


30/48

28 | CHARITIES USA

Sojourn Theatre To Bring New Approaches and New Voices to Annual Gathering


31/48

SUMMER 2013 | 29

The stories, experiences, and successes o case

managers, program directors, executive leader-

ship, and even bishops were heard during last

years Catholic Charities USA Annual Gathering

but not in the way you might think. They were

presented in an unexpected and powerul new medium

a dramatic work acted out on stage by a group o talent-ed actors dedicated to highlighting the power o storytell-

ing to advance an organizations mission.

The group, Sojourn Theatre, is an innovative theatre en-

semble that sometimes collaborates with civic organi-

zations to tell their story through creative practice and

documentary theatre. Throughout the Annual Gathering,

Sojourn Theatre artists interviewed dozens o conerence

attendees, which culminated in a powerul closing per-

ormance drawn directly rom the words o those inter-

viewed during the conerence.

This perormance, titled Lean In, explored the work, mis-

sion, and values o the Catholic Charities movement

and its ongoing national campaign to reduce pover-

ty. Portions oLean In have been presented at regional

Partners in Excellence gatherings, bringing the insights

and stories shared at the Annual Gathering to hundreds

more who were unable to attend.

The partnership with CCUSA has given Sojourn Theatre

the opportunity to develop a very specic maniestation

o cross-sector collaboration, one that other organiza-tions can look to and consider or themselves.

Michael Rohd, ounder o Sojourn Theatre, says this

new collaboration and relationship with CCUSA is just

about perect. Its engagement as artists-in-residence or

CCUSA, allows Sojourn Theatre to use its artistic assets

to help Catholic Charities agencies build capacity and

strengthen their organizational culture o speaking out on

behal o those who do not have a voice.

Throughout their work with Catholic Charities agencies,

such as workshops and eatured presentations, Sojourn

Theatre has led members o CCUSAs network in discov-

ering the power o telling a compelling story based on

the experiences o those they serve.

Our capacity building workshops ocus on building col-

laboration through story, and by story, I mean the ram-

ing o narrative as a tool or communication internal-

ly and externally, said Rohd. We also practice a model

or bringing people into discourse. In the workshop, we

model a way to have a conversation about poverty.

Rohd has long been interested in bringing perormance

art out o the world o drama and into dialogue with civic

organizations and other mission-driven organizations.

Artists bring certain assets. Their job is to listen, to syn-

thesize, and then to express what theyve heard, saidRohd. Whats benecial about our partnership with

Catholic Charities USA is that we are getting to build a

model o work between ourselves and a national organi-

zation, showing how this kind o collaboration can serve

the needs o an organization.

This year Sojourn Theatre will develop another original

perormance to share the story o the Catholic Charities

movement. It will continue the dialogue that began with

their perormance last year and will include what they

gathered through their interviews o attendees rom the

regional gatherings.

We will come ull circle, said Rohd. We will tell the story

o what we learned and saw and bring in new and dier-

ent voices. n


32/48

30 | CHARITIES USA

WORKINGFOR BETTERSOLUTIONSINSANFRANCISCO2013 Annual Gathering Host Helps People Thrive In The City By The Bay

By Traci Mysliwiec

In the Archdiocese o San

Francisco, Catholic Charities

CYOs (CCCYO) mission is to

serve and advocate or the

poor, the vulnerable, and the

marginalized by strengthening

amilies, building community,

and reducing poverty. For

member agencies o the

Catholic Charities network,

these are amiliar ambitions.

We all ace the same challenges

and experience the same joys

when a amily achieves stable

housing, a senior enjoys ahot meal, or a child begins

to fourish as his or her sel-

esteem improves.

CCCYO sustains 34 programs

that provide lielines or more

than 35,000 clients each year

across San Francisco, Marin,

and San Mateo counties, rom

providing support or at-risk

youth and amilies, caring or

people with HIV, welcoming

newcomers with respect, and

assisting seniors and their

caregivers with adult day care.

For those particularly struggling

with meeting their basic needs,

the agency works to improve

stability and sel-suciency.

We aim to address social issues

and eect better long-term

solutions, not simply help in

the moment. Building bridges

to opportunity or the people

we serve, we oer those who

need it a hand up, not just a

hand-out, as they strive or sel-

suciency, explains Je Bialik,

executive director o Catholic

Charities CYO. There is no

ceiling on opportunity here in

the United States, but there

has to be a foor below which

no one is allowed to all. We

provide that social saety net

here in the Bay Area.

To help alleviate homelessness

in San Francisco, Catholic

Charities CYO recently partnered

with private philanthropists

Marc and Lynne Benio and

the Salesorce.com Foundation

to create the Star Community

Home, an emergency shelter or

homeless single women with

children.

Catholic Charities CYO was able

to mobilize quickly, said Bialik.

In a miraculous three weeks

in December 2011, the Star

Community Home went rom

concept to move-in through

quick work and collaboration.

This partnership refects a new

model o tackling community

needs by combining private will

and nancial resources with

non-prot inrastructure and

capacity.

The shelter helps 15 amilies

at a time stabilize their living

situation by meeting their basic

needs and providing intensive

case management services,

parenting education, childrens

activity programs, and housing

placement assistance. Since

it opened, nearly 30 amilies

have ound a permanent home

and a brighter uture due to the

oundation they were able to

establish while living at the Star

Community Home.

Catholic Charities CYO

urther operates a number

o homelessness prevention

programsrental subsidies,

wrap-around case management,


33/48

SUMMER 2013 | 31

and comprehensive supportive

serviceswhich are designed to

help clients break the cycle o

poverty and ultimately achieve

long-term housing stability and

independent living.

The agency also works or the

long-term benet o youth,

newcomers, and the sick and

elderly. Catholic Charities CYO

helps at-risk youth create a

healthy, sel-sucient uture

through residential treatment

acilities, oster amily

placement, and group homes.

St. Vincents School or Boys, or

example, provides residential

treatment and mental health

services or some o Northern

Caliornias most emotionally-

challenged youth. The children

receive intensive behavioral

therapy, comprehensive

mental health services, and

educational support that allows

them to return to their amilies

to heal together.

Children and youth throughout

the area also benet rom

CCCYOs enrichment activities

summer camps, sports, and

outdoor educationwhich

oster their physical, intellectual,

emotional, and spiritual growth

and help prevent at-risk

behaviors.

The agencys Reugee and

Immigrant Services assists

newcomers in becoming

ully-active participants in

the economic, social, and

civic lie o our communities.

During the past ew months

alone, the program has

assisted nearly 1,000 young

DREAMers with deerred action

applications and hosted a

number o outreach events to

educate the community about

comprehensive immigration

reorm.

Since 1985, Catholic Charities

CYOs Assisted Housing and

Health Programs have provided

HIV positive men and women

with long-term housing, health

education, and counseling

support, ensuring that the

program residents medical,

psychological, social and

vocational needs are met. More

than 900 clients are served

with housing and other support

services annually.

Catholic Charities CYOs Aging

Services programs maintain

and improve the physical

and mental well-being o

seniors and those who care or

them. We help prevent their

premature or unnecessary

institutionalization, while also

providing respite and supportive

services or their caregivers,

said Bialik. By nding ways

to break isolation barriers and

support the elderly in their

homes and community, we oer

a range o services so they are

able to age in place.

With this brie glimpse into

our world, we look orward to

welcoming the CCUSA network

to the City by the Bay this

September. We invite you to

visit our programs, watch our

innovation at work, and share

your ideas in strengthening

the work we all do to serve the

most vulnerable among us. n

Traci Mysliwiec is communications

ofcer or Catholic Charities CYO.


34/48

32 | CHARITIES USA

A PERPETUALSTATE OF DISASTERWith so many disasters occurring across the nation, both natural and manmade, our network is in a per-

petual state o disaster response. Its been less than a year since Superstorm Sandy hit the North Atlantic

coast, and even as our agencies in that region continue helping storm victims recover, other agencies are

responding to still more disasters, many incredibly destructive and deadly. Catholic Charities USA has

provided support and emergency grants o $10,000 to impacted agencies, including the our mentioned

below, as they have responded to people in need.

Just hours ater the shooting at Sandy Hook

Elementary School on Friday, December 14,

2012, in Newtown, CT, sta at Catholic Charities

o Faireld County and the Diocese o Bridgeport

were deciding how to respond. Learning that 9

o the 20 victims were members o the towns St.

Rose o Lima Parish, they knew they could best

serve by supporting the parish and the Catholic

community in Newtown.

By evening, three counselors were at the parish,providing a supportive presence to the par-

ishs pastor, Msgr. Bob Weiss, and the throngs o

people seeking a place to sit and pray and cry.

They stayed through that weekend and the ollow-

ing week, oering comort and consolation, pro-

tecting people rom the media, assisting with the

numerous unerals, and counseling with parish

school sta about the well-being o the children.

Catholic Charities also began oering counsel-

ing to anyone aected by the tragedy at its local

oces.

A ew months ater the tragedy, when it became

clear that the mental health needs were great-

er than the parish could manage, Msgr. Weiss ar-

ranged with Catholic Charities to provide coun-

seling to the children in the parish school and in

the parishs Religious Education program, as well

as to teachers, parents, and parishioners. FromMarch until June, the counselors were a calm-

ing presence at the school and in the lives o

the children, helping them understand what hap-

pened, especially rom a aith perspective, and

encouraging their recovery. When school starts

again in the all, Catholic Charities is prepared to

support the children as long as necessary.

ResponseDisaster

SANDY HOOK SCHOOL SHOOTING, CONNECTICUT


35/48

SUMMER 2013 | 33

EF-5 TORNADO, OKLAHOMA

The EF-5 tornado that blasted through Moore, OK,

on May 20, let a swath o destruction 17 miles

long and 1 mile wide. It was the worst o a series

o tornadoes and severe storms that aected

more than 14,000 amilies in several areas on

the outskirts o Oklahoma City in late May.

Catholic Charities in Oklahoma City has been

active in the response since the beginning. With

the assistance o several disaster personnel rom

other Catholic Charities agencies and Catholic

Charities USA, the agency provided emergen-

cy disaster services at ve multi-agency disas-

ter assistance centers. Through the generos-

ity o donors, the agency was able to give out

$380,000 in git cards to over 3,000 amilies or

immediate needs, in addition to providing coun-

seling, reerrals, nancial assistance or hous-

ing and utility payments, and other services. The

agency has also been helping amilies assess the

condition o their homes and understand the ins

and out o disaster unding and insurance claims,

while coordinating volunteers and trade workers

to help clean up and make repairs to homes.

Catholic Charities is now transitioning to long-

term disaster case management and recovery,

providing case management at a multi-agency

center ormed through a collaboration o com-

munity nonprots and disaster responders. With

so many people aected, every agency is scaling

up, including Catholic Charities, which is hiring 12

new sta members or the duration o the disas-

ter recovery eort.n

BLACK FOREST WILDFIRE, COLORADO

Less than a year ater the Waldo Canyon re

blazed near Colorado Springs, CO, another wild-

re brought disaster back to the region. On June

11, the Black Forest re shot up quickly in the

orested hills northeast o the city, burning homes

in its rst hour on its way to becoming the states

most destructive re. Over 500 homes were de-

stroyed, ranging rom trailer homes to multi-mil-

lion dollar mansions.

Catholic Charities o Central Colorado took part

in the communitys eort to respond. They ed

county emergency responders at the agen-

cys dining center and helped set up and sta a

Disaster Assistance Center. While providing as-

sistance to re victims, sta members saw such

grie, conusion, and anger that they organized

an Out o the Ash gathering or re victims at

Our Lady o the Pines parish in Black Forest.

Counselors and Stephen ministers were there to

listen and accompany people through their grie.

More than 100 re victims attended, most o

whom were elderly and extremely overwhelmed.

The agency also partnered with a local ca in

Black Forest to provide a staging center or the

agencys outreach eorts. An outreach team

based there traveled around the area, visiting

peoplemany living in tents and campers on their

propertyto assess their needs and deliver sup-

plies. Catholic Charities is now working with its

community partners to develop a long-term case

management strategy.

FERTILIZER PLANT EXPLOSION, TEXAS

The ertilizer plant explosion that rocked West, TX,

on April 17, killed 15 people, injured 200, and

damaged or destroyed more than 800 structures,

including two schools, a nursing home, an apart-

ment complex, and hundreds o homes. Some

homes were totally de

charities usa magazine summer 2013

Documents