CATHOLIC CHARITIES AT 101

WINTER 2018

A legacy – and a future – of helping New Yorkers in need

PAINTING FLORAL CANVASES AND PLAYING UNO might not be what you immediately think of when you consider ways to give back to your community. But last April, hundreds of volunteers from around the Archdiocese of New York used their artistic inclinations and game skills – as well as more typical volunteer skill sets like raking, delivering meals, and stocking food pantry shelves – to participate in Catholic Charities’ Archdiocesan Day of Service.

The Day of Service was just one event in a year full of activities bringing people together to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. Others included a policy forum, a fundraising gala, and an interfaith event with UJA (United Jewish Appeal) Federation of New York, which also celebrated its centenary in 2017.

“We decided to make our centennial primarily about launching the next century of providing help and creating hope,” said Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, executive director of Catholic Charities since 2002. “We’ll note the legacy proudly, but this is not primarily about patting ourselves on the back; it’s certainly not resting on our laurels. It is building on our legacy to continue the work of helping New Yorkers in need, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.”

What Catholic Charities has accomplished over the past century is something to be proud of, to say the least. At the time of its founding in 1917, various Catholic charitable organizations existed, largely run by religious sisters and focused on immigrant and orphaned children. In the wake of World War I, the needs of orphaned children became only more pronounced, as did other social challenges – and the organizations decided they would be more effective together.

Over time, it has become clear that New York simply couldn’t survive without Catholic Charities. Its investment is visible in every community in New York City and throughout the Archdiocese of New York – and the range of services it provides touches almost every human need.

“We focus on those who kind of fall between the cracks for other New York institutions and need extra help to live their lives in dignity,” said Msgr. Sullivan. But it has been at particularly significant moments in history that Catholic Charities’ impact has been most felt most profoundly.

“The Depression was a time when Catholic charitable agencies responded to pressing needs for basic necessities,” Msgr. Sullivan explained. “In the aftermath of World War II, there was a need to focus on services for families and look at the disabilities people faced. In the mid 1980s, there was a recognition of the importance of reaching out to immigrants and refugees as the Reagan administration sought to create a pathway for the undocumented [immigrants] to remedy that situation and not be in the shadows. And I think the defining moment in the 21^st century was our being asked to lead the human services response to the families and victims of the 9/11 attacks.”

Catholic Charities coordinated case management and support for a coalition of 13 different federations of human service agencies following the September 11 attacks. This set the stage for the future – most notably when Catholic Charities was asked to take the lead on a crisis again: In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, it coordinated a coalition of 15 agencies that provided flood recovery services.

But there still is and always will be much more than disaster response to the mission of Catholic Charities. Sometimes, it really is fun and games.

GAMES FOR GOOD

Sandy Mormile has been with Beacon of Hope House, a Catholic Charities program, for 30 years. Beacon of Hope provides residential services for mentally ill adults; Mormile is director for Brooklyn and Staten Island.

The men and women at Beacon of Hope’s residences generally suffer from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. The program is transitional.

“We help with medication management, budgeting skills, maintaining their living environment,” Mormile said, “so these adults gain the skills they will need to move independently.” That may mean from one of Beacon of Hope’s community residential programs to one of its supportive housing units, or a move from a supportive housing unit to totally independent living.

Opportunities to interact with other members of the community are both important and rare for her residents, so Mormile jumped to participate in the Day of Service. And the event exceeded her expectations – and those of residents’.

“We were getting people joining us who haven’t really gotten involved in things before,” said Mormile. “We had a life-size Connect Four and a life-size Jenga. We actually had a bowling set, so some of the clients were bowling on the unit. Dominos and Uno were big hits that day. We provided pizza and had them make their own hot fudge sundaes. It was more than they expected when they walked in the door.”

Volunteers were inspired, too. “One gentleman is coordinating directly with Catholic Charities and may do regular things with our clients – game days and more,” said Mormile.

NEW IDEAS

Director of Volunteer Services Staci Florestan has been with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York for 5½ years. “The idea for the Day of Service originated in strategic planning for our centennial,” she recalled. “We wanted to do a large impact day, and then the archdiocesan Office of Adult Faith Formation came along and said they also were interested in engaging parishioners [as part of the Revive mission series].”

Florestan has extensive experience planning large volunteer initiatives due to years spent working with the Hands-On Network, now the Points of Light Foundation. But at Catholic Charities, such an event was a new undertaking. “The process was exciting. I’ve done it before – but I got to bring that element to Catholic Charities,” she said. “We leapt in feet first.”

Volunteer events with the NYC Parks Foundation look particularly promising to Florestan; in April, the Bronx park-cleanup volunteer option alone drew 110 volunteers. “Everyone loves working with parks; it also coincides with Pope Francis’ mission to bring environmental protection to the forefront,” she said. But meal delivery for seniors through Catholic Charities’ partner Encore Community Services and “Painting with a Purpose” at Charities’ Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Community Center in Harlem were also popular events.

WHAT'S NEXT?

As it has throughout its first hundred years, Catholic Charities’ plans for the next hundred focus on addressing very current, very critical needs.

“One of the things that is very much at the center of our agenda is dealing with the opioid addiction crisis,” Msgr. Sullivan said. “On Staten Island, we have been engaging our parishes, our CYO [Catholic Youth Organization], in preventive services, raising awareness and understanding, doing things which hopefully prevent kids from becoming addicts. In the Hudson Valley, we’re doing even a broader range. Prevention, but also treatment.”

Recently Catholic Charities has also opened a food hub in the South Bronx that distributes to about 25 smaller food pantries – about 500,000 pounds of food per year.

This work will continue only with the help of the greatest resource the archdiocese has: its 2.6 million Catholics.

“We’re striving in the next century to more deeply engage our parishioners in the work of helping our neighbors in need,” said Msgr. Sullivan. There is an appetite. “When any polls are done, they indicate that for Catholics, helping others in need is among the highest components of their view of their faith,” Sullivan continued. “The challenge for Catholic Charities is to make a better connection between the work our agencies are doing and those who are praying at Mass on Sunday.”

“I would love our Day of Service to be bigger and better,” Volunteer Director Florestan said. “There’s always someone who needs an extra meal or an escort to a doctor's appointment, and for those reasons and others we have Catholic Charities.”

But resources are limited, and staff is limited. Carrying out its mission every day would be virtually impossible without volunteers.

“We have volunteers that do everything,” Florestan continued. “Some individuals say, ‘I didn’t even know volunteers could do that,’ so I always put it out there: Whatever you think you can’t help with is something you can help with.”

Ready for more? Visit Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York online at catholiccharitiesny.org, email [email protected] or call 212-371-1000.