PROVIDENCE ¬ The 2007 Catholic Charities Fund Appeal has a new focus: Making donors and potential donors aware of the real impact their generosity has on the lives of real people.
"Remarkable Wonders Are Done Through You" - says the new brochure promoting the campaign. In it, the facts are clear - from social services to education, thousands of Rhode Islanders of all ages benefit from the money donated to the Catholic Charity Fund Appeal.
For example, the Catholic School Office supports quality Catholic education to evangelize the faith, nurture sound schools and build faith communities through tuition assistance, workshops, public policy programs and other means. The office serves more than 16,000 students and their families, 44 pastors, hundreds of faculty and staff and the entire Catholic community of Rhode Island. The success rate is in black and white: 99.5 percent of elementary and high school students graduate and 97 percent of all high school graduates matriculate to college.
Another ministry, the St. Martin de Porres Center in Providence, provides and advocates for services to protect seniors, support them and their families, and enhance quality of life. The center reports that last year there were 7,685 telephone referrals for assistance, 8,500 clients, including families and youths who attend intergenerational activities, and 3,284 seniors and their families.
In impact statements both these diocesan agencies and many others credit the donors to the Catholic Charities Fund Appeal for allowing them to do what they do best: Serve the Rhode Island community of all ages, all faiths and of limited means.
Diocesan Director of Stewardship & Development Anthony T. Gwiazdowski, whose office runs the campaign from start to finish, said those are only two examples of how many lives are changed thanks to the Catholic Charities Fund Appeal and those who support it. Many other examples are given in a brochure currently in parishes throughout the diocese, and sent directly to homes through a first-ever state-wide direct mailing campaign which took place in February. In abbreviated form, the figures indicate just how agencies got the most out of each dollar donated to the fund last year: 51,840 individuals assisted with special centers for social services and assistance; 43,700 youths served through parish youth ministry programs; "43,528 individuals assisted within homes for the aged, chronically ill, or invalids" ¬ and the list goes on and on.
As Gwiazdowski begins his tenth year as director of the office, some might think the campaign would be "old hat" to him, but that is not the case. With a goal of $7.85 million this year, there are several new additions besides the brochures and direct mailing, all because poverty, whether involving basic needs or spiritual impoverishment, is something that doesn't go away.
With a confidence born of many years of experience, Gwiazdowski said, "Nobody does it better that the Catholic Church when it comes to helping those in need." He said the church is also very efficient when it comes to using people's donations wisely. "The money is managed properly and our administrative costs of 9.7 cents on each dollar raised are far below the national watchdog figure of 25 cents on the dollar."
He praised the efforts of John Barry, secretary for Social Ministry, and David M. Beaudoin, secretary for Catholic Education, Spiritual Formation and Evangelization, who ensure that the ministries in their secretariats are using the money wisely to "best serve the people who need it."
On March 18, the fourth Sunday of Lent, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin was the main celebrant of the Catholic Charities Fund Mass and reception at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul. At the Mass, the bishop said the Appeal is a "very important part of the life of our Catholic Church." He urged support for the fundraiser "through financial gifts and through your prayers for its success. Help make a great difference in the lives of individuals, children and families. They depend on us."
Joanne Speroni-Woody and Michael Woody, general chairmen of this year's Appeal and parishioners of St. Luke's in Barrington, and Anne and Bruce Morris, chairmen of the Bishop's Partnership in Charity and parishioners of St. John Vianney in Cumberland, spoke at the reception and ministry fair that followed the Mass.
Bruce Morris called his and his wife's seven-year participation in the Appeal ¬ first on the parish and then on the diocesan-level ¬ "a labor of love."
All four agreed that, through years of participating in the fundraiser, they have seen first-hand the good work done by the agencies which receive Catholic Charities money. The ministry fair at the Cathedral on March 18 - the third fair at various locations throughout the diocese in the past few months - helped donors learn more about where the money goes. Diocesan representatives of the agencies were on hand to explain what they do and, through a number of photographs and graphs, put a face on the Catholic Charities donations.
"We are investing in the lives of those who live in our communities and are members of our parishes," Bruce Morris said. Last year, about 200,000 individuals, 20 percent of Rhode Islanders, benefited from a variety of services offered through diocesan ministries thanks to the generosity of donors to the Appeal.
Woody said his and his wife's job is to be the "lay voice of the campaign," promoting its good works at every opportunity. Speroni-Woody added that her participation has been "a life-changing experience." But the chairmen and the bishop, too, need help getting the word out about the Appeal. They want the many who are involved, whether as parish chairmen or through prayers, to speak about the merits of the Appeal to friends and neighbors.
Bishop Tobin also addressed the audience of invited guests at the reception, most of whom were Partnership in Charity donors last year. He said the Lenten season is the perfect time "to take care of corporal works of mercy" and carry on the work of Christ.
"Keep up the good work," he said, "and do more if you can.... Renew and reinvigorate the Appeal.... Breathe new life into it. This is the life of the church."
The bishop told those present, "Your support does make a difference in the lives of people."
(This story originally published in The Providence Visitor)
