Restoring hope
You don't have to be Tiger Woods to do some good with a golf club in your hand.
Golfers and duffers alike will be able to have fun and raise money for a good cause in mid-May when Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet, sponsors its annual invitational golf outing.
Proceeds from the events will benefit children, individuals, families and seniors who receive help from the nonprofit social service group that works in a seven-county area, including DuPage, Will and Kendall.
The group's golf outing, A Fairway to Heaven, begins with a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. May 16 at Ruffled Feathers Golf Club, 1 Pete Dye Drive, Lemont.
Registration is $250 by May 2 and includes lunch, dinner, beverages and snacks on the course; an auction; and extra events on many holes. After May 2, the registration fee climbs to $275 until the May 9 deadline.
To register, call Sue Kaiser at (815) 724-1139 or visit www.cc-doj.org.
Rosemary Echevarria, senior development officer for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet, recently shared her thoughts about the group with the Daily Herald.
Q. What is your mission?
A. Our mission is to translate God's reconciling love into professional human services, advocate for a just and compassionate society and bring together members of the community, church, business, health-care community and government to develop effective responses to human needs.
Q. How do you work toward accomplishing that goal?
A. We are a nonprofit social service organization providing human services in a seven-county area.
Our programs include homeless shelter, transitional housing and emergency services; child welfare services; senior outreach; family support; case coordination and case management; counseling; and Head Start/Early Head Start.
All programs are designed to promote self-sufficiency, human dignity and integrity for all people, while at the same time empowering them to achieve what is necessary to live satisfying and productive lives.
These programs serve almost 60,000 clients each year.
Q. Who do you serve?
A. We serve people of all ages, faiths and beliefs in DuPage, Will, Grundy, Kendall, Kankakee, Ford and Iroquois counties.
Q. When and why did the organization start? How has it grown?
A. Catholic Charities began in 1947 and was incorporated and licensed as a child welfare agency in 1962. Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet, is fully accredited by the national Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children. We have nearly 350 employees and run a budget of more than $20 million.
Q. What kind of successes have you had?
A. Let us open up a small window into the miraculous for you by sharing the beauty of a single mom giving back.
Despite her hardships dealing with potential homelessness, trying to feed her children and looking for a job that fits with her family's demands, she was determined to graduate from Catholic Charities' Out of Poverty classes.
She graduated with a newfound perspective on why her life had taken such a sad turn.
Anita is now getting her degree from the University of Phoenix. She is doing this while caring for five children. She spoke at Catholic Charities Church Leadership luncheon and said, "The action of Catholic Charities, for a person with a need, is to restore and reinforce hope in oneself and humanity. When we realize the connection between all people, sharing a helping hand is not hard. Thank you for the hand."
Q. What challenges does your organization face?
A. At the start of February, we were forced to lay off staff and announced we would be closing some of our programs due to lack of funding.
Some, such as the Refugee Resettlement Program, are slated to close in spring while others, such as St. Elizabeth's Residence for senior women in Joliet, would close by the end of June.
In total, 18 staff positions have been affected.
Q. What do you wish the community at large knew about the organization?
A. Catholic Charities helps people of all ages, faiths and beliefs, and 90 cents of every dollar raised goes toward client services. Smart Money magazine listed Catholic Charities as one of the "best buys" in charity in the USA.
Q. How can readers get involved?
A. Catholic Charities' greatest need is funds that are unrestricted, money we can apply to "where the need is greatest."
All a reader has to do is visit www.cc-doj.org and click on the Donate Now button. In addition, gifts may be restricted to specific programs or geographic locations, or may be directed to areas where the need is greatest.
Catholic Charities holds three fundraisers every year. The First Look for Charity, which is a black-tie event at the Chicago Auto Show in February; the Waiting for Miracles fundraiser benefiting children in the fall; and the Fairway to Heaven golf outing in the spring.
There are many opportunities for volunteers to help, especially during our Holiday Outreach Program in the winter and our Back to School fairs in the summer.
Information on volunteer opportunities can be viewed online at www.cc-doj.org
Vital statistics
Number of requests for help: Catholic Charities served nearly 60,000 clients during fiscal 2007
Annual budget: Fiscal 2007 budget was $19,654,198
Sources of funding: State and federal government, individual contributions, Diocese of Joliet, United Way agencies and foundations
Number of full-time employees: 300-plus
Number of volunteers: 9,500-plus
Current donation wish list: Unrestricted donations to go where the need is greatest
How to donate
Drop-off address: Catholic Charities, 26 W. St Charles Road, Lombard, IL 60148
Mail-in address: Catholic Charities, 203 N Ottawa St, Joliet, IL 60432
How to volunteer
Phone: (630) 495-8008
E-mail: lcada@cc-doj.org
Talk back
If you'd like your charity, organization or service group featured, contact Bob Smith at (630) 955-3531 or by e-mail at rsmith@dailyherald.com.
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