Catholic Charities Bloomington Counseling Services hosts a comprehensive training program for students who are striving to become therapists. CCB partners with the IU School of Education Mental Health Counseling Program, School of Social Work, School of Psychology, and Ivy Tech Human Services Program in Bloomington to provide real world learning opportunities in the field of clinical mental health therapy. These interns are a big reason we serve the number of children and families we do in our agency.

Each intern begins by shadowing a staff therapist to observe sessions, scribe for intake assessments, and provide co-therapy for individuals, couples, and families. They then transition to seeing clients while being full supported with task instructors that support them in their learning. Each intern receives individual supervision as well as group supervision to ensure they are receiving the most comprehensive support for their learning as well as their client’s therapeutic progress.

The success of our intern program shows in multiple ways. Many interns wish to remain at CCB as full-time therapists upon graduation. The other way is the number of clients served in their time at CCB. Each intern therapist sees on average 15 unique clients providing weekly sessions to children, adults, and families who need the support. Each intern provides on average 200 sessions annually, often at no cost to the families.



CCB is known to provide well trained and very sought after therapists. Two therapists currently employed with Catholic Charities Indianapolis’s mental health services are former CCB interns. Our staff is also comprised of former interns who were hired after graduation which helps to keep the continuity of care for our clients. CCB is currently hosting six interns and are planning on welcoming three more in August. This program is one of the key components of our success in providing access to affordable mental health services to those who are in need. Learn more at www.ccbin.org

Jenny* and her little sister Kaitlyn*, arrived at Becky’s Place when the house they were staying in was no longer an option. Jenny was only 19-years old, but took on the role of guardian of her sister, who was 14. Due to an open case with DCS, Kaitlyn could not live with her parents. Jenny was staying with family friends and there really wasn’t enough space for her. Adding another person wasn’t an option. Jenny and the DCS caseworker worked together to find shelter for the girls.

Jenny was working a full-time job at a local factory on 3^rd shift. After work, she would rush home and take her sister to school before trying to get some rest. She woke up every day in time to pick Kaitlyn up from school and spend the evening with her. Jenny was also looking for housing and saving money.



After a month at Becky's Place, Jenny got a call that she and her boyfriend had been approved for an apartment. Together they made enough to afford this home and were so excited. They had an honest talk about the lack of involvement from their parents and decided that Kaitlyn would be joining them in their new home. Becky’s Place helped provide furniture and housewares and will continue to support Jenny and Kaitlyn through the Becky's Place Aftercare Program. Learn more about what is happening at Becky's Place by visiting www.BeckysPlaceBedford.org

*names changed for privacy

St. Elizabeth/Coleman Pregnancy and Adoption Services has seen a surge of interest in International Adoptions over the past six months. Motivation for adoption varies between families, but common themes are a desire to grow their family and provide a less fortunate child with a loving and stable home. “I believe families are hopeful and optimistic again. They are aware that travel restrictions have been lifted and International Adoptions are possible again. Families also understand that there are thousands of orphans living in third-world countries waiting for their forever home in the United States”. The opportunities for International Adoption are limitless. Frequently visited countries with well-established adoption programs include: Colombia, India, Bulgaria, and Haiti. The agency looks forward to assisting families by providing education, advocacy, and support and ultimately to complete their adoption.

Additionally, St. Elizabeth|Coleman is excited to announce the hiring of a new Marketing Coordinator, Meredith Cobb. Meredith has joined the agency to grow our community outreach and education through clinic visits and managing the agency’s social media channels. Click here to learn more about St. Elizabeth|Coleman

“Excitement” cannot begin to describe the sensation Dorcas Morrero has about her new title – Homeowner. She and her two young sons came to the St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities Emergency Shelter when they had nowhere else to go. By the end of the summer, she will have a finished Habitat Home built with help from St. Elizabeth staff.

Dorcas has worked hard to build a better life for herself and her children. She and her boys moved from the shelter to St. Elizabeth’s Affordable Supportive Housing (ASH) units, all the while dreaming of the day when they could have a place of their own. She heard about Habitat for Humanity through community events and began volunteering with Habitat herself.

Being a single mom has been a struggle and she feels very grateful for the help she has received from St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities. Dorcas is special to St. Elizabeth and staff was thrilled to be able to help her build her dreams in real time with her Habitat Home.



Not only has Dorcas been blessed with the opportunity to buy, design, and build her own house, she also gained a best friend in her next-door neighbor Robynn, whom she met while volunteering with Habitat For Humanity. Through all her trials, Dorcas credits her success as well as her association with St. Elizabeth to her faith. Learn more about the work of St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities at stecharities.org

Catholic Charities Tell City recently held our annual cash raffle. The drawing for winners took place on Wednesday, July 12 at our Advisory Council Meeting. We awarded $1,400 in prizes. Congratulations to our winners! Thank you for helping us to raise $3,500 to provide help and create hope! 

CCTC also welcomed two new Advisory council members at the July 12 meeting. We are excited for the ideas and energy that they will bring in support of our agency.

We recently participated in the Senior Health Fair to help seniors learn where they can go for different types of assistance. Learn more about the work we do by visiting our website.

For every shopper who enters our Christmas Store, there is a devoted team of volunteers ready to help them make selections. However, some shoppers struggle to know exactly what they need: “Many of our adult shoppers would come in unaware of which size of underwear to pick,” Danielle Elkins, Program Director of the Christmas Store explains. In talking with some shoppers, Danielle and her team realized this was because they often do not buy hygiene items for themselves. “The need for hygiene products is not an easy topic for our shoppers to admit,” Danielle continues, “but I think there is value in trying to get our community to understand that the Christmas Store is about basic needs – basic items that so many of our families just don’t have the ability to purchase for themselves, but items that so many of us take for granted.”

All year round, committed retail partners, local community groups and individual donors fill the shelves of the Christmas Store with new gifts. These donations filter through the hands of our dedicated volunteers who meet weekly to unpack, sort and stock the shelves for each shopping season. Each year, hygiene products, clothing, toys and household items are provided for neighbors needing help during the Christmas season.

To learn more about how you can support our shoppers, visit the Christmas Store page of our website at ccthin.org

Social Concerns encourages the community to grow in a deeper understanding of Catholic Social Teaching by providing resources and strategies for effective action in parishes, schools and surrounding communities.  Most importantly, it calls us to a deeper understanding in living out the Two Greatest Commandments, which is to Love God and to Love our Neighbors, both locally and globally."

Social Concerns is working on a variety of projects including developing a curriculum on the dangers of social media and gaming apps and how they can be used for grooming and sexual exploitation. This curriculum would be shared with both youth and parents so both have a better understanding on how to be safe online.

The Justice for Immigrants and CARE (Catholic Accompaniment Reflective Experience programs are collaborating with St. Lawrence parish, the Immigrant Welcome Center and Haitian leaders to develop an accompaniment program for the growing Haitian population now residing in Indianapolis.

For more information about Social Concerns programs, please contact Theresa Chamblee, Director of Social Concerns - Catholic Charities, at tchamblee@archindy.org

St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities Give for Good Louisville

Date: Thursday, September 14, 2023  

Details: Annual day of giving hosted annually by the Community Foundation of Louisville.

Catholic Charities Bloomington Annual Benefit Luncheon

Date: Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Time: 11:30am- 1:00pm

Location: Ivy Tech Bloomington- Shreve Hall

200 Daniels Way, Bloomington, IN 47404

Details: Join us in celebration of our 40th anniversary. Hear a client’s story of overcoming mental health challenges. Practice techniques for lowering stress. Win door prizes and more. There is no cost to attend but there will be an opportunity to pledge your support for the work of Catholic Charities Bloomington. Click here more information and to register.

Please RSVP by Thursday, September 7th.

Doors open at 11:30 am. Program will begin at noon.

St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities Reverse Raffle

Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023

Location: Plantation Hall at Huber's Orchard & Winery

Details: Mark your calendars to join us for our Annual Reverse Raffle

Becky's Place Run for Hope 5K

Date: Thursday, November 23, 2023

Time: 9:00am

Location: The Depot- Downtown Bedford

Details: Join us for a fun morning and support a good cause by participating in our annual Thanksgiving 5K or 1 mile Family Fun walk. More information and registration can be found here.

Are you interested in a planned gift that pays you for life?

Life income gifts serve a dual purpose: They provide an income stream for donors or their loved ones with fixed payments for life and lend financial support for your favorite Catholic organization – such as your parish, a school or Archdiocesan ministry.

There are three main types of income gifts:

• Charitable Gift Annuities (CGA)
• Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts (CRAT)
• Charitable Remainder Unitrusts (CRUT)

A CGA is established through our Catholic Community Foundation. The donor transfers assets (cash, stock or other appreciated assets) to a Catholic organization in exchange for fixed payments for life. When you pass, whatever funds are left in the fund will benefit the Catholic organization of your choice. You must be 60 years old to apply. At 70 ½, you can use a qualified charitable distribution to set up the fund.

CRATs and CRUTs need to be established through the donor’s attorney and/or financial advisor. A CRAT can provide you with fixed income payments for life and then distribute at least 10% of the value of the fund to a Catholic organization. You get to choose the annual payment amount, how long the income will be paid and the trustee to oversee the trust. A CRUT operates much like a CRAT, however, you can add to the value of a unitrust - as opposed to an annuity. Annual payments vary with the value of the trust.

For more information, please contact the Catholic Community Foundation at 317-236-1482 or ccf@archindy.org. We are happy to help. 

www.archindy.org/cc