Providing Hope and Creating Help for our Neighbors in Need

Catholic Charities Bloomington

Since 2014, CCB has provided onsite counseling for children at Fairview Elementary School. Teachers refer students to receive direct services during the school day in the onsite therapy room. This embedded program increases accessibility to quality mental health care by removing barriers to access such as travel time. Many students at Fairview Elementary face multiple marginalizing poverty factors such as food scarcity, lack of insurance, and generational trauma. We love sharing success stories from this partnership because these children are at the root of our mission to create hope for the future.

Four-year-old James* was on the brink of expulsion from his preschool program at Fairview. Already reduced to half-day because of his unruly and sometimes violent behavior, he was referred to CCB Counseling. His teachers and mother were desperate to keep him in school but needed help with harm reduction and coping skills. On the first day of therapy with one of our clinically trained therapists, James yelled “No, no, no” kicking and screaming down the hallway. When the door to the therapy space opened James' demeanor completely shifted, his eyes lit up with confusion and then amazement. He wondered, “Had there been some sort of mistake?” He thought he was going to be punished again for disrupting his classmates, but here he was standing in front of shelves full of toys and games. The magic of nondirective Play Therapy techniques begins when the child feels comfortable enough to play and navigate difficult emotions through play. The therapist helps to create a safe space to process emotions and learn coping skills. James wanted to play monster flashlight tag and sword fight, which allowed him to unapologetically expel energy and connect in a playful manner with his therapist. As connection and trust began building between James and his therapist, he began to see their time together as an incentive to follow direction and learn with the other children. After just one month, James had improved so much that he was allowed to attend full-time preschool for the remainder of the school year.

James started kindergarten in August and his teachers and peers see him in a completely different light. He now has friends and is his teacher's snack helper. When he becomes overwhelmed at school he asks for help and uses techniques learned in therapy to calm down. James has been discharged from CCB services and is now a thriving kindergartner without stigma or reputation. Goodbyes are always bittersweet for our child clients. Bitter, because we will miss spending time playing and watching them grow, yet sweet knowing that we have set them up for success.

*Name changed for Privacy

Becky's Place

This summer we had the opportunity to work with a wonderful mom and daughter. Christian* asked if her daughter could come and stay with her at Becky’s Place. Her daughter was in college and could live in the dorms but when school let out, she had nowhere to go. We were excited to meet her and help out.

Emily* came to Becky’s Place to stay with her mother for the summer. Emily was a quiet and polite 19 year-old but needed some guidance. We gave her ideas and advice to help her ensure that she has a place to live during the summer in the future. Emily was able to sign up for some resources during her stay and also found some additional support.

Emily returned to school and is excited to earn a degree. Christian recently obtained permanent housing and is an option for her daughter during summer breaks now. We were happy to provide a safe place for Emily and she enjoyed seeing her mother work hard and find stability. Christian was a great example for Emily during this time and both were able to rebuild a bond.

*Names were changed for privacy

Catholic Charities Indianapolis

The Christmas Store will open this year on December 1 to assist struggling families who might otherwise not have a Christmas. Volunteers will use information submitted by our community partners to select gifts. Families will come to the Christmas Store at an assigned date and time to pick up their gifts. Last year we provided Christmas to 925 struggling families. This year, 85 community organizations are partnering with us to serve a goal of 950 families-that’s over 4,000 people!

The Christmas Store held an open house for volunteers and supporters on October 6. Guests enjoyed Christmas treats, toured the newly organized space and learned how we will help families in need this Christmas season

Visit www.Archindy.org/ChristmasStoreHelp for more information on how you can support the Christmas Store this year.

St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities

Last year was still anything but normal, however 238 volunteers dedicated more than 3,000 hours of their time to St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities. From Marie’s Blessings, to cooking, and sewing groups these volunteers continued providing help, creating hope and serving our community in need. Our sewing group volunteers were very happy to be back working with our shelter residents.

The sewing program at St. Elizabeth started over ten years ago with one volunteer bringing her dated sewing machine to use during a resident mentoring session. Other residents took an interest and wanted to learn as well. Knowing the residents had limited time, volunteer Fran Brown recruited volunteers to work off-site to prepare projects that residents could complete in one teaching session. The residents make burp clothes, baby blankets, hats, bags, wreaths and more. Thanks to a generous donor, they even have a sewing room in the shelter complete with several new sewing machines and stocked with project materials.

Through the years there have been many volunteers both on site and in their homes doing the prep work to make the numerous sewing and craft projects possible. In the shelters Mary Beth Camp, Sharyn Cortes Cabello and Ginny Gohmann help Fran lead classes. Other volunteers prep projects at home or gather together once a month at Fran’s house. These volunteers include Cindy Droste, Sue Dossy, Zellie Stuart, Debbie French, Debbie Bosler, Shirley Minors, Rita Flach Patrice Hayes and Carole Spillman.

The majority of their fabric is donated and last year they got creative taking apart donated bumper pads and making them into quilts. Recently they began repurposing old blue jeans and bright fabrics to create attractive and durable diaper and tote bags that are gifted not only to shelter residents, but also Supported Living clients, and the Marie’s Blessing program.

These dedicated ladies truly find joy in serving others and sharing their gifts. They have created a strong community by working together, utilizing their skills, and sharing their passion with those in need at St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities.

Catholic Charities Tell City

Catholic Charities Tell City is excited to announce that one person graduated from our Budget Basics Class! This person thanked us for making her aware of the extra money she has left in a month if she follows her budget. The class will be offered again in November.

We also recently began our Parenting Class for new parents, adoptive families, foster families, or other new guardians of children. Two families joined us and both were impressed by what all they learned. They felt comfortable sharing and the facilitator was very informative. Both of these families are looking forward to the next presentation.

We are building our programs one client at a time! We are praying that word of mouth will spread all the good information we are putting out for others to glean knowledge from.

Catholic Charities Terre Haute

It was a buzzing September afternoon at Times of Refreshing International Ministries (Times of Refreshing). Police directed the four rows of cars that were lined up to receive their groceries, a familiar sight on the first and third Wednesday of every month for Jerri Russel and her volunteers of this Terre Haute food pantry.

“Since COVID, we have switched to a drive-thru process, which people love because they can stay in their car and we bring groceries to them,” said Russel, who runs the church’s food pantry. Located in the heart of the city, Times of Refreshing sees a lot of clients on foot too. “They will bring a wagon or cart, any means they have to carry their food with them.” The pantry was started in 2015 by Russel’s late husband, who served as pastor. “We are carrying on his vision,” Russel stated, “and under the leadership of our new pastor, we are continuing to feed the hungry.”

The volunteer staff, made up of church members, come in prior to the pick-up event to bag dry goods. This week, each household receives non-perishable items, a bag of fresh fruits and vegetables, protein, one dozen eggs, one gallon of milk, one five-pound bag of potatoes, one case of water, and their choice of one large, sweet treat. In addition, each person in the household receives a brown bag lunch with a sandwich, chips, and an apple. For seniors who need information about government assistance, on-site volunteers are ready to help walk them through their benefit options.

“From start to finish, it is always busy. Jerri and her team have their operation down to a science,” shared Lynn Egan, Lead Food Sourcer with Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank. New to her job, Egan was able to witness for the first time the important role that community partners like Times of Refreshing have for many families in west central Indiana. “The number of people who desperately need food in our community is overwhelming,” Egan added, “I never realized I was that out of touch with reality until I started working with these pantries.”

Once the last car pulled away, Russel and the volunteers counted 300 households served that day. “We never ran out of food,” she confirmed. “We are blessed to work with Catholic Charities Foodbank. They always make sure we have enough for the families we serve.” “You have to have the heart to do this kind of work, Russel concluded. “We feed the people and we leave all the judging up to the good Lord.”

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Save the Date

St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities Reverse Raffle

Date: Saturday, November 12, 2022

Location: Plantation Hall at Huber's Orchard & Winery

Details: Join us for our Annual Reverse Raffle. Click here for more information

Catholic Charities Terre Haute Cheers for Charity

Date: Saturday, November 19, 2022

Location: Mussallem Union - Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Details: Join us for an evening of live music, wine and bourbon. More information and registration can be found here.

Becky's Place Run for Hope 5k

Date: Thursday, November 24, 2022

Time: 9:00am

Location: The Depot- Downtown Bedford

Details: Our annual Thanksgiving 5k is back in person this year. Join us for a fun morning and support a good cause. We will be debuting a new course this year. More information and registration can be found here

Archdiocese of Indianapolis Legacy Gala

Date: Friday, February 10, 2023

Time: 5:30pm

Location: JW Marriot Indianapolis

Details: Join us for dinner and open bar, awards, auction, music from My Yellow Rickshaw! To sponsor or purchase tickets visit www.archindy.org/LegacyGala2023

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The Impact of Endowment Funds

All endowment funds for Archdiocesan parishes, schools and ministries are invested and managed by the Catholic Community Foundation (CCF). The total value of the more than 550 CCF endowment funds was more than $200 million in the last fiscal year.

Donors often ask why they should invest in an endowment fund when they want their gift to have an immediate impact. Endowments help ensure the future financial health of our Archdiocesan organizations. Endowments invested in CCF grow at a faster pace due to the combined investing power of the more than $200 million in assets.

As these funds grow, they not only provide a future income stream, but the annual distributions from endowments allow our entities to receive important operating funds today. In our last fiscal year, CCF endowments distributed more than $9 million to entities throughout the Archdiocese with more than half that amount benefitting parishes, schools and ministries.

To learn more about endowments that support your local Catholic Charities, please contact us at ccf@archindy.org or call 317-236-1482.