Conference News and Notes
for Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Sent to all Vincentians & Staff
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Vincentian Reflection for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 10, 2022
Gospel: (Luke 10:25-37) There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said…“And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on the way back.' Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus answered, “Go and do likewise.”
Reflection: Jesus responds to the lawyer’s question with a parable that illustrates how keeping the law isn’t a matter of focusing on details regarding right or wrong or personal gain, but is a matter of right relationships with one’s neighbor as exhibited by acting with compassion and mercy. The Samaritan in the parable isn’t moved to help the stricken traveler because of the law but because he was a person of compassion and mercy. This is the law written within our hearts - not details about keeping specific laws but a general regard for the other that arises out of genuine care for the other. (Living Liturgy, p.172)
Vincentian Meditation: “There are scripture scholars who say that there is a very subtle twist to the end of the parable. Jesus asks the lawyer: “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the man who fell in with robbers?” The answer came, “The one who treated him with mercy.” It would seem that in asking the lawyer that question, Jesus was saying equivalently to him, “You asked Me ‘who was my neighbor?’ That was not a good question. The question you should have asked me was: 'To whom can I BE neighbor?' And the answer to that question is, ‘the first poor person you meet on the road.’” (McCullen, Deep Down Things, p. 141)
To whom or WITH whom can WE BE neighbor? And how?
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Your Formation and Training Opportunities & Tips
Home Visits Revisited: Picking up our discussion of Home Visits, with restrictions lifted and all levels of the Society being encouraged to resume Home Visits, many are diving back into one of the most unique qualities of Vincentian life and mission. As we encounter our neighbor, we always strive to ensure they are put at ease and are more comfortable than we are, letting them choose the time and place of encounter. In our own discomfort we come to help raise our neighbor up in life and find ourselves growing closer to Christ; to truly enter into the life of another in this most intimate of ways is a deeply graced moment, and as Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati reminds us – “Do not forget that even if the house you visit is very dirty, there you may find Jesus.” May we always find the means to encounter Christ amid our neighbors’ lives.
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Postcard Corrections: The quarterly formation postcards have been sent. Corrected dates/times: The Fall Fellowship Mass and Gathering at St. Ursula Academy is 9:00am - noon on Sunday, 9/25. Registration for the Conference Officers Training session is no later than Wednesday, 9/7; the day and time of the Officer Training itself was correctly cited as Saturday, 9/10, 9:00am - noon.
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Updating of Spiritual Advisor Listing: All Conference Presidents/Spiritual Advisors are asked to please update Chris Kelley: ckelley@svdpcincinnati.org, with the name and preferred email address of your current Spiritual Advisor for your Conference.
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Publicly-Funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA1)
Resource Spotlight is Tomorrow (Thurs, 7/7)
We are now able to extend ERA assistance - working in conjunction with Community Action Agency (CAA) who has been extending assistance through this program for months. Our Council will be extending this assistance to selected, eligible Hamilton County residents until 9/30/2022. As you may be familiar, this deeply-funded program can provide substantial rent & utilities assistance for neighbors who have been directly or indirectly impacted by COVID. Your Conference & you will have the opportunity to identify neighbors who are prospective recipients and actively participate in the process leading to assistance extended. Given the short window we have access to ERA1, we are intent upon expediently ramping up...and the program does have mandated specs and significant documentation requirements.
We are inviting representatives from interested Conferences to learn more by participating in our Resource Spotlight - ERA1 for Conferences - via Zoom tomorrow (Thurs, 7/7), 2-3pm; please use this link when you are ready to join this Zoom Meeting:
or you can use Zoom Meeting ID: 891 5614 7186 and Passcode: 795143 .
Please join us to absorb info and participate in Q&A.
We intend to record this Zoom session and make it available for future reference, along with a program description and documentation forms.
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Archdiocese of Cincinnati Beacons of Light Initiative has Arrived
Yes, Beacons of Light went "live" this past Fri, 7/1.
We encourage you to seize this opportunity for your Conference and you to:
- Connect with fellow Vincentians within your Family of Parishes
- Nurture relationship with your Family of Parishes pastor and parochial vicars
- Participate in the leadership process as your Family of Parishes creates and realizes your collective vision of vibrant parish life
- Partake in determining how your Conference is best positioned to live this Vincentian vocation for your members, Family of Parishes, neighbors, & community
- Attract potential Vincentians to join you in this vocation - for today and a multitude of tomorrows
Is this a part of what your Conference is exploring this month?
You can learn more about Beacons as our Archdiocese continues to post fresh content at BeaconsAOC.org , including the Pathway Platform to guide our journey.
We are pleased to share this example of how 2 of our Conferences have already begun evolving: Our Lord Christ the King (Mt Lookout) & St Mary (Hyde Park) - in separate but adjacent Families of Parishes - have collaborated to modify their respective service footprints to better match their resources available to our neighbors' needs. And Our Lord Christ the King members are envisioning how they could partner with their new pastor to attract members of the other 4 parishes in their Family (who do not currently have Conferences) to the good works of our Vincentian vocation.
Your Conferences Support team is eager to navigate Beacons of Light with you. Living our faith - together - is a vital element of this revitalization of our Catholic Church.
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Our 2022 Vincentian Member Survey
Concluded Accepting Submissions Yesterday
Our heartfelt thanks to 181 Vincentians who shared their perspective during the last 30+ days. We have now embraced the next phase of our survey: summarizing and interpreting your input. Our Conference Life Committee will be vetting your survey responses and envisioning next steps, including communications, at their quarterly meeting on Thurs, 7/14.
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Opportunity: We're Searching for a Giving Officer
Our External Relations team is currently hiring a full-time Giving Officer. This role manages relationships with a number of SVDP donors, finding ways to engage these folks in our mission and securing their support for our programs and services. The ideal candidate is goal-oriented, enjoys building meaningful relationships, and is a strong communicator. The full role description can be found here. If you are interested in learning more about this role or know someone who may be a good fit, please contact Daniel Flynn.
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Prescription Fore Fun to Benefit our Charitable Pharmacy |
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All proceeds benefit our Deaconess Health Check/ Charitable Pharmacy, the only pharmacy in Southwest Ohio dedicated to providing free medication and professional pharmaceutical care to people in need from Hamilton, Butler, Warren, and Clermont counties.
Our Charitable Pharmacy is on pace to fill more than 70,000 free prescriptions again this year and continues to serve significantly more patients than prior to the pandemic.
Your critical support helps sustain and deepen our Charitable Pharmacy's life-saving services. For every $1 invested, the Charitable Pharmacy is able to dispense $11 worth of medication to its patients.
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Our Summer Heat Relief Program is Creating an Impact
Summer heat is here. All ACs that have been purchased have been assigned to a neighbor on our wait list. Neighbors are still welcome to fill out a request form online at https://SVDPcincinnati.org/AC , but please share with them that they are joining a wait list and there’s no guarantee we will be able to provide them an AC. We will continue to purchase and distribute ACs as our fundraising empowers. Vincentians are welcome to complete a request on behalf of a neighbor. Vincentians can also arrange to pick-up (@ our NOC, M-F, 9am-3pm) & deliver an AC for mobility-challenged neighbors who have been notified their request has been approved.
We are currently distributing fans on a walk-in basis at our NOC. Neighbors can request & receive a fan - in a single visit - during our normal operating hours.
To-date, we have distributed 1,246 fans & 528 air conditioners - a blessing for so many as temperatures climb again this week.
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CMS Tips & Tricks
John Wessel, our Resource Analyst, has created a series of over 30 easily viewed and absorbed videos that are available to you 24/7 on our CMS Support Page, https://www.svdpcincinnati.org/cms-support-page/. Password, if you are prompted: member .
Our new quarter began this past Fri, 7/1. Reporting at quarter's end is a breeze for Conferences utilizing CMS. Find out for yourself!
Great news: Our Cathedral/St Xavier joint Conference implemented CMS on 7/1. St Dominic, St John the Baptist (Harrison), & St Saviour Conferences are committed to implementing on 8/1/2022! And we have more Conferences in our pipeline toward implementation...
and we have further enhancements of CMS on the way...
and John Wessel is creating new ways to harvest & present the data you are capturing in CMS.
Whether you are a current CMS user - or soon to be one - Help sessions are available! Please contact John at jwessel@SVDPcincinnati.org, or by phone at 513.562.1823 to schedule a group or individual session.
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Have You Noticed Enhancements to Our Website?
Here's one: Our Conference Locator Map has been expanded to include Conferences in our neighboring Hamilton & St Martin District Councils.
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More Resources for our Conferences and Neighbors
Conference Assistance Fund (CAF)
We, together, extended $502,123 in total FY2022 CAF assistance for the 8 months ended 5/31/2022.
Our June activity was our heaviest since Jan, 2021:
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You submitted 205 applications
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We approved 180 applications; 3 were declined; and 1 was withdrawn
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We fully extended the $80,000 of (augmented) funding available as of 6/28 and had to suspend approvals briefly until Fri, 7/1
Our July activity after 2 business days:
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You've submitted 11 applications
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We've approved 17 applications and 1 was declined
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We currently have 32 applications in progress toward approval
The recent (last 4 months) pace of CAF submissions exceeds our existing funding commitment, which was temporarily increased to $60,000 per month. Our budget provisions for FY 2023 which begins 10/1 are currently being determined. More to come.
Please take note: As shared with all Conference Presidents in April, and revisited during our Conference Presidents Meeting, a Conference must be utilizing CMS to access CAF assistance effective our 10/1/2022 start to FY2023. While there are multiple reasons for this step forward, one of the most exciting is that we are actively seeking to fully integrate our CAF process - from application to assistance extended - within our CMS tool. This should deliver better visibility and efficacy for all.
We offer thanks to those Conferences & their donors who have recently twinned through CAF, to our Conferences & Vincentians who are submitting quality applications, to our volunteers who are processing these applications so promptly, and to Olivia & Alec. We encourage you to fully consider our neighbor's situation and other resources - including community partners & programs and your Conference's own funds - which could be deployed as you discern a request for CAF assistance. This is particularly applicable to neighbor situations where the total $ required exceeds the sum of the assistance you can assemble - and please remember there are other programs available in our community - including ERA cited earlier in this edition - which have provisions for much higher assistance caps.
Metro Bus Passes (Everybody Rides Metro)
Your Conference has access to Metro bus passes to be extended to neighbors for use for any of 3 defined purposes:
- Commute to/from new employment
- Commute to/from our Bank St services hub or other community social services
- Commute to/from medical appointments
Please understand that these passes are sourced through the Everybody Rides Metro program and our Council is required to comply with the above-referenced usages and submit reports of passes distributed. Please also understand that your Conference will need to record bus passes extended in CMS for the neighbors receiving this assistance. Our Bus Pass Guidelines sheet for Conferences is now available to you on the Members Support page of our website https://www.svdpcincinnati.org/conferences-members/member-support/
or use this link to go directly to this document
If your Conference wants to learn more about this program or request passes, please contact Alec Jewell, Conferences Manager, at ajewell@svdpcincinnati.org or 513.345.4983.
Our Charitable Pharmacy is Still Providing COVID Vaccinations
The CDC has recently released new guidance on boosters for those most susceptible to severe COVID complications. We have the Pfizer vaccine. Want more info? Our Charitable Pharmacy staff is available to answer any questions. You can contact Dr. Rusty Curington at rcurington@svdpcincinnati.org and a Pharmacy team member will respond.
Our Re-Entry Program
Our Re-Entry Program Manager, Dion Crockett, is eager to work with you to assist neighbors you are serving who have been affected by the criminal justice system. If you would like to host Dion at a Conference meeting, get together with him in another way, or discuss a particular situation, Dion can be reached at 513.562.8851 or dcrockett@svdpcincinnati.org .
Rahe Beds Fund & Program
Conferences are invited to submit requests for up to six beds in July. Please submit by the end of the day today (Wed, 7/6) by emailing to Gabby at rahebedfund@svdpcincinnati.org.
Our "new and improved" Conference bed request form which accommodates up to 6 requests is available on the member support and forms page of our website. Here is the direct link to the newly enhanced fillable form:
We will again be partnering with WCPO and Morris Home Furnishings for Morris’s Hope to Dream (formally Day to Dream) event. More information will be coming in mid-July, but we will be looking for children (ages 2-17) in need of a twin bed. If you come across any children who fit this description, you may want to hold onto their bed requests and instead submit adults for your July & August Rahe requests. Hope to Dream will occur at the end of August and participating children will receive their bed and a variety of goodies (including sheets, comforter, pillow, etc.) and have it delivered to their home.
A big "thank you" to Gabby, who has served as our bed program coordinator over the last 11 months. Gabby's time with us comes to a close on July 15, as she concludes her VVC year of service. Please continue to send requests/questions to rahebedfund@svdpcincinnati.org - the email will be monitored by our Outreach Center Programs team until our new VVC cohort begins at the end of August.
If your Conference is considering purchasing beds to extend as assistance, you can get info, including current pricing, or purchase by contacting Dave Chidlow, Stores Retail Resource Manager, at dchidlow@svdpcincinnati.org or 513.853.1002. Your purchased beds will be picked up at our CHRC within our Liz Carter Center. Please be aware that our beds cost and resale pricing have risen significantly.
We still have a limited number of cribs & pack ‘n’ plays available for neighbors with children too young for beds (under age two). These do not count against the limit of two Rahe beds per household per lifetime. If you have a neighbor who is in need of a crib or pack ‘n’ play, please contact Gabby at rahebedfund@svdpcincinnati.org. We will provide the neighbor with a voucher that can be redeemed at our CHRC.
Do you have questions about our Rahe Beds Fund & Program?
Please click on this link Bed Program Conference Guide to review our most current information, which includes some updates to the way beds assistance should be entered in CMS.
SafeParish Training
St. Vincent de Paul takes seriously the safety of the children and vulnerable adults who we serve in our ministry. As a Catholic lay organization, we are required to adhere to Safeguarding standards that are consistent with those of our Archdiocese. If you engage with anyone under the age of 18 or with vulnerable adults as part of your work with SVDP, or if you have questions about whether you should complete this training, please reach out to Alec Jewell at ajewell@svdpcincinnati.org for more information on Safeguarding or to register for SafeParish training/background checks. We appreciate your efforts to ensure a safe environment for the neighbors who we serve.
Cooking Improv with La Soupe
Our partner La Soupe teams with our Catino Choice Pantry to present monthly Cooking Improv demonstrations in the Teaching Kitchen at our NOC. Instructors from La Soupe engage participants on basic cooking principles and how to use what you have to create delicious, nutritious meals. All recipes are based off ingredients found daily in our Catino Choice Pantry. The demonstrations are on the first Wednesday of every month, 11am-1pm. Neighbors are encouraged to sample the delicious dishes and discuss preparation and ingredients with our staff, volunteers, and resident La Soupe instructor Chef Mona!
The next event is today (Wed, 7/6). No pre-registration is required.
Feel free to share this information with your neighbors, or if you’re interested in getting involved in our Teaching Kitchen programming, please reach out to Demi Schoenherr at dschoenherr@svdpcincinnati.org for more information.
Education Center Within Our Neyer Outreach Center
Our NOC Education Center is available for neighbors to use during our operating hours: Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm, and Saturday, 8am - noon.
Christ Church Plumb Line
Olivia Scheper, Conferences Support Coordinator, is our central contact point-person. Plumb Line only accepts assistance referrals from this single SVDP point-person.
As a reminder, Plumb Line can assist with $400 of past due rent for neighbors who are currently working.
All referrals to Plumb Line should be sent to:
Olivia Scheper
Phone: 513.345.4986, ext 239
Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW)
GCWW's Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program provides funds for assistance for eligible tenants residing in the City of Cincinnati. There are eligibility stipulations. Tenants must qualify by completing an online application at assistance.mygcww.org .
Renters can also call 513.591.7700 to receive assistance from the call center to complete an application. There is also a flexible payment plan through the PromisePay Portal. GCWW customers can visit GCWW.promise-pay.com for details about the program and how to enroll. Renters not residing in Cincinnati city limits but living in Hamilton County can visit https://erap.hcjfs.org/ for utility assistance. If you need additional materials or information, please contact GCWW at GCWWCares@gcww.cincinnati-oh.gov .
Duke Energy
The combination of high temperatures and elevated fuel prices will impact summer bills.
Duke Energy recently implemented a new billing and payment system - and had suspended disconnections for nonpayment as they fine-tuned this new system. They have now advised that they have resumed standard billing and credit policies, including disconnections for non-payment. Customers may have begun receiving disconnection notifications this past week and actual disconnections will begin taking place this month.
Duke encourages us to follow our standard steps for processing pledges on customer accounts. For questions on accounts or pledges for neighbors requesting utility assistance, please contact Duke Energy's Centralized Agency Team at 800.241.3194. Advocates are currently available Monday through Friday, 7:30am - 5:30pm.
Duke also encourages us to direct customers to their summer bills page and to these helpful fact sheets to find helpful programs, tips and tools. Should a customer not meet their qualifications for assistance, please refer them to Duke's customer care organization at 800.544.6900 where they may find assistance through a flexible installment plan.
Additional info on public assistance resources can be found at energyhelp.ohio.gov .
State of Ohio Program for Struggling Homeowners
Save the Dream Ohio helps eligible Ohio homeowners facing foreclosure and/or who cannot afford to pay their mortgage payments, utility payments or other related housing costs as a result of economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state of Ohio was awarded $280 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for the program. Click here for more information:
City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County COVID Assistance
There is still a substantial sum of COVID federal economic recovery & relief emergency funding available in our area. If you encounter a neighbor who has experienced financial hardship due to COVID, please refer them to https://513relief.org .
Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation (CEIF) Vision Clinic in our Neyer Outreach Center
The Vision Clinic operates by appointment on certain Thursdays as designated by CEIF. Reduced availability for the month of July: Our Vision Clinic is open tomorrow (7/7), 8:30am - 3pm, and then again on 7/28, 8:30am - 11am (no pm hours). A limited number of walk-in exams can also be accommodated. To schedule an appointment, or to inquire for additional info, please call 513.207.6140.
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Call to Prayer
Lord,
give us the grace to love you with all our heart,
with all our being,
with all our strength,
with all our mind,
and our neighbor as our self.
Amen.
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