The Mission. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. 81-Years-Young, Sierre Leone Refugee Earns Citizenship

Transcription

1 The Mission Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington 81-Years-Young, Sierre Leone Refugee Earns Citizenship W By Brooke Hammond Pérez Education Services Group Manager, Hogar Immigrant Services hile all Hogar Immigrant Services students are well-known for their determination to learn English, few can match Alhaji Alpha Bah. Alhaji is an 81 year old, new American citizen. A native of Sierra Leone, Alhaji s long and courageous path to citizenship, like all of our clients, is a daily inspiration to the Hogar staff, volunteers and clients. Forced from his home, family and shop-keeping business in the 1990s during the civil war and Inside on Page 4... Bishop O Connell High School students gather for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Living Rosary October 7 as part of their annual Chunky Soup Food Drive. The drive raised 9,000 cans of soup for the Christ House Food Pantry. unrest, Alhaji lived as a refugee in Guinea for seven years before coming to the United States in He was accompanied to the U.S. by four of his nine children. The other erra Leone. Even now, Alhaji does not know the whereabouts of three Catholic Charities relationship with Alhaji began in January Alhaji received no formal education in his country, a fact that makes learning a new language at but Alhaji was determined. He started in the literacy class, where he learned to read and write English, and he quickly advanced into the beginner class after just one semester. Alhaji s motivation for learning English was to get his U.S. citizenship. Five semesters of citizenship preparation and English classes later, Alhaji was ready to apply. Over the 15-month period, Alhaji missed Hogar client Alhaji Alpha Bah earned his citizenship on Oct. 14. only one class in order to attend his daughter s college graduation. I was privileged to accompany Alhaji to his naturalization interview in March. After all the preparation, Alhaji passed the interview But before he could be sworn in, he was given a deadline and told to retrieve the three birth cer- Sierra Leone. After the civil war, Alhaji knew that many of the records had been destroyed. It seemed an impossible task. Again Alhaji turned to Hogar and met with Cindy Brown, one of Hogar s Accredited Representatives. Cindy helped Alhaji respond continued on page 3...

2 2 Wherever I visit in the diocese, folks are surprised and impressed by the breadth and depth of the services we provide at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. Most know about two or three programs (usually the evening meals and transitional shelter at Christ House in Alexandria, the Center for Adoption and Pregnancy Services, or our Family Services Counseling), but when we discuss our other programs: transitional housing at St. Margaret of Cortona (page 4) as a Second Language classes, naturalization workshops, and legal aid for immigrants at Hogar Immigrant Services (page 1) Welcoming the stranger at Migration and Refugee Services rgency Assistance (page 6) Martin de Porres Center (page 5) the most common response, With all of these diverse good works carried out every day, it s important that we keep our common denominator in mind. How do we stay focused? First, our programs align with our mission to serve the poor and in need. We serve Christ through the least of our brothers and sisters. (Mt 25:40) Second, our programs hope to reach people where they are - prisoned, out of work, in the rural President s Message Breadth and Depth of Catholic Charities areas, estranged with the hope of raising them up to not just get through the day, but to have better days ahead. As Father Avella told us at our All Staff meeting (page 4), the love of Christ does not placate, it does not just ameliorate. It transforms lives. The third common denominator is that our services bring hope and charity to those who need it most. We believe that hope and charity depend on our faith. We do not always succeed with everyone. Many times we can only give less than what is needed. We are limited always by our resources. This brings us to a fourth characteristic. programs depend on the charity and partnerships of others so that together we can support those most in need. In the pages of this newsletter you ll see that the generosity of the people of the Diocese of Arlington is amazing, but that the need is always incredible. Faced with so much suffering and need, we must respond with an increased trust in Lord to provide the resources to do His work. So, please consider this Advent and Christmas Season, Christ s incarnational love. Please prayerfully consider helping Catholic Charities continue to serve others of all faiths and various needs with the love of Christ. A love that transforms and enriches. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington Fall Harvest: HONOR ROLL To date, the following parishes have collected food which is being distributed to those in need across the diocese as part of the Fall Harvest food drive. St. Bernadette -1,000 lbs. Catholic Community of Fort Belvoir lbs. Church of the Nativity lbs. Holy Trinity - 1,332 lbs. St. James - 1,253 lbs. St Joseph lbs. St. Louis lbs. St. Luke - counting St. Mark Parish - counting St. Mary Parish lbs. counting St Mary of Sorrows lbs. St. Peter - 1,226 lbs. St. Rita - 1,254 lbs. St. Raymond lbs. St. Theresa Parish - 2,779 lbs. Our Lady of the Blue Ridge lbs. For a grand total of 21,346 pounds collected and counting. Thank you to our incredible Parish Liaison Network for this harvest of blessings!

3 Hogar Immigrant Services (continued from page 1...) to the request and Alhaji received an extension. Finally, Alhaji was able to contact a family member in Sierra Leone who retrieved time. On Oct. 14 Alhaji - ly sworn in as a United States citizen. Afterwards, he came directly to Hogar to celebrate with staff. When asked what he wants to do with his U.S. citizenship, Alhaji says he wants to register to vote as soon as possible. He is also interested in petitioning for his children to come to the United States and be reunited after so St. Martin Senior Center needs a variety of foods to support the breakfast program. Gift cards also needed. Contact Maryanne McMillan at mmcmillan@ccda.net. Will your parish have a Giving Tree this Christmas? Catholic Charities would appreciate ornaments that say, food/gift card suggested amount $20 for a senior, family in need, homeless, hungry or unemployed person. ccda.net. Donate Buying a new car and looking to donate your old car still in working order? Catholic Charities matches cars with individuals who have been recommended by their church, another charity, community service provider or a government agency. Contact Harry Burke at (703) , ext 12. Alhaji Bah and Hogar Educational Services Program Director Brooke Hammond Pérez celebrate after Alhaji s swearing-in as a US citizen Oct. 14. many years of separation. For more information and to see a video of Alhaji discussing his experience, visit or contact Brooke Hammod Pérez at bperez@ccda.net. Christ House Patriot Day 2011 Over 50 volunteers of all ages, including our youngright, est volunteer, crowded into Christ House Sept. 9 and 11 for a service event in observance of the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Participants prayed together, read Pope Benedict XVI s 9/11 message, packed meals for the hungry throughout the diocese and wrote cards of support for emergency responders. Every human life is precious in God s sight and no effort should be spared in the attempt to promote throughout the world a genuine respect for the inalienable rights and dignity of individuals and peoples everywhere. - Pope Benedict XVI, Sep. 9, 2011 National Adoption Month November is National Adoption Month! Please join us in thanking our Center for Adoption and Pregnancy Services, (CAPS) which, since 1947, has been providing adoption services to families in Virginia. Recently Hague Accredited, CAPS placed 45 children through its adoption programs in the last - ents through crisis pregnancy counseling, adoption issues and mental health counseling. For more information on the Center for Adoption and Pregnancy Services, call

4 4 St. Peter, when asked to give help to a person probably help in the form of money humbly said. I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have, I give you. Stand up and walk. (Acts 3:6) That s the power of Christ in our work, the power of grace; the power of that the ministry of our hands; the power to help people stand and walk. God bless you for the work you do. - Father Robert Avella message to Catholic Charities staff at quarterly agency meeting Oct. 19, 2011 O Connell Chunky Soup Drive Delivers 9,000 Cans S ince 1975, the students at Bishop O Connell High School have collected cans of hearty soup for the Oct. 7 and culminated in a school-wide Living Rosary, on a sunny Friday morning, praying for those individu- students efforts. During the soup drive, homerooms and school of- end, more than 9,000 cans were loaded onto the moving truck at the conclusion of the prayer service. Members of the student government, accompanied by faculty members, including O Connell alumnus and chaplain, Father Phillip Cozzi, then unloaded the truck at Christ House in Alexandria, working together through the af- St. Margaret of Cortona Transitional Housing Meet Our Client: Tasha The following is an account from Tasha, a single mother living with her children at St. Margaret of Cortona Transitional Residences. St. Margaret offers a continuum of care for homeless families. the shelter I received a call from Nicolette at Catholic Charities letting me know that I had been accepted into the St. Margaret of Cortona Transitional Living Program and that I could move in immediately. leged, honored and blessed to be a in contact with a group of people who care about the improvement of the residents. I have been able to pay off some of my debt, save money, and above all, provide a safe, clean and enjoyable environ- For more information on St. Tasha and her children, Dalia and Davonte, are thriving at St. Margaret Transitional Housing. Margaret of Cortona Transitional Housing contact Amy White at awhite@ccda.net. Volunteer! program, Mondays, 6:30 8 p.m. Volunteers must be 18-years-old, or 16 if accompanied by a parent. new families. Grab a few friends, be creative and create a comfortable home for our families. or trailer to pick-up donated items. Contact Paula Hummel at phummel@ccda.net. Bishop O Connell students have been collecting Chunky Soup for the hungry at Christ House since Thank you to the students, faculty and staff at Bish- Christ House Food Pantry contact Sherri Longhill at slonghill@ccda.net.

5 BUSINESSES TO THANK: - Accenture - AH & T Insurance - Analytic Focus - Arent Fox - Arlington Roofing Co. - BB&T - Bill Page Honda - Booz Allen Hamilton - Builders, Blinds & Designs - Capital One Bank - Clarke Construction Group - Comcast Cable - Cyron and Miller - Digital Office Products - Fairfax Memorial Funeral Homes - Fairfax Memorial Park - Guardian Self Storage - Kentucky Fried Chicken - K&L Gates - Lorton Stone - Maple Leaf Rain Gutter Service - M.E. Flow - Mercer Trigiani - Michael Nash Custom Kitchens - Olive Garden - O Shaughnessy Hurst Memorial - Red Lobster - Passport Auto Group - PNC Bank - Professional Maintenance Management - Robert J. Murphy Funeral Homes - Samaha and Associates - ServPro - Sheehy Auto Stores - Starbucks Coffee - Steele Foundation - Technology Planning Consultants - Teel Construction - The Ballyshaner s Inc. - Thompson, Greenspon and Co. - Woodbridge Play Care - Verizon - Virginia Commerce Bank Staying in Shape at St. Martin s W ith daily group exercise and weekly instructor-led classes, seniors at St. Martin de Porres Senior Center are able to stay life. The exercise program combats one of the major threats to seniors independence falling. According to the Center for Disease Control, one in three adults year. Among these, falls are the leading cause of injury that leads to death. They are also the most common cause of non-fatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma. Twenty to 30 percent of people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries such as lacerations, hip fractures, or head traumas. These injuries make it hard to get around, live independently, and increase the risk of early death. Studies such as the 2009 Cochrane Database System Review have found that regular group exercise are very effective at fall prevention. Exercise also helps seniors combat depression, look and feel younger and stay active longer. Regular physical activity lowers the risk for a variety of conditions, including Alzheimer s and other dementia, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and high blood pressure. Inactivity often causes seniors to lose the ability to do things on their own and can lead to more hospitalizations, doctor visits, and use of St. Martin de Porres Senior Center Seniors choose from a variety of exercise options under the guidance of 3 professional instructors. A long-term dream is a building addition for a proper exercise studio... medicines for illnesses. St. Martin s program features three professional exercise instructors. Our popular instructors, Sally, Kathy and Mary, each lead an average of one class per week and sometimes more. Senior participants often spill out of the small exercise room and into our main room during classes. A long term dream is a building addition Occasionally we are also able to fund a dance instructor, Adam The Ballroom King. Ballroom dancing is not only great exercise, but has been documented to be particularly effective in slowing the advance of dementia. At Catholic Charities, we take a holistic approach to serving seniors in need. By providing valuable exercise programs, we help seniors realize their own personal wellness goals. For more information on St. Martin s contact Maryanne Mc- Millan at mmcmillan@ccda.net. - Maryanne McMillan and Tom Grodek 5

6 Emergency Assistance Our Lady of Angels Parish Helps Tropical Storm Lee Victims 6 ather O Keefe, pastor of Our Lady of Angels Parish in Woodbridge, Virginia, was not at all surprised by the generosity of his parish. After learning a number of his parishioners by Tropical Storm Lee, Father O Keefe decided to offer a second collection to help the impacted families. Most of the storm victims are low-income immigrants, living at the Holly Acres Trailer Park, just a few miles from the parish. These are your neighbors, Father told his parishioners from the pulpit. Their children go to school with your children. He explained that the families had been living in a section of Holthey were forced to leave with only the clothes on their backs. Parishioners responded to Father O Keefe s appeal to be as generous as possible by offering more than $17,000 in the second collection. Father Milton Acevedo, who offers a Spanish Mass families who were suffering homelessness due to the torrential rains. Case workers Cassandra Lee (right) and Ruth Guillen (left) with Fr. Acevedo distribute funds to Lee victims. Father O Keefe contacted Catholic Charities for assistance in distributing the funds to the families. Catholic Charities bilingual Emergency Assistance caseworkers contacted the families and arranged to meet them at their parish to disperse the funds. The families came to the parish and were very thankful for the assistance. Clothing collected by the parish youth was also provided to the residents. One resident showed caseworkers a video he had taken on his cell phone of the storm. Muddy brown water enveloped trailers and people were standing waist high in swirling torrents. Shortly after the video was taken, the residents living in this section of the trailer park were forced to evacuate. Mirella, another resident, told Catholic Charities staff that her family had paid $26,000 for her trailer. They had insurance, but fell behind on the payments due to - ily, her husband and two children are currently living with another family in their trailer. This family lives in a section of the trailer park that was not impacted by the rains. Currently, the two families, a total of eight persons, are living in a tiny, tworoom trailer. But many lost more than just their possessions. They lost their community. Their neighborhood was tight-knit. We were like family, Mirella said. Now, families are scattered and most of the have been condemned. Most of the former residents reported they had found temporary refuge with friends or relatives while they get their lives back together. Many of those impacted by the storm are long-time parishioners at Our Lady of Angels Parish. Their children were baptized and took their First Communion there. Some of the residents are taking English as a Second Language classes offered by Catholic Charities. Some ESL students were provided with new textbooks as their old ones All expressed gratitude to the parish, not just for the monetary donation, but for the sense of community and outpouring of love and concern that the church has showed them. Due to the generosity of the parish, and the help of Catholic Charities, more than 250 individuals were assisted. For more information, contact Catholic Charities Emergency Assistance Coordinator Sherri Longhill at slonghill@ccda.net. - Sally O Dwyer How can I help? Catholic Charities Emergency Assistance program provides limited financial assistance to individuals in need for payment of rent, utility bills, prescription medicine, and other expenses. To make a donation call James Michels at

7 70 Clinicians Attend Seminar on Treatment of Sexual Addiction Catholic Charities Family Services hosted noted Colorado clinician Daniel Spadaro Nov. 3 for an of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity within an Integrated Catholic The event attracted over 70 mental health professionals. Spadaro is the owner of Imago Dei Counseling in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a counseling The seminar is part of Catholic Charities ongoing training program for clinicians focusing on integrating best practices in mental health services with a Catholic understanding of the integrity of the human person. Family Services Counseling Family Services Celebrates Day of Caring F redericksburg Family Services participated in the Rappahannock United Way Day ager Lucy Pintouri-Godwin, her colleagues and volunteers worked with Kids Helping Kids Camp Rainbow project, which offers bereavement services for children who have experienced a loss or are living with a loved one with terminal illness. Lucy gave the following account of the event: watched their faces during the magic performance with Seth, who spoke about God and Heaven. I saw on their faces a small break from the daily grief. children approached the memory tree and taped to it the names of the persons who had passed. They would then run off and hug someone and start had a chance to speak with the adults. One mom is now raising three small beautiful children after her husband was killed in a car accident last summer. She reached out and held my hand and said, It s because of God that I am able to know he is safe and that I can carry on. She thanked us for this event and for seeing her chil- Fore more information on Fredericksburg Family services, contact Lucy Pintouri-Godwin at lgodwin@ccda.net. Mentors Offer Christ House Residents Executive Experience, Friendship C hrist House is served by tremendous volunteers. People like Dick Porter, a senior partner who had a successful career at Raytheon following his military service as a colonel in the Army; and Alan Holmer, a Special Envoy to China, who served for a decade as CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PHRMA), one of the nation s most prominent associations. All three men along with several others have been instrumental in the growth and positive changes affecting the men living at Christ House. Dick, Tom and Alan serve as men- their money or just be a friend during tough times. Dick and Alan, parishioners at St. Luke s in McLean, and Tom, a parishioner at St. Raymond of Penafort sional and case management staff who are trained to help resolve deeper, more systemic issues such as addiction or mental and emotional health wounds. For all three men, the satisfaction of serving the poor goes much deeper than just giving back. For my whole adult life, I had never been fully exposed to the kind of suffering and need that we see at Catholic Charities and Christ House every day. It has broadened, and sometimes broken, my heart, said Alan. Dick quickly added, I have learned about the many issues facing the poor: employment, housing, legal services, child support, food, substance abuse, Catholic Charities, we have the chance to be involved and make a difference. Christ House is a vital program that shelters 18 residents, serves 21,000 meals to the hungry each year, and brings food to parishes and pantries across the diocese; and as Tom regularly reminds the staff, Catholic Charities has a special we have more work to do, so let s get going. For more information on mentoring or the activi- - 7

8 Giving Made Easier: Online and Matched Giving Now Available! Giving to Catholic Charities has never been easier! Catholic Charities recently implemented online giving to make supporting our work easier and more convenient for you. Additional giving opportunities remain available including planned and estate gifts, corporate sponsorships, gift annuities, gifts of stock, or in memory donations for a loved one. Have you ever wanted to double your gift but didn t know how? Well, we re excited to announce that match giving is now available! Many companies sponsor matching gift programs and will match dollar for dollar charitable contributions. In some cases, companies even match gifts made by retirees and/or spouses. If Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington you re interested in multiplying your gift, please visit a matching gift policy. It is easy and simple to do. Contact James Michels to learn more at jmichels@ccda.net or President and CEO...Art Bennett Development Director...Jim Michels Communications Director...Katie Walker CCDA at a glance: July June 2011: $219,000 given in emergency utilities or medicine 55,000 lbs. of food delivered to pantries and parishes across the diocese 8,607 person served from our pantries 3,294 students enrolled in English as a Second Language classes and citizenship preparation 8,481 counseling hours to help those suffering from depression, anxiety or emotional or mental health conditions 18 single men enrolled at Christ House 12 families enrolled at St. Margaret of Cortona Transitional Housing 45 adoption placements 32,218 meals served to low-income individuals and seniors at St. Martin de Porres Save the Date! Catholic Charities 30th Anniversary Ball Precious Pearls of Hope Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington 200 N. Glebe Road, Suite 506, Arlington, VA, FOLLOW US! Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington is now on Facebook and Twitter! Follow us for real-time updates, volunteer opportunities and information! Facebook.com/CatholicCharitiesArlington Twitter.com/CCDArlington