The Dorothy Day Outreach Center F A L L P A G E Saint Francis University 1 FALL 2017 NEWSLETTER Letter From the Director Dear Friends of the Dorothy Day but not in the vision of God. Outreach Center Both St. Francis and Dorothy Day had Yes, a We all know the feeling of look- a deep conversion of life. ing forward to special days in the turning away of things in the world calendar year. Many times we that brought outward happiness to a Br.Gabriel M.Amato T.O.R. anticipate the joy that will be in deeper understanding of what would That our lives on that very important bring joy to the inner soul. Inside this issue: day. We may even attempt to would be a desire to love God above plan ahead to see if, when, and all by seeing and loving Him in all His how we can celebrate that mean- creatures. They saw Christ in the Letter from the Director 1 ingful moment; so it is with us lepers of their time the sick, the 2 and many others throughout the poor, the hungry, the unemployed, Tag Sale and the homeless. They brought world. 2 Holiday Items On October 3rd we celebrated compassion and sympathy and justice 3 Shamus Shuffle the Transitus of St. Francis, a to those who were denied these very 3 Bro Shamus Bike Latin word defining for us the things. Declining Balance 3 SFU Recognition 4 Upcoming Events 4 Truck Fund 5 Helpful Hints 5 Give Thanks 6 Saints Tour 6 Lottery Ticket Results 6 Work-Study Students 7 FCI Food Drive 7 Donation Form 8 Let us in our daily routine of life not miss these great opportunities to do the same to lift up the downtrodden, to feed the hungry and love those who are not loved. Like St. Francis, Dorothy Day preached by not Our dear patron, Dorothy Day, only words, but by her example. who in her lifetime was likened May the Lord bless all of you for your to St. Francis, died and went to great acts of kindness to us as we her eternal reward on November fulfill our mission at Saint Francis 29th, the day the Church desig- University. nated as a time to remember all Peace and Blessings the Franciscan Blesseds and Brother Gabriel M. Amato T.O.R. Saints throughout all of history; unplanned of course in our sight Passing of St. Francis from this life to eternal life. October 4th is the very important feast day of St. Francis remembered by millions of people throughout the world.
The Dorothy Day Outreach Center s annual summer tag sale was held on Saturday, July 29th. The rain came in the first two hours. Then lo and behold, the sun arose, and it turned out to be a beautiful day. The parking lot was full of books, toys, furniture, clothing, purses, shoes, kitchenware, holiday decorations, home décor, etc. Shoppers were everywhere. It was a great day. Monetary donations amounted to $2,658.00 Thank you so much to all of the volunteers who worked We are in need of the following food and hygiene items for the holiday distributions. We normally serve 80-100 families per holiday. FOOD ITEMS Flour Sugar (granulated and brown) Jello Stuffing Instant potatoes Pie crust mix Pumpkin Cranberry sauce Canned vegetables (especially string beans) Canned fruit Gravy mix Canned milk Noodles TAG SALE HOLIDAY ITEMS NEEDED P A G E 2 so hard to make this day a success and to our shoppers. It is appreciated. Rice Cake mix Sweet potatoes PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS Body soap Shampoo Cream rinse Toothpaste Toothbrushes Laundry detergent Dish detergent Razors Shaving cream Mouthwash Deodorant Toilet paper Paper towels Tissues Baby diapers (all sizes)
SHAMUS SHUFFLE On Saturday, August 26th, area residents were running, walking, and riding on the Ghost Town Trail to support the Brother Shamus Shuffle. $1,600.00 was raised to support the Dorothy Day Outreach Center. There were hot dogs, chips, water, and fanny packs for the participants. The weather was perfect and the turnout was great. Thank you to all who participated in this event and a BIG thank you to Melita O Donnell for all her coordinating efforts. P A G E 3 On September 8th, Brother Shamus began his toughest route in the history of the annual Brother Shamus Charity Bike Ride. This is the seventh year. The journey began in Bar Harbor, Maine, and will cover roughly 1,000 miles of mountainous terrain, taking him through 10 states and several major Torvian Dining Hall BROTHER SHAMUS BIKE RIDE Brother Shamus McGreenra DECLINING BALANCE Our bi-annual declining balance fundraiser was held on Wednesday, September 20th in Torvian Hall. Through declining balance, students are able to donate monies from their Frankies and Gubio accounts. This is deducted directly from their student ID cities before coming to an end in Jamestown, Virginia. His goal is to raise $45,000 for the Dorothy Day Outreach Center. Already we have, to date, received $45,709.00. Well, Brother Shamus, it looks like you did it!!!!!!!! Please pray for him. cards. Student Emilee Fierro is a work study student at the Center and had graciously volunteered to coordinate this event. Emilee did a super job, $846.87 was raised. Thank you to all of the students who helped through their donation.
P A G E 4 SAINT FRANCIS UNIVERSITY RECOGNIZED The Nursing Program at Saint Francis University has been ranked the 7th best in Pennsylvania by Registered Nursing.org. According to Dr. Rita Trofino, DNP, MNEd, RN, who serves as the Department Chair and Associate Dean in the School of Health Sciences, 100% of graduates from the nursing program who seek professional employment within 3 months of graduation obtain jobs in the profession. The program also boasts a 100% first-time pass rate for the past three graduating classes. Notably, it is the only BSN program in Pennsylvania to have that distinction for the past 3 consecutive years. Saint Francis University is honored to have been named one of the most militaryfriendly schools in the country. The distinction is given to colleges that embrace military students and dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation. Based on its excellence in four distinctions: Engaged Students, Great Teaching, Vibrant Community, & Successful UPCOMING EVENTS The DDOC has a very busy schedule upcoming in this quarter: October 27-28 Saints Tour-Campus ministeries November 4 Tag Sale Stokes Aux Gym November 16 Thanksgiving Distribution DDOC November 22 Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Luncheon Torvian Hall December 19 Christmas Distribution Outcomes. Saint Francis University was recently honored as both a Catholic College of Distinction and a College of Distinction for the 2017-2018 school year. High School counselors and educators nominate colleges and universities for recognition by Colleges of Distinction, which then evaluates each school based on both qualitative and quantitative research. Congratulations to the University staff and faculty! DiSepio Institute for Rural Health & Wellness
Representative Frank Burns has informed us that he is having a food drive at the Walmart in Ebensburg on October 16, 2017 to benefit the Dorothy Day Outreach Center. Not only is he having a food drive, he is going to park his pickup truck on the lot to be filled with nonperishable items. When the truck is full, he will deliver the food along with the truck to the DDOC. This is TRUCK FUND great for the Center since we are in dire need of a truck to pick up food and deliver furniture to our clients. Since the truck is an older model, it won t last long. We need to continue to collect donations for a new truck, but in the meantime we have this one to use. We then can use it for a trade-in. Thank you so much to those of you who have donated and to those P A G E 5 who are planning to donate to our cause. It is so appreciated. Thank you to Representative Burns and his staff. HELPFUL HINTS Salt and lemon juice mixed together remove mildew stains. Dampen a cloth with white vinegar then sprinkle cream of tartar on the cloth to clean porcelain. To keep down the spread of germs always close the toilet lid before flushing. Use shaving cream to clean bathroom mirrors. It will keep them from fogging. To help repel the dust on dashboards between cleaning, wipe with a used dryer sheet. Soaking window decals with baby wipes will soften the adhesive allowing for easier removal of decals. REMEMBER: THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT A NEW PARENT WORRIES ABOUT, BUT ONE OF THE MOST STRESS INDUCING IS SECURING A CHILD SEAT IN A CAR. THERE IS A RIGHT WAY AND A WRONG WAY. MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW WHICH ONE IS WHICH.
PAGE 6 GIVE THANKS LOTTERY DRAWING The upcoming holiday season is a time to give thanks to all who are so giving and willing to help those in need. Without your generosity, the families would not be able to enjoy the holidays with their loved ones. The Dorothy Day Outreach Center would like to give thanks to our donors who are so gracious. We again, are asking for monetary help to be able to give local families a Thanksgiving and Christmas they can remember. The cost to feed a family of 4 is approximately $50.00. The Candlelight Saints Tour is coming quickly Friday and Saturday, October 27th and 28th. This is an event you will not want to miss. It will give you an opportunity to take a torch-lit guided walking tour through the beautiful religious grounds in Loretto, Pa. as you are introduced to some of the Church s most virtuous and courageous saints. Done in the spirit of Halloween, and honoring All Saints and All Souls feast days, we believe this will truly be an experience you won t want to miss. The times are 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. Tickets are $9.00 per adult and $7.00 per child and SFU students with their ID s. Food will be available for sale. The best part of this is the proceeds will be donated to the Dorothy Day Outreach Center. The DDOC held their first lottery ticket drawing as a fundraiser. The lottery numbers were good for the month of September. Each ticket cost $10.00 and had two lottery numbers. We were able to generate $3,250.00! The big winners were: Patricia Link, Josh White, Marie Melusky, Erica Kopera Get Ready! We will be having a second drawing in April. The tickets will be on sale beginning January. Thank you to all who participated. SAINTS TOUR Thank you and looking forward to seeing all of you on the 27th or the 28th.
WORK STUDY STUDENTS PAGE 7 Patrick Sprigler I am a freshman, Physician Assistant major, and hail from Columbus, Ohio. I have worked at multiple volunteer centers, such as food banks and furniture donation services and have organized some donation drives in the past. Volunteering has always been a large part of my life. The DDOC was the right fit for me to work. I look forward to working at the DDOC in the next eight months and am excited to continue my service experiences. Nick Nale I am a freshman at SFU, a Nursing major and from Hollidaysburg, Pa. Throughout my life, I ve always enjoyed helping others and leaving a positive impact on the world. Until I was eighteen, my primary outlets for this were Boy Scouts, local community events, and my church. I feel that I have found a replacement with the DDOC. It is an astounding charitable outlet that leaves a profound impact on the lives of those in need. As a work study student, the center provides me with fulfillment in this area. In the month of June 2017, the Federal Corrections Institution of Loretto, held a food drive to benefit the Dorothy Day Outreach Center. The employees were able to collect 114 pounds of miscellaneous food products. In August, they held another food drive to benefit the DDOC. We received 163 pounds of food. FCI LORETTO FOOD DRIVE We are so thankful for our friends at FCI. Our clients will benefit from their efforts. Thank you so much.
PAGE 8 DONATION FORM Dorothy Day Outreach Center Name Address City Zip Code Phone Number Email Donation Amount $1000 500 $250 $100 Other Please make checks payable to: Dorothy Day Outreach Center Then attach and mail this form with your check to: Dorothy Day Outreach Center PO Box 600 Loretto, PA 15940 Truck Fund General Fund Many thanks to all who graciously donated to the Dorothy Day Outreach Center. Without your kind generosity, we would not be able to provide the types of assistance that we do for our clients. May God bless you and your families.