Day 90: St. Martin de Porres

The Senior Department at St. Martin de Porres serves up to sixty-five individuals a day. Some attend for the full five-hour program and others just come in to partake in the daily lunch.

A lovely couple came in daily to have lunch. They would converse with the people at their table and leave shortly after. The wife became ill and was hospitalized for an extended length of time. During her stay at the hospital her husband continued to come to the center to have lunch and receive the support of the seniors and staff during his difficult time.

One day, while driving between the center and the hospital the husband was in a car accident. He could no longer drive and had to be admitted to a rehab facility. The staff remained in contact with the family so that the seniors who were eager to know could be kept up to date with the condition of both the husband and wife.

Sadly, the wife passed away not long after. The seniors at the center were quite saddened when they received the news. Center staff made transportation arrangements for those seniors that had the desire to attend the funeral and pay their respects.

One day, the husband called and mentioned he was interested in receiving transportation to and from the center so that he could continue in the lunch program. Arrangements were made and he began to attend the center daily for the five-hour program.

Today, he is still excited to come everyday and has been participating in the exercise classes. He socializes with the other seniors and has commented that he didn’t realize what he had been missing.

What started out as just an opportunity to have lunch amongst peers has turned into a time for socialization and fun. This gentleman takes full advantage of the services offered by the center from the emergency food bag to supportive services in helping him link to other resources in the community. He has expressed his gratefulness for what the senior center has to offer him and the fellowship with staff and seniors. While he misses his wife, he is happy to have his days filled with people to intermingle with and not be home alone.

 -Submitted by Patrica P., St. Martin de Porres

Day 89: John Paul’s Story

This is an email that I recently received from a parent who emailed me about enrolling his son who has autism into our day camp for children with special needs. -From a staff member this past spring when we asked for stories to be shared.

I am both anxious to enroll John Paul and excited for him to be there again. He loves it. He was at St. Eugene’s last summer. I was really impressed with the team there. Let me tell you about one experience. I frequently took John Paul to children’s hospital for therapy and other appointments.

One day at the hospital we were walking through the lobby and come to find the Sum Fun team from St. Eugene’s was there too. We were all surprised to see each other, but what was touching was why they were there. After camp was over for the day, they stopped to see one of their campers who was admitted to the hospital.

That really touched me both then… and as I am writing it now.

Day 88: Camp Cheerful

Residents of St. Augustine Health Campus are packed and READY!

Boxes have been packed with equipment & supplies, buses were loaded and the resident campers headed out on Sunday for their week-long camping adventure at Camp Cheerful.

In addition to the Campers, residents who want to enjoy “Day Camp” but want to be home to sleep in their own beds, will depart from the Campus! Although activities are planned, the beauty of this trip is that Residents will be able to choose from a wide variety of things to do ~ whenever they want!

Click here to view the camping week schedule. If you would like to join us call Mary at 216-939-7711.

This is another example of how St. Augustine Health Ministries lives out our Mission of “Promoting Quality of Life and Independence of each person entrusted to our care.”

THANK YOU! It is only through commitment of our staff, numerous volunteers (individuals and groups) and donors (both monetary and in-kind) that we are able to embark on such an adventure as Camping!

Please join us TODAY, WEDNESDAY, AUG. 22 at Camp Cheerful in Strongsville as we celebrate and give thanks for all who have been a part of this Healing Ministry throughout our history.

• 4:00 Mass with Bishop Roger Gries
• 5:00 Cookout by the Westside Irish American Club
• 6:30 Campfire, Marshmallow Roast & Sing-a-long
• $5 donation suggested
• Click here for more information & Reservations

Day 87: History Lesson (the 1920’s)

As we near the end of our 100 days of sharing, we will reflect more on the past 10 decades that brought us to this point… our timeline continues…

Please note, as most things dating back this long ago, some conflicting dates or facts may have been recorded – if you discover any discrepancies or errors, contact Samantha at smealy(at)clevelandcatholiccharities(dot)org to correct the error.

April 8, 1919
Catholic Charities Corporation is incorporated. First lay Board of Catholic Charities

Corporation established representing 90 parishes.. Fr. LeBlond is first diocesan director of Catholic Charities Corporation. First fundraising drive raised $50,000. [I have that the first appeal in 1919 raised $ 79,000]. Corporation was founded to build facilities and help retire debt. Herman J. Trenkamp, a prominent Catholic businessman organizes Catholic laymen to raise funds and relieve the diocese’s growing annual deficit. Cleveland Community Chest (predecessor to United Way) would pay for direct human services.

1920
Procured land in Parma Township

Catholic Service League opened office in Akron

1922
Big Brother Department of the Catholic Charities Bureau of the St. Vincent DePaul Society offers preventative and protective work for boys at the Juvenile Court.

September 1922
Rose-Mary, The Johanna Grasselli Home for Crippled Children is established, through the generous gift of Caesar A. Grasselli, who donated his summer home on Euclid Avenue to the Diocese. Responsibility for the care of the children and management of the Center was given to the Humility of Mary Sisters.

1924
Big Sisters was formed to help pre-delinquent and immigrant Catholic girls

Sept 27, 1925
Parmadale Children’s Village of St. Vincent de Paul was dedicated, housing 450 boys aged 6 – 16. The new campus is the outgrowth of the St. Vincent DePaul Orphanage (established in 1853) and the St. Louis Orphanage in Louisville, Ohio. Parmadale is managed by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine charged to oversee Parmadale. Cardinal Patrick Hayes of New York City dedicates the village for boys 6 – 16 at 6753 State Road, Parma. [Cardinal Hayes was founder of the New York archdiocesan Catholic Charities in 1920; he was known as “the Cardinal of Charities”].

Day 86: In good hands

“Anne” was an 18 year old camper with severe autism and intellectual disabilities. She had been attending the SumFun program for the past 7 years which provided her with a safe day program while her parents were able to maintain their employment.

In March of 2010, Anne began to have grand mal seizures for the first time in her life. Her parents were understandably concerned not only about Anne’s health and welfare, but about the practical implications of this new development in Anne’s disability. They were worried that Anne would not be able to attend the summer program due to this new challenge which might jeopardize their employment. They contacted the SF program director and discussed Anne’s needs and the medical training of the nurses at the program. It was agreed that Anne would attend the program and that the nurse and camp staff would work with Anne’s parents to accommodate her needs to the best of their ability.

Over the course of the summer, Anne did have more than one seizure at camp, but with the skills and expertise of the nurse and staff, Anne’s needs were able to be met, and she was able to attend throughout the entire summer. Anne did need her medications changed throughout the summer, but this was manageable, and Anne successfully completed her summer. Her parents were relieved and happy that Anne was able to spend the summer with friends, and that she was in good hands throughout each day.

Day 85: Blessed

A quick story to end the week courtesy of our “8th Street” location in Lorain County…

Margie came to Catholic Charities in tears one afternoon because her water had been disconnected and she had no means with which to pay the bill to have her water service restored. She has several medical conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure and breathing problems.

Margie’s other utility bills were exceptionally high until she registered for the PIPP program which made her bills more manageable.  Still, she was faced with paying the water bill in order to have water turned on. She was relying on bottled water for her basic needs.

Through funding she received by Catholic Charities, she was able to have her water reconnected. Margie felt so “blessed to have Catholic Charities” to come to for assistance.

Day 84: The Shoreway

Over 100 years ago, a hospital was built on the near-west-side of Cleveland: St. John Hospital.  For nearly a century, the hospital stood as a cornerstone in the Detroit Shoreway community, and when it closed in the 1980’s many feared it could be the end of the neighborhood.

It was then that St. Augustine Health Ministries was looking for a new home to grow and expand their services – and in a bold move, the building underwent a multi-million dollar renovation to become St. Augustine Manor.  St. Augustine Manor grew to include St. Augustine Towers – and then into an entire Health Campus that anchored the west end of the Shoreway.

But the growth didn’t stop there…

St. Augustine grew it’s ministry further to include Child Care by establishing the Child Enrichment Center which serves families of the entire community.  Soon after, Catholic Charities moved it’s administrative headquarters into a wing of the Manor in an effort to be better stewards of resources, and to foster a better sense of mission-connection.  Other offices within Catholic Charities began to move to the area as well – and today over 800 Catholic Charities employees (out of 1,200 total employees) call the Detroit Shoreway are their “home base” for work.  All told, close to $25 million has been invested into the St. Augustine Health Campus area in an effort to better serve the people of Cuyahoga County and Northeast Ohio.

Bishop Pilla helped establish the Sagrada Familia Parish on the Health Campus int he late 1990’s – furthering outreach to the Hispanic community in the neighborhood and continuing to establish a strong Catholic presence in the area.

Today, the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood is thriving – full of up-and-coming areas including the Gordon Square Arts District.  Without a doubt, Catholic Charities has contributed greatly to this great Cleveland neighborhood!

Day 83: A True Community Collaborative

Submitted by Tim Putka- Catholic Charities Community Services Of Medina

The goal of the Senior Connection program is to maintain the elderly in their own homes and apartments as long as they can function in those settings. An in home assessment is done by a social worker or nurse to assess the needs of older adults and then link them to community resources. A recent community collaborative, coordinated by one of our case managers demonstrated a success story.

Faced with Emergency Medical Services ( EMS) needing to transport an octogenarian couple periodically from their home, and an estimate of $ 20,000.00 to build a 48 foot ramp, the case manager began utilizing the principles of “community”. Her determination to ensure safety and to respect the couples decision to stay in their home empowered her to arrange an army of volunteer resources. The city of Wadsworth, police, fire, EMS, family,friends, professionals, a local foundation, FISH, Lowes, Home Depot, St. Vincent DePaul Society, Sacred Heart Church, St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Quiznos, all became engage in her efforts.

Many worked late into the night in the rain and mud, through layers of rock and clay to successfully complete this 48 foot “bridge” at a cost of under $ 1,400.00. The case manager’s concerned for this vulnerable couple, the dignity of person that was graciously and abundantly afforded and the demonstrated stewardship of service gives us hope that “what really matters” in Medina County actually does happen.

Day 82: A Young Parent

Today’s story comes to us from an employee at St. Philip Neri Family Center…

The Young Parent Program is an alternative education program for pregnant and parenting teens which offers them an opportunity to participate in a coordinated program of academic education and personal enrichment opportunities. The girls in the program attend school during the day to obtain their high school diploma and classes in the afternoon to help them improve their parenting and interpersonal skills. They also have access to other services such as the Baby Store – where they earn points for their program accomplishments and use these points for selecting items from the Baby Store such as diapers, strollers, diaper bags, and clothing.

One student I recall was a 18 year old mother with a 6 month old son. She came to our program while she was pregnant and participated daily in the education program in hopes of obtaining her high school diploma. Before she came, she was not performing to the best of her capability and really needed some extra help on making herself a better person. She was not a terrible student; she just needed that extra push in the right direction. She had a number of behavior problems such as communicating effectively in group and relating to her peers; many of these behaviors and attitudes prevented her from achieving her goal of graduating from high school and also impacted her being an effective parent.

Today, she states that the program she has made a drastic change in her life. Her attitude towards her peers has changed for the best. The parenting classes and support that she receives at the Young Parent Program have taught her to deal with conflict effectively and to be respectful of others. Today she is very active and engages in all of the parenting classes.

Academically, she has scored very high on all of her graduation tests – which have helped to boost her self esteem and she should receive her diploma this year. She is even talking about enrolling in college upon receiving her diploma. Personally, she has gotten married, and is glad that we took the time to help her during her time of need. She states that this program has really helped her become a better mother, person, friend, and wife.

Day 81: Voice of the Voiceless

Following a successful 20 year employment with the Catholic Action Commission of Lorain County, Sharon Kleppel retired as Executive Director in 2009.

During her outstanding career, however, Sharon founded Faith House transitional housing for homeless women and children; First Friday Club of Lorain; and the Lorain Furniture Bank.  She served as researcher and publisher of the Diocesan Social Action Office’ bi-weekly Legislative Hotline; diocesan representative on the Social Concerns Department of the Catholic Conference of Ohio;  chaired the Lorain District and faithfully organized the annual Peace and Justice Dinner for Lorain County.

Sharon was a strong advocate for the poor and vulnerable, testifying numerous time on behalf of the needs of low income families. As a woman of faith, Sharon Kleppel enhanced the presence of the Church in Lorain County working tirelessly on issues such as health care, affordable housing and immigration reform.

Through her leadership, Sharon cultivated relationships with public officials on behalf of the voiceless and powerless, in the interest of providing dignity and the common good for Lorain County.

Catholic Charities is full of inspirational employees like Sharon – to see current openings and opportunities to join our mission, visit: http://www.clevelandcatholiccharities.org/employment.htm