I love the work I am doing here as the President and CEO of Catholic Charities. As I grow more and more acquainted with our programs and services, one of the things that has stunned me particularly in this time of economic hardship is the number of ways that Catholic Charities helps people find jobs.
Nowadays, everyone is talking about jobs in the media, in politics and in the places we meet day to day. Theres a reason for that: employment is absolutely vital to the health and success of a family, to social mobility and to real and enduring hope for the future.
In the struggle to end poverty in our community, we all have a job to do. I know I certainly do. I remember one morning the news shows were covering the up and down swings of the stock market. I wasnt too worried about my own tiny stock portfolio, but I did ask myself, how will this affect Catholic Charities? How will this affect the people who support Catholic Charities and care about the mission? What about the growing number of people who turn to us for help? How can I ensure our staff have the resources they need?
It starts with me. When my program managers have a need, I want to try my best to say yes whenever I can. Thats because when people who are struggling come to our doors, it is critical that our staff can say, Yes, I can help you.
It is time for us to start saying yes more and dreaming about how we can better serve our brothers and sisters. I hope that you, too, as someone who cares about Catholic Charities and our work, will keep saying yes in your support of our efforts. I am truly grateful for the dedicated and incredible network of people who have made the Catholic Charities mission possible for more than 80 years.
Catholic Charities is the social ministry outreach of the Archdiocese of Washington. Motivated by the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, and guided by Catholic social and moral teaching, Catholic Charities strengthens the lives of all in need by giving help that empowers and hope that lasts. To this end we affirm and support the dignity of all human life, strengthen families and serve the poor and most vulnerable
Cognizant of our responsibility to the community, we will be recognized as an effective advocate for social justice. We will be a catalyst by which people are inspired and motivated to serve the poor and the vulnerable. We will create networks, work with parishes and partner with all who share our goals.
We will remain committed to the poor, especially the homeless, immigrant newcomers at-risk and persons with mental and developmental disabilities. We will help individuals and families move from crisis and isolation to stability and growth. We will be accessible to those in need through comprehensive, integrated and culturally competent services. We will help all who want to get and hold a job to do so.
By setting standards of excellence and best practices, we will provide an environment in which our staff and volunteers can grow, contribute their best efforts and value their investment in our mission.
Catholic Charities assists individuals and families in need, especially those who are most vulnerable. We believe in helping people develop the skills and strength to move from crisis or isolation to stability and growth. We focus on prevention when possible, intervention when needed and advocacy when resources or opportunities are either inadequate or unfair. We are guided in this work by the richness of Catholic Social Teaching.
We are strengthened through partnerships with other providers, government agencies, foundations, businesses, individuals, schools and churches, especially our Catholic parishes. We collaborate with these resources and other community assets to offer programs that are effective and fiscally sound.
While Catholic Charities is the philanthropic arm of the Archdiocese of Washington, only about 1.5% of our overall funding comes from the Archdiocese, which allows the agency to operate autonomously in our mission to serve the most vulnerable in our community. In addition, as specified by law, all funding the agency receives must be used to support the designated Catholic Charities program and/or services.
