Each day, because of the cumulative actions of hundreds of staff and volunteers at Catholic Charities and our partner organizations, thousands of people and families throughout southwest Florida are: fed, housed, have jobs, learn new skills, are kept safe, find healing, hope and a renewed sense of self-worth, dignity and belonging. Every small action by every staff member and volunteer makes a difference! Together, we are a powerful, positive change-agent in our community and in the lives of so many individuals who need our help.

Throughout COVID-19, our donors have been and continue to be most generous. Thank You to so many of the parishes and parishioners that collected food and funds for our food pantries. Thank You to the Sewing Ministry at Our Lady of Lourdes in Venice and St. John the Evangelist in Naples for hand-made clothing and masks. Thank You to Catholic Charities Foundation for their continued support. Thank You to all our volunteers who have done so much to support us during this time!

Thank You ALL for your generosity and support now and always!

Growing up in a small country in Africa, our client witnessed a civil war that took the lives of millions of people, including children her age. After the war, she was able to continue her education, graduated from high school and obtained a job as an International Flight Attendant, giving her the opportunity to emigrate to the United States.

Once in the US, our client attended the University of Pennsylvania to study medicine. During this time, she got married, had children, graduated from medical school, and practiced medicine for over a decade. Unfortunately, domestic violence ended her marriage and almost took her life and that of one of her children.

About five years ago, she moved to Florida for a fresh start. Our client was working on putting the broken pieces of her life together including renewing her medical license. Unfortunately, she had been away from medicine for over four years and was required to complete a Physician Refresher course.

Her marriage left her financially and emotionally shattered. A mentor paid for her course, but she had little time to study because she needed to work full time to support her children. She tried to juggle both studies and work but was unsuccessful.

That's when someone told her about Catholic Charities.

Silvia Garcia, Empowerment Coordinator at Catholic Charities, enrolled her in the Empowerment Program where she participated in a financial literacy course and weekly counseling. The program took care of her rent for several months allowing her time to study for her medical exams. This past summer, she took her exams and passed!

Without the Empowerment Program, she wouldn't have been able to achieve her dream.

She told us, "I am most grateful to Catholic Charities who support people in need, especially women in my situation. Thank you for all that you do, and God bless you all."

The ongoing pandemic and a potentially harsh hurricane season could combine to make 2020 even worse for Southwest Florida residents.

This is especially true for the most vulnerable communities, which are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Cases continue to rise as we approach peak hurricane season.

In addition to government agencies and relief groups, faith organizations have long been on the front lines of helping people impacted by catastrophes. At Catholic Charities, we have already begun preparing for storm season response efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Wonder!” she exclaimed, “That should be my name because I wonder about everything. People even wonder about my drawings. I once drew an eel and people wondered what it was.”

Wonder, a nine-year-old girl, was brought for therapy last summer because she wished that she were dead. Her mother noted that Wonder appeared sad and that she had become more anxious.

While initially shy, within a few sessions, Wonder relaxed and began to talk about feelings. She said that she missed her old world where her parents were together, and they all lived in the same house. With therapy, she began to understand that her parents were taking time to determine how they could get along better as a family. She understood that this was not her fault but was tough to get used to. Wonder and her counselor read books about bravery and played games to enhance her coping skills.

In March, COVID-19 affected in-person therapeutic services, and necessitated a virtual model. Wonder and her mother are a true example of how everyone needed to work together to make telehealth services work. Mom's work schedule and a lack of privacy made it hard. Plus, they didn't yet have the internet at home, so they needed to rely on a connection from her cellphone for them to receive telehealth.

Once set up, Wonder continued to work on the issues through video therapy. The counselor read books through the screen to help Wonder learn to manage her fears. She was able to work on increasing her coping skills and ways of managing her anger.

During a recent appointment, Wonder said she felt ready to graduate. She and her mother indicated she has been able to separate from her mom and attend sleepovers. They said Wonder now used drawing, deep breathing, listening to music, building Lego cities, and sharing her concerns as coping skills. Wonder said she now felt happy and she wanted to be alive! When she graduated, her certificate read: For Successfully Learning Bravery and Sharing Feelings.