Catholic Charities is Providing Hope and Creating Help in the New Year

Catholic Charities Bloomington

Catholic Charities Bloomington is excited to offer some new group therapy options in the new year! Beginning mid-January, Helen Johnston, LCSW will facilitate the Parent Self-Esteem and Support Group. This newly developed program aims to build confidence in parents and guardians through meaningful connection with others walking a similar path. Parenting can feel isolating, and this group will help overcome some of those normal feelings of isolation and frustration. Group members will trace their individual parenting influences and learn skills to improve emotional intelligence. The group will be offered over Zoom and run from January through March and is exclusively available to current CCB clients.

Additionally, Sheri Benham, LCSW, will offer a group called “Transitions” beginning in early 2022. This group is designed for individuals who are undergoing big life changes, such as graduation from school, divorce, the death of a loved one, a major move or job shift, etc. Sheri will employ the art of writing as a therapeutic technique to help clients express the complexities of their new phases of life. By writing and sharing their stories, participants will hopefully experience healing and catharsis. This group is open to individuals who are current CCB clients and are 18 and above. Look for a few more groups to be added to our offerings in 2022 guided by CCB therapists! Learn more at www.ccbin.org

Becky's Place

Terri* came to Becky’s Place in April of 2021. She had been living out of state but decided to come home to Bedford. Terri has a long history of trauma in her life and struggled putting the pieces together to move on and restart her life. She came to Becky’s Place to start over and utilize our services to help get her back on her feet.

While she was here, Terri found her dream job and was able to use some training that she had taken several years ago. We worked closely with her on a budget, and she began to save her money. She was able to get treatment for both her physical and mental health. While at Becky’s Place, Terri developed several support systems including friendships, attended group sessions, and personal journaling. She worked tirelessly on her personal goals every week. She was able to obtain all her personal documents and started a file to save important paperwork. She worked on her time management and we helped her make and set a daily routine. It makes a huge difference to develop a routine and stick to it when you have not had this in your life before. Terri developed self-confidence and worked on her self-care daily.

After seven months of working, saving, and putting all the individual pieces together, Terri found her own apartment! She was able to move into her very own place, for the first time in her life. It was hers, all hers! We helped her to find household items and furniture to set up her own home. She even has her own Christmas Tree! She has taken everything she was taught and rebuilt her life! We are very proud of her! Learn more at www.beckysplacebedford.org

*name changed for privacy

Catholic Charities Indianapolis

School Social Work Codirector Recognized as

Indiana School Social Worker of the Year

We are pleased to share that Patrice Uminski, Codirector of our School Social Work Program, was recently named School Social Worker of the Year by the Indiana School Social Work Association. Patrice has a passion for school social work, whether it’s working with and advocating for her students; collaborating with teachers; or providing guidance and support for parents. Patrice credits the great work that her colleagues are doing in receiving this award. Patrice was recognized at a small banquet in mid-November. Our School Social Work program serves over 2,000 school children in 29 Indianapolis Metro Catholic schools along with consultation services for teachers and parents. Congratulations again to Patrice on this great honor. For more information about our School Social Work Program visit our website.

St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities

St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities Awarded Domestic Violence

Bonus Project Grant

The Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA) has awarded St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities with Domestic Violence Transitional Housing and Rapid Rehousing funds.

Currently St. Elizabeth serves homeless women and children in their emergency shelter program. The agency has created partnerships with the Center for Women and Families and Homeless Coalition of Southern Indiana to provide the next steps of support once the immediate crisis of domestic violence is stabilized for women in need of transitional housing or rapid rehousing options. This will not be a crisis shelter but will be the next step of support needed once their crisis is stabilized.

Over the years St. Elizabeth has adapted their programs to better meet changing needs in the community. A key increase identified over the past few years was a dramatic rise in domestic violence reported among shelter residents. In 2020, 43% of program intakes reported domestic violence as a key factor contributing to their current homelessness. Funding will be specifically used to assist this underserved population through a trauma-informed care approach to begin the healing process, offer intensive case management, and provide transitional housing and rapid rehousing options with the goal of achieving stability and self-sufficiency for these households. You can see some of the news coverage that St. Elizabeth has received for these new programs by clicking here and here.

Catholic Charities Tell City

Catholic Charities Tell City continues to support those impacted by COVID-19 by helping families with rent and utilities assistance. They have assisted 25 families with funds from an Economic Relief Initiative United Way Grant. This means that 25 families were able to remain in their homes since their rent was covered. This has been a blessing for the people of Perry County, Indiana. Thank you so much to United Way of Central Indiana for granting us this funding. Learn more on their website.

Catholic Charities Terre Haute

Located in West Terre Haute, the (soon-to-be-open) West Vigo Middle School Pantry will help to alleviate food insecurity for the students of its community. The school first served as a Mobile Pantry distribution site in 2021 and was part of a project intended to provide fresh, nutritious food to students and their families during the summer break. After seeing the success and impact of the distribution, Ryan Easton, Principal of WV Middle School; Allison Finzel, Community Wellness Coordinator, Purdue Extension; and John Etling, Catholic Charities Agency Director, joined forces to create a permanent pantry on campus. While located in the middle school, the pantry is open to all students.

Students, staff and the community have embraced this program from all sides. A student has focused his Eagle Scout project on setting up the shelving, painting, and organizing the Pantry. The Vigo County School Corporation supplied start-up materials and the West Vigo Community Center donated shelf stable items remaining from their Christmas distribution. Duke Energy presented a $3,000 grant to provide food through Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank!

As many as 1 in 5 youth in this community struggle with food insecurity. This impacts every aspect of their lives, including their education. Imagine trying to focus and do well in school when you haven’t eaten since your school lunch the day before – this happens to students every day. “We look forward, as a Middle School and High School, to provide a ’little extra’ for our students and their families in times of need. This is long overdue, and we look forward to working with Catholic Charities and others to provide this blessing to our families,” says Ryan Easton, West Vigo MS/HS Principal.

The West Vigo Middle School Pantry will provide students with food to fill their tummies in a respectful and welcoming way and will no doubt make a difference in the lives of the students that walk its halls. Visit our website to learn more

Social Concerns

January is Human Trafficking Awareness month. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis looks to support our parish and school communities in better understanding what is human trafficking and its impact in our communities. Those caught in the web of sex and labor trafficking are often hidden in plain sight. Traffickers can be any race, color, sex and social economic background. Learn how you can make a difference. Catholic Charities - Social Concerns offers a Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention training that covers the following:

· What exactly is human trafficking?

· Breaking down the myths of human trafficking

· Who is vulnerable

· What the risk factors

· The Red Flags of sex and labor trafficking

· The grooming process

· Understanding the risk factors of social media and online activities

· How to keep children from falling prey to online predators

· Learn practical steps adults and caregivers can take to keep children safe

If your parish or school is interested in hosting a Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Presentation, please contact Theresa Chamblee at tchamblee@archindy.org

Save the Date

Catholic Charities Terre Haute Soup Bowl Benefit

In lieu of an in-person event, the 2022 Soup Bowl Benefit presents a Soup Passport – a collection of coupons to local establishments that will entitle the holder to a free or discounted bowl of soup! A limited number of the beautifully hand-crafted soup bowls, a Benefit staple, are available.

Click here to purchase your Soup Passport

Archdiocese of Indianapolis Legacy Gala

Date: Friday, February 25, 2022

Time: 6:00pm

Location: JW Marriott Indianapolis

Details: The second annual Archdiocese of Indianapolis Legacy Gala benefitting Catholic Charities, Catholic Schools and Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary. Contact Cheri Bush for ticket or sponsor information or visit: www.archindy.org/legacygala2022. Please RSVP no later than 2/14

Becky’s Place Shelterbration

Date: Saturday, April 9

Location: Shamrock Center

Details: Join us for our Shelterbration featuring resident’s success stories, silent auction and the Becky’s Place awards. More information can be found at www.beckysplacebedford.org

Catholic Charities Indianapolis Simple Soup & Bread Luncheon

Date: Thursday, April 14

Location: The Catholic Center

Details: Join us for our annual Holy Thursday Soup & Bread Luncheon. Stay turned to helpcreatehope.org for additional information.

St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities Giving Hope, Changing Lives Annual Gala

Date: Thursday, April 21

Location: The Galt House

Details: St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities Annual Gala will be on Thursday, April 21^st at The Galt House in Downtown Louisville. Stay tuned for updates at stecharities.org

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“The poor you will always have with you...” Mark 14:7

Who will support the work of Catholic Charities after you are gone? Including Catholic Charities Indianapolis in your will can continue your Corporal Work of Mercy for years to come. To learn more about how you can plan a lasting gift through legacy planning, contact our Director of Mission Advancement, Cheri Bush at 317-236-1411 or Director of Major and Planned Gifts, Kim Pohovey at 317-236-1568 or kpohovey@archindy.org.