CAT-07201 Annual Report_029.indd - Catholic Charities of the ...

A Report to the Community from the Executive Director
Monsignor Kevin Sullivan
For 200 years, Catholics
of New York have
provided help and created
hope for New Yorkers in
need—Catholics and
non-Catholics alike. We
furthered this mission in
1917 by pulling together,
under the umbrella of
Catholic Charities, a broad
network of agencies serving
the most vulnerable.
Allow me to share with
you how this mission
was faithfully advanced
in 2007.
Strengthening
Families and
Resolving Crises
Shortly before Christmas,
I took part in one of our
most joy-filled annual events,
St. Nicholas Shopping Day.
Along with 120 volunteers,
we combed the aisles of
Kmart® buying gifts for 353
families. Thanks to donors’
generosity, we purchased
the basic necessities—
coats, gloves, blankets and
socks—that our families
cannot afford. To further
help them celebrate a
merry holiday, we supplemented
these essentials
with toys donated by
company toy drives.
In itself, this would have
been a terrific way to
start the Christmas Season.
But later that afternoon,
Sandra, one of the store’s
employees, introduced
herself and told me her
story. She said, as best
I can remember, that:
“Everyone abandoned me
when I became pregnant
20 years ago. My grandmother
told me to move
out. The baby’s father
disappeared. Others told
me to have an abortion.
I was frightened and
overwhelmed. Then I met
two Sisters from a small
Catholic Charities office
on Manhattan’s Lower East
Side. Instead of having
to give up my baby, they
gave me the support I
needed to raise her, helping
us find shelter and meet
basic needs.
It was rough. Without
them, it would have been
a disaster. My “baby” is now
19, in college and studying
to become a teacher.
I have my own apartment
in Brooklyn and manage
the men’s department
here at Kmart®. When I saw
Catholic Charities helping
other families today, I had
to thank you for supporting
those like me who have
nowhere else to turn.”
Protecting and
Nurturing Children
and Youth
Now let me tell you about
1,100 far less hopeful stories
about young adults each
year forced out of foster
care and abandoned to
New York City’s streets.
As children, they suffered
abuse and neglect. Now,
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