2011-2012 Annual Report - Catholic Charities

6
Our Clients’ Stories
Never Had to Ask for Help
A single dad and his nine year old daughter returned to Catholic
Charities late in the afternoon to bring back paperwork needed
for utility assistance. The caseworker who had seen them earlier in
the day had gone home so Jeanne Hayes, Director of Emergency
Assistance, asked them to come to her office while she verified
the documentation.
As she reviewed the file, he anxiously began to tell what had brought
him to Catholic Charities. He stated he couldn’t believe he was in
this situation and had never asked for help before. He had recently
lost his job in the information technology field, due to company
down-sizing, and even with a bachelor’s degree and experience he
was having a difficult time finding another job. To make matters
worse he was without his car because the motor had blown. He had
to borrow a car to come to Catholic Charities. As a single father
of three elementary school aged daughters his main concern was
finding a way to keep his lights on and his children fed.
Throughout their conversation he kept saying he didn’t know if
he could take anymore. Tears welled up in his eyes as he softly
asked if she had food. As tears rolled down his face, he explained
how hard it was to keep the children fed, especially since it was
summer. That very day there had not been enough food for
everyone to eat, so he fed the girls and went without food himself.
He handed her his resume and asked if she knew of a job. Jeanne
asked another staff member to prepare some bags of food for his
family from our food pantry. Jeanne glanced over his resume and
tried to keep back her own tears.
Camp – A Family Affair
Annette is a single mother of three beautiful daughters. Her nine
year old daughter, Kaci, has Down Syndrome and requires more
care, as do most special needs children. In addition to caring for
her girls, Annette also has a full-time job and although her days
are long and exhausting, she never complains, and says that all of
her girls bring great joy into her life.
She heard about Camp I Am Special at church and thought it
sounded like a wonderful opportunity for her family to volunteer
together. Annette and her daughters helped out in the kitchen,
and when she saw how much the Campers loved being there
and how they received one on one attention because they were
matched up with a trained teenaged Buddy, she wondered if Kaci
would enjoy it. Annette was nervous about leaving Kaci overnight,
so Camp Director, Rebecca
Aleman, said that Kaci
could try it out during the
day for a couple of days. She
loved it and couldn’t wait to
be a Camper!
Karli and Kaitlynn volunteering in the kitchen.
The next summer Kaci
was enrolled as a Camper,
the oldest daughter Karli
volunteered as a Buddy and
Annette and her middle
Fortunately, he had brought in the needed documentation and
utility assistance would be provided. Jeanne was also able to give
him information on other resources, our food pantry, and the free
USDA summer food program for children. She gave him her card
and encouraged him to watch Catholic Charities’ website for more
details about the start up of our Workforce Development Program.
As they were handed the bags of food, the young man and his
daughter repeatedly expressed their gratitude. He continued to
tell Jeanne he did not know what he would have done without
Catholic Charities’ help because he was at a point that he could
not handle another negative thing happening. He appreciated
the utility assistance, the resource information, and the words of
encouragement. Jeanne watched as the little girl helped her dad
carry the bags of food to the borrowed car and silently prayed that
things would get better for this family.
daughter Kaitlynn volunteered in the kitchen. It was a real
family affair.
Karli has continued volunteering as a Buddy for the past
two summers and for some of the mini-camps. She will be a
senior in high school this year and is considering going into
physical therapy for special needs patients, because of her camp
experiences. Kaitlynn hasn’t been old enough to be a Buddy but is
looking forward to being one next summer. “I think it is important
to help the kids at camp feel like they can do anything,” said
Kaitlynn when asked why she likes to volunteer.
Close friends of Annette’s encouraged her to take advantage of
the break the camp offers parents of children with disabilities.
“It was hard for me to give up that
family time together, and to let
go and allow the camp to care for
Kaci. This year I volunteered at
the beginning of Kaci’s week in
camp, but when I gave her a hug
one morning and she said with a
big smile, ‘Hi mommy, going home
now?’ I knew I could leave with
total confidence that she was happy
Kaci enjoying some pool time at
Camp I Am Special.
and secure, and that feeling was
such a blessing.”