New Website

Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio now has a new website . . . .  www.ccswoh.org.  Please visit and check it out.

Latest news for the CCSWO can be found at the new site.

Bulletin Announcements can also be found at the new site.

Text for Hunger – Benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank

Outnumber Hunger

Through March 24th, as part of the “Outnumber Hunger” campaign, every time someone texts “Hunger” followed by the zip code of our Second Harvest Food Bank (i.e. “Hunger45503”) to 35253, General Mills & Sam’s Club will donate $1.56 to the Catholic Charities’ Second Harvest Food Bank in Springfield, Ohio.

Thanks to all who text!!

“Outnumber Hunger” is an initiative of General Mills and a registered trademark of General Mills used with permission.  Copyright 2013.

New Workshops & Classes

Catholic Charities has some great workshops planned for the next three months . . . .

Parenting & Life Skills Workshops

• March 5th — Coping Skills for Children in Crisis – Cincinnati Red Cross, 2111 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati (7:00-8:30pm) – no fee.
• March 14th — Better than Yelling – St. Vincent Ferrer Parish, 7754 Montgomery Road, Kenwood (7:00-8:30pm) – $15/person.
• April 11th — Frantic Families: Avoiding the Trap – St. Vincent Ferrer, Kenwood (7:00-8:30pm) – $15/person.

For more information, contact Sandy Keiser at (513) 241-7745 or skeiser@ccswoh.org.

Caregivers Assistance Network Classes

• February 20th — Baby Boomers as Caregivers: How Do We Manage? – MariElder Senior Center, 6923 Madisonville Road, Mariemont (6:30-8:00pm).
• February 27th — Roadmap to Veteran Benefits – Kindred Nursing & Rehabilitation, 700 Monroe Road, Lebanon (7:00-8:30pm).
• March 12th — Beyond Driving with Dignity/Parkinson Support Group – St. Mary Parish, S. Main Street & First Street, Franklin (1:30-3:00pm).
• March 20th —Facing the Long-Term Care Decision – MariElder Senior Center, 6923 Madisonville Road, Mariemont (6:30-8:00pm).
• March 20th — Medicare Fraud & Identity Theft Prevention Forum – Maple Knoll Village, 11100 Springfield Pike, Springdale (4:00-7:00pm).

No fee for CAN classes.  For more information, contact Margaret Iannaci at (513) 929-4483 or miannaci@ccswoh.org.  Also visit the Network’s Caring Matters website.

Seniors Helping Seniors

In business, the term “win-win” refers to successful collaboration between partners. In this corner of Ohio, “win-win” can apply to the Senior Companion Program that Catholic Charities offers the elderly.

Low-income adults age 55 and older can become senior companions to ease the loneliness and lift the spirits of the homebound elderly. They also perform simple, but vital, household duties and chores.

Senior companions get something out of the program, too: new experiences, new friends – and knowing they have made a difference in someone’s life.

The Senior Companion Program has been around since 1968, initially through the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare and its Administration on Aging. Catholic Charities launched a pilot program the same year.

“It was so successful, the government extended the project until it became a fully funded program,” reports Celeste Walker, Director of the Senior Corps program for the agency. Today, the Senior Companion Program is administered by a federal agency called the Corporation for National and Community Service, and Catholic Charities receives funds to cover costs to help volunteers provide assistance to the elderly.

“Each year, we serve an average of 300 clients,” Walker says of Catholic Charities. “While other agencies provide companions, we are the only agency that offers the Senior Companion Program – with the distinction being our program consists of seniors serving seniors.”

Catholic Charities looks for compassionate volunteers to visit the elderly, and to help them remain as independent as they can in their own homes. These senior companions let family members know if they notice a decline in the elderly person’s health or if extra help is needed. They can give caregivers a break or run errands.

Take it from Dorothy, who lives in Mt. Healthy. “I need help getting to the doctor’s office. I’m not easy on my feet,” she explains. She contacted Catholic Charities about a year ago and appreciates the weekly help volunteer Sarah provides.

“Sarah is a lovely lady. She’s very polite,” Dorothy says. “She treats me with dignity, and she’s keeping an eye on me.” Sarah often transports Dorothy to doctors’ appointments. “It’s just little things like that, but it’s big when you can’t do it yourself,” Dorothy says.

Another senior in Mt. Healthy, Rita, learned about Catholic Charities from a friend. Now Rita values support from volunteer, Shelley Bennett. “Shelley comes on Tuesdays,” she says, and together they compile a grocery list. “She goes to the grocery, and there have been times when there may be another errand,” Rita says. “She’s so nice, very nice. It’s great.”

Shelley retired in 2009 – and soon realized she needed to feel useful again. Then she learned about Senior Companions. By the end of 2010, she had joined a friend as a Senior Companions volunteer. “It sounded like something I would like to do,” Shelley says.

Senior companions receive 40 hours of training, which prepares them to deal with a variety of situations, including handling seniors with dementia, mental illness, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and other special needs. They can serve up to 40 hours per week. They receive mileage reimbursement and some qualify to earn a tax-free, hourly stipend. Volunteers usually spend time in private homes.

Shelley has had three clients. She shops and provides Rita transportation for errands and lunch with friends. She cooks for a Lincoln Heights woman and takes her to medical appointments. She used to read to a blind woman, who has since passed away.

Shelley sees herself volunteering for the foreseeable future because “there are a lot of seniors out there who just need companionship – and I enjoy it,” she says.

That sounds like a “win-win” for everyone.

For more information, call Ruthann at (513) 241-7745.

From War Refugee to American Hopeful

Twenty-two year old Nupcia Mbilampassia is a beautiful young mother with a shy smile. She’s a university graduate who likes to go to the park and hang out with her 2-year old daughter and friends. She’s got a job, goes to church, and, to an outsider, looks like your typical Cincinnatian.

But looks are deceiving. Nupcia has had a life of upheaval. This spring, she came to Cincinnati from Gabon, a small West African nation that sits between Cameroon and Congo. She was a war refugee, originally from the Republic of Congo, where civil war broke out when she was just eight years old, forcing her family from their home. Even after the fighting stopped, the political situation in Congo did not improve.

After 14 years as a refugee, she was granted the status to leave Gabon. Nupcia came to the United States, with her daughter Serlya Makita, as a client of Catholic Charities’ Refugee Settlement Services. She had to make the difficult decision to leave without her husband, who is waiting to join her in the U.S.

Nupcia lives in Price Hill in an apartment with her baby girl, joined by her sister and nephew, who’ve relocated to Cincinnati and live with her. Nupcia speaks fluent French and is learning English.

She came to Cincinnati in March 2012, and got a job soon after. Like many immigrants before her, she is starting at an entry-level job.  “I am working at DHL. The type of job that I am doing is sorting letters based on zip code,” she says. She has already been recognized for her hard work and has gone from part-time to full-time.

Catholic Charities has been very helpful in connecting her with the resources she needs to make a home in Cincinnati.

To help her get started, Catholic Charities helped her get an apartment, pay for her rent and other necessities; and she’s receiving financial assistance from the government. She’s quick to point out that, as her income increases, the assistance level will go down.

When a car became available for Catholic Charities to give to a refugee client, the decision was easy as to who it should go to-Nupcia (see photo).  She’d never had one in her home country and it is important to her. “This helps me with my job, so I can get to work,” she says.

Catholic Charities is the only provider of direct resettlement services for war, religious and political refugees in Hamilton County and Southwestern Ohio. Over the past thirty-one years, more than 11,000 refugees have been resettled in the Greater Cincinnati area under the auspices of Catholic Charities, which works with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the U.S. Department of State.

The program helps refugees before they travel from their refugee nation, once they arrive in the U.S., and after they’re settled. Once they are in Cincinnati, the agency helps refugees find work, housing and English courses, in addition to getting proper documentation like a Social Security card.

Nupcia hasn’t quite adjusted to the U.S. culture, especially the food. But she’s made friends through church, and likes to learn about the city through their eyes. She’s doing well, but some days are tough in a totally new environment.

“It’s very difficult or hard, but its OK,” she says with a smile.

In Gabon, she studied marketing, but hopes to get an IT degree here. The challenge is that she has to start over academically. “I want to pursue my studies. I have to get my GED and then I can go to a university here,” she says.

Nupcia has gone from a future of refugee uncertainty to one of American hope.

Friends & Fellowship in Brown County

A cloudy, brisk October Monday afternoon felt a little warmer inside a small brick building in Brown County. There were warm smiles, gentle humor and laughter as a group of senior citizens gathered for a rousing card game of Maneuver as they waited for lunch to be delivered.

“You can have as many players as you want and play as many cards as you want,” said Dora.

“But you can tell as many stories as you want as you play!” George chimed in as he was waiting for his cards to be dealt from Dora.

The jokes, bantering and chatter continued even as Nancy Stegbauer, director of the Northern Brown County Senior Center returned with pizza. She’s been the director for the last 23 years when the local community determined there was a need for the service.

In 1989, Catholic Charities partnered with the Ursulines of Brown County and Chatfield College to form the Center.

The Center is a program of Catholic Charities and helps area seniors and people with disabilities who have limited mobility. It is funded by a percentage of an Ohio Department of Aging levy and some assistance from United Way.

“Our days are filled with doctors’ appointments, errands, grocery trips, welfare checks and yes, an occasional veterinary trip,” Stegbauer said. “We gather here on Mondays and Thursdays for socializing, card games and just to be together. This is a very good group. They really do look out for one another.”

The Center helps 131 people in the panhandle area of Brown County who are mostly referred from other agencies. On this day, about a dozen seniors were gathered around a table playing and enjoying conversation.  Stegbauer said most of them have family to care for them but they may work or have limited resources to provide the care required.

“I love coming here on Mondays and Thursdays,” said Anna. “It keeps me motivated. It keeps me alive to know I’m going to see my friends. They take us on the most wonderful trips like to the Zoo, the Brown County Fair, Kings Island, Chillicothe and so many other places. It is truly a wonderful place to be.”

For Nancy, the purpose of the center is more than errands and social gatherings. It fulfills a need for the community and, for her, fulfills a desire to help others.

“I wanted to be a missionary when I grew up. Most people thought you had to go out of the country to do that kind of work,” she said, smiling. “However, when you pay attention to what God tells you and listen to what He wants you to do; sometimes you find people who need the most help are right in your own community.”

Laughter echoed through the other room as the card game and lunch continued. Sunlight streamed through the windows as the group started to plan for when they would get together next.

For more information, call Nancy at (513) 875-2317.

Tips for Helping Children Following a Crisis

When a major crisis hits involving children, parents and teachers often need tips on helping children through the crisis.  Sandy Keiser, a licensed social worker and the Community Education Specialist for Catholic Charities of SW Ohio, has the following advice.

Tips for Helping Children Following a Crisis

1. Be sensitive to what children already know and take your cues from them; recognize that some parents may have chosen to protect their children from this tragedy or the details. With young primary aged children, allow them to introduce the topic first.
2. If children ask about it, find out what they know before answering; (ask, What do you know or understand? how do you feel? How can I help?)
3. When offering prayers, use simple language, such as “We lift up in prayer all people who have died as a result of violence”, rather than identifying specifics that might be too much information for young children.
4. Limit the amount of exposure your children have to the coverage on TV and other forms of media. Pre-school age children will have a limited understanding of what they see and hear, and may draw conclusions that are fearful to them. This also applies to older children and adults who may have mental limitations.
5. Offer children opportunities to discuss their feelings, perhaps in a family discussion. Let them know that all of their feelings are OK to have.
6. Give simple, honest answers to questions, based on the level of understanding for each child.
7. Encourage older children to think and talk about their beliefs about what this means to them, or what action they might take.
8. If they ask, “Will this happen here?” Let them know the safety measures that are in place at your school.
9. Children need reassurance. Let them know that you love and cherish them and that you and them can handle whatever happens.
10. This event may stir up similar events for students who have experienced the violent death of a family member or close friend and they may need to talk or write or draw about that; encourage them to do so. If there are young children who may not have been exposed to the TV coverage, make arrangements to talk with the student individually, or have them speak with the school counselor or social worker.

PRAY!!! for yourselves, your families, the first responders and their families, our world, and PEACE!

For more information regarding programs, services or supportive options please contact Sandy at (513) 241-7745 or skeiser@catholiccharitiesswo.org.

Catholic Charities of SW Ohio Collecting Donations for Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief

Catholic Charities of SW Ohio is collecting donations for the Disaster Relief efforts of Catholic Charities USA in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast.

Catholic Charities USA and its network of agencies in the Northeast are helping families recover from Hurricane Sandy.  First, they will serve as an early responder to their immediate needs and, later, they will help people rebuild their lives.  Relief and recovery services are being provided at the local level by Catholic Charities agencies that provide critical services including emergency food, shelter, direct financial assistance, counseling, and support. These services are provided regardless of religion, race, creed, or socio-economic status.

Donations are needed from across the nation to help in these relief efforts.  “This is a time when we need to come together as a nation and Church, helping those of our brothers and sisters who are being left vulnerable and in need,” explained Ted Bergh, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities of SW Ohio.  “It doesn’t matter where we live, we are all impacted by the damage and suffering caused by this storm.”

Monetary donations can be sent to Catholic Charities of SW Ohio, 100 East Eighth Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 or by going to http://www.CatholicCharitiesSWO.org and clicking on the “Donate Now” button.  All donations will go to Catholic Charities USA.

 

Su Casa Hispanic Center Receiving National, State & Local Recognition

For their outstanding contribution to the Latino/Hispanic community, the team at the Su Casa Hispanic Center, a program of Catholic Charities of SW Ohio, was recognized with three key awards in September & October.

• The National Society of Hispanic MBAs awarded its national Brillante Award for Community Service Excellence on October 6^th in Orlando, Florida.
• At the LULAC Cincinnati Community Awards Gala on September 29^th, LULAC awarded its Hispanic Serving Institution Award to Su Casa.
• On October 12^th, the Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs recognized Giovanna Alvarez, Director of Su Casa, as a Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan.

Su Casa Hispanic Center serves the Latino and Hispanic immigrant community of Greater Cincinnati.  Su Casa works with these families to help them access education, employment, health care and social services with the ultimate goal of assisting them in becoming fully integrated members of the greater Cincinnati community.

Meet the Farmers

The following article is from our Fall Newsletter . . . .

Two little boys have made their mark on a Maineville, Ohio, home – and in the hearts of their parents, Julie and Jay Farmer. It’s hard to imagine anything could make the couple happier.

Julie and Jay married a year after college, and knew they wanted to be parents someday. “We weren’t interested in having kids right away,” says Jay, “till a certain point in our careers.” They didn’t foresee the impact of infertility treatments, eventual pregnancy, and the painful loss of a child.

In 2002, they welcomed their daughter, Kaylee, into their lives.  Sadly, six months later, Kaylee died due to congenital health problems.

After a period of mourning, the Farmers, parishioners at St. Margaret of York Parish, turned once again to infertility treatments; this time without becoming pregnant.

Eventually the couple considered adoption at the suggestion of friends who used the services of our agency and, as Julie says, are “big proponents.”

Among its many services, Catholic Charities is a private child placement agency that provides personal, professional help to families seeking to adopt.

Julie, a senior researcher with Procter & Gamble, and Jay, a science teacher at Lakota Ridge Junior High School, in their early 30s, began attending classes on Saturdays to understand what adoption would mean for the child, the birthparents and them – if they chose to proceed. Julie, who had borne the brunt of emotional and hormonal changes due to infertility treatments, was ready. Jay was, too.

“A friend at work told me ‘Once you made the decision, you looked happy again,’” Julie remembers.

Catholic Charities’ vetting process began. Julie and Jay’s first assignment was to respond separately to a long questionnaire. They were interviewed, together and separately. They had to gather their birth certificates and marriage license, even their dog’s veterinary records. They needed a home inspection report, financial history and credit checks. They had to pass criminal background checks. They also had to obtain letters of recommendation from family and friends.

They describe the thorough process matter-of-factly. “You’ve got to go into this with your whole heart,” Jay says. “How much do you want to parent?”

When they completed their application, the agency’s social workers then encouraged them not to sit by the phone anxiously awaiting a call. Julie and Jay complied, taking time for themselves and enjoying new cars and trips.

As the coupled learned, “It’s up to God,” Julie explains. “It’s His timing, not your timing.”

Months later, when Jay called Catholic Charities to check on their paperwork, he received an unexpected update: A woman had chosen the Farmers to adopt the baby boy she was close to delivering.

At first, the couple kept the news to themselves. “We didn’t want to tell anyone till the baby was in the house!” Julie recalls. They only told their employers because they needed time off work. Then, during an evening with close friends, Jay reminded them of their offer of infant clothes and other items. He still remembers their astonished faces when he told them, “‘Looks like we’re going to need them…now!’”

Zachary was born on a Friday, and by Sunday the family was home, Julie says, and Zachary and Jay “watched their first football game together!”

Both sets of grandparents live out of town, and were surprised and elated by the news and photos sent by email.

Since the Farmers had chosen the path of foster-to-adopt, they realized either birthparent could reclaim Zachary during the first months of life. “It was a risk, but it was worth three months of having him,” Jay says.

The process of adopting their second child was much different.

Julie recognized a coworker as having delivered a testimonial at church about adoption before he and his wife had three children of their own, and Julie and he became acquainted. Later, the man’s daughter found she was pregnant and wanted to offer her baby for adoption.

By coincidence, the daughter discovered the Farmers among the Adoption Profiles on Catholic Charities’ website and shared it with her father. Recognizing Julie, the man contacted her to ask if the Farmers would be willing to adopt his daughter’s child. Julie and Jay recommended involving Catholic Charities – not only because the couple was familiar with its adoption process, but because they knew the young woman would receive care and counseling needed to be certain of her decision.

A few months later, Nathan was born. And because of the open nature of the adoption, the birthmother and her family have become friends of the Farmers and both sons.

Today, Julie and Jay are thrilled with their family and grateful to Catholic Charities. Zachary is 5 ½ and Nathan is 2. Kaylee is not forgotten. “We have two healthy boys. We had a girl,” Julie says. “You can’t ask for much more,” adds Jay.

-Connie Ruhe