As the new year approaches, we’re looking back at what made 2017 a special year at St. Vincent de Paul. Each day this week we’ll post stories and photos from the past year as we look forward to the challenges and victories to come in 2018.
Our After-School Kids Share in the Joy of Giving as They Box Care Packages for Kids Around The World
Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the January 2017 issue of The Good Samaritan and was written by Linda Romine.
Gabe and Olivia Feinn, a brother and sister team who are 16 and 12, respectively, hosted a Giving and Receiving Christmas Party last month for the children in our after-school program at the Family Success Center. More than 100 volunteers from Southeast Christian Church’s High School Ministry assisted in the long-planned initiative, which they called Operation Christmas Ripples, because the party’s theme was to share with the children the joy of giving as well as receiving.
Gabe and “Liv,” who have been very active in Christian outreach and raised money to renovate a maternity hospital in the Congo, have been volunteering regularly at SVDP’s Family Success Center for more than a year.
Last spring, Gabe and Liv gave a presentation to the children about another one of their projects, to build a well and bring clean water to a village in Niger. Upon hearing about the world water crisis, one child raised his hand to ask if, “We could just bring the villagers some of our water.” This desire to help touched the Feinns’ hearts and spurred their idea for a party in which the children at SVDP would have an opportunity to reach out to others in need and to share in the joy of giving.
At the party, the children packed shoeboxes with care items that were shipped to children worldwide through Operation Christmas Child. Since May, Gabe and Liv had been making cakes to generate donations for the cause.
They had purchased shipping labels, which will notify each child at the Family Success Center when the Operation Christmas Child shoebox that they packed has been delivered to an indigent child somewhere in the world. A large, world map that Gabe and Liv brought to the FSC will allow our SVDP kids here in Louisville to pin their names on the corresponding map locales where their packages have been received. Other activities included storybook time, cupcake decorating and picture-taking. The children also received goody bags filled with candy and other items.
The Number One Team, Inc., is the name of Gabe and Olivia’s 501c3, which was established in 2013. The team has raised money to renovate a maternity hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo and to dig a well for a water-impoverished village in Niger. We thank the Feinns and the rest of their team for sharing their meaningful outreach with the children in our Family Success Center!
Your donations enable St. Vincent de Paul to help thousands of individuals and families with emergency shelter, housing, meals, counseling, addiction recovery, and enrichment opportunities for at-risk youth in an after-school environment.
Thrift Store Offers Mentally Challenged Teens Job Skills Training
Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the April 2017 issue of The Good Samaritan and was written by Linda Romine.
With a keen eye for merchandising and a competitive drive to improve retail sales, Elexia Hieneman enjoys her job as the manager of St. Vincent de Paul’s Thrift Store in Clarksville, IN.
“I am always looking for ways to get more shoppers into our store, just to let people know we’re here, and also to tell them about all the good work that St. Vincent de Paul does in our community,” Hieneman says.
Standing near the furniture display and surveying her store’s racks of clothing and shelves of household items, she noted several customers who have become loyal regulars at the Southern Indiana store.
Other friendly, familiar faces were the volunteers from Clarksville High School. DeAndre, 19, Christopher, 17, and Angelo, 16, are workers with the Greater Clark County Schools’ CHOICE Program, or Community Helping Our Youth In Career Education.
Months ago, Patti Zelli, a job coach with the school system, approached Hieneman about putting some of her students to work volunteering at the Clarksville thrift store. The CHOICE Program serves Clark County students who have disabilities, including learning, emotional, and cognitive disabilities as well as sensory (hearing/vision) disabilities, and autism.
“As the parent of two kids with disabilities, I wanted to say yes right away,” Hieneman says, adding that she welcomed the extra hands as well as the opportunity to empower others in developing life skills that will benefit them in the future.
Formerly homeless at one point in her life, Hieneman worked her way back to stability with
the help of others, including St. Vincent de Paul. As a result, she says, she feels strongly about providing opportunities for others, just as they were given to her.
That’s why the CHOICE Program has been a good fit, she explains. The goal is to give teenagers real, on-the-job training (with their school staff ’s supervision), in the hopes that the students with disabilities will eventually find permanent, paid employment.
Each Monday morning, Zelli accompanies the students to the Clarskville store, where the teens perform such tasks as collecting hangers and tidying shelves. “Sweeping is DeAndre’s very favorite thing,” says, Zelli.
Angelo and Christopher don’t talk much, but it is clear from their attentiveness to detail that they enjoy their work. “They take their jobs very seriously,” Zelli says, before addressing the teens directly. “Don’t you?”
The teens momentarily look up, smiling and nodding in agreement. Then they dive right back into their work, carefully dusting and sweeping as before.
Your donations enable St. Vincent de Paul to help thousands of individuals and families with emergency shelter, housing, meals, counseling, addiction recovery, and enrichment opportunities for at-risk youth in an after-school environment.
Seminary Students Immerse Themselves in Service at SVDP
Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the July 2017 issue of The Good Samaritan and was written by Linda Romine.
Each summer St. Vincent de Paul is blessed to welcome young men from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. to our campus. The students, who are training to become Catholic priests and theologians, live at nearby St. Louis Bertrand Catholic Church’s priory for the summer, and all are assigned to various charities in Louisville during their two months here. This year, we were fortunate to work with Brother Frassati and Brother Bartholomew. We thought you would enjoy getting to know them.
Brother Frassati, O.P. (Order of Preachers)
B.A. in Philosophy from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota
25 years old
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
1. What have you enjoyed so far about your summer with SVDP?
SVDP serves many families with material and social needs, and adjusting to each client has kept me on my toes. Whether shopping with a client at the Food Pantry or playing cards at Tranquil House, I have been nourished by the opportunity to walk with others as Jesus walks with us each day.
2. What, if anything, has surprised you about your work here/and with our clients?
The clients at SVDP are willing to share so much about their lives, but are equally interested in what makes me “tick” as a Dominican Brother. I have been pleasantly surprised at what each day brings while working in the diverse social atmosphere of SVDP.
3. When did you know you wanted to become a priest? Was there a defining moment or experience that solidified this desire?
As a young Catholic, I thought priests gave homilies on Sundays and then read the bible in their rectories the rest of the week! Once I went off to college, I made a good friend who was also a priest. I was able to see his humanity while also looking up to him as a spiritual father. It hit me like a wrecking ball that God could be calling me to give of my life in this way also! It has been six yeas and I haven’t looked back.
4. Tell us something about your chosen name.
I chose the name Frassati because of my devotion to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, a 20th-century lay Dominican who enjoyed hiking, swimming, and serving the poor. Coming from a wealthy Italian family, Frassati saved any money his father would give him and donate it to the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Turin, being led by his love for Jesus to frequently make home visits. After coming in contact with polio from one of his clients, Frassati died within a week at the age of 24. Although the Lord may not be calling me to die of polio, I still feel compelled to emulate his virtues in living a holy joy in the midst of the many messes and distractions of daily life.
5. Tell us something about yourself.
Before joining the Dominicans, I was an avid runner, vocal jazz performer, and lifeguard. I enjoy listening to The Beatles, eating Derby Pie, and meditating on my favorite scripture passage, Romans 12:2. Don’t ask me to bake cookies, but I can make a mean habanero chicken burrito!
Brother Bartholomew, O.P. (Order of Preachers)
B.A.in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry/Mathematics/Computer Science, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
25 years old
Hometown: Chesapeake, VA
1. What have you enjoyed so far about your summer with SVDP?
The most enjoyable part of SVDP is certainly meeting the many different people who we are able to help. It’s a wonderful opportunity to take time and listen to the stories of their lives. Many of them have undergone and are undergoing difficult struggles. Many of them are happy to talk to a brother about God and how He has still been with them in their lives or how they are having trouble finding Him at the moment.
2. What, if anything, has surprised you about your work here/and with our clients?
The most surprising thing about working with SVDP was simply the scope of their services. We are helping out with more than half a dozen different programs while we are here, but there are plenty of men and women we still don’t get a chance to meet. SVDP in Louisville has one of the most effective community outreaches I’ve seen of a charitable organization.
3. When did you know you wanted to become a priest? Was there a defining moment or experience that solidified this desire?
The vocation to the priesthood came to me gradually over several years. After beginning to establish a prayer life my sophomore year in college, I felt the stirrings of a call to a celibate life dedicated to God. In fact I was attracted to religious life and the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, considering becoming a brother and not being ordained, before I felt the call to the priesthood. It was really the attraction of the Eucharist and the desire to be able to celebrate the Mass daily not only for myself but others as well that was the strongest call to the priesthood.
4. Tell us something about your chosen name.
I chose Bartholomew after the Apostle. In the Gospel of John Jesus compliments Nathaniel (another name for Bartholomew) by calling him a true Israelite who has no guile in him. That guilelessness is something I strive for and hope to imitate.
5. Tell us something about yourself.
I love to read! I was a huge fan of sci-fi and fantasy growing up, but have since come to appreciate even more the portraits that the great novelist can paint of people in classic works like the Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I’m also an Eagle Scout and love hiking and camping and spending time in the forests and mountains. As far as aspirations go, I’d love to be sent out to the missions! Our (Dominican) province currently has men in Kenya, and I’m trying to learn a bit of Swahili in case I can go.
Your donations enable St. Vincent de Paul to help thousands of individuals and families with emergency shelter, housing, meals, counseling, addiction recovery, and enrichment opportunities for at-risk youth in an after-school environment.
Volunteers Honored
Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the June 2017 issue of The Good Samaritan and was written by Linda Romine.
Whether baking cookies for the guests in our Open Hand Kitchen, assisting customers who shop in our Food Pantry, or tutoring children after school in our Family Success Center, volunteers are the heart and soul of St. Vincent de Paul’s operations. About 300 of our most active volunteers were honored with an Appreciation Luncheon May 15 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Julie Dolan, WLKY News morning anchor, served as emcee for the program, assisted by SVDP’s Executive Director and CEO Ed Wnorowski and Director of Volunteers and Vincentian Services Donna Young. Eight awards were presented to individuals, teams, and community partners who have dedicated their time and compassion to serving our clients. Those honored were:
Chuck Peters
Volunteer of the Year
Little Flock Baptist Church
Pat Osbourn Award
Ernest Williams
Pay It Forward Award
The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville
Father Timmel Award
Dare to Care Food Bank
Community Partner of the Year
Specialty Foods Group
Corporate Partner of the Year
Father Jerry Timmel
Lifetime Service Award
Randy Coe, President of Kosair Charities
Spirit of de Paul Award
Volunteer of the Year Chuck Peters, a retired businessman, was instrumental in setting up SVDP’s Food Pantry three years ago, and he has volunteered at least two days each week since then. The venue provides free groceries to about 360 households each month. Peters picks up baked goods from Panera and additional food from Dare to Care when needed. And, against policy and advice, he has driven disabled pantry shoppers to their homes. He recognizes the dignity in each, acknowledging that “there but for the grace of God go I.”
The team from Little Flock Missionary Baptist Church which has been serving meals in our OHK for more than 30 years, received the Pat Osbourn Award. Gail Graves, a leader in the congregation, has been instrumental in the group’s outreach. Senior Pastor, the Rev. Bernard Crayton, sees the outreach of Little Flock and SVDP as closely intertwined. Serving much of the same clientele – the poor in our community — the two organizations are also in close proximity, located within a block of each other. This Award honors the spirit of service exemplified by the life of the late Pat Osbourn of St. Albert the Great parish who volunteered in the OHK for more than 25 years.
SVDP client Ernest Williams accepted the Pay It Forward Award, for giving back to the community in volunteer service to others. Williams, a supportive housing client, volunteers in the OHK almost daily. One of his strengths — one that he shares with all of us — is that he chooses to be happy. It is a way of life with him, and it is a gift that he shares with staff, volunteers, and OHK diners.
Ordained in 1956, Father Jerry Timmel has worked with SVDP since retiring in 1999, received a Lifetime Service Award. Father Timmel has been active at SVDP in coordinating outreach opportunities for deacons and their wives. He began the Sunday evening masses in the OHK celebrated on the original altar of St. Paul’s Church. Father Timmel has been a regular at St. Jude, eating dinner with the ladies and always lending an ear to listen to their problems and concerns.
In his honor, SVDP has established the Father Timmel Award, which recognizes a church or faith-based group that volunteers together regularly at SVDP. The award was presented to the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville. Sister Rita Dressman leads a serving team of Ursuline Sisters at the OHK. The sisters also hand address Christmas cards with personal messages of goodwill to clients that frequent the SVDP Food Pantry during the holidays and bake homemade cookies on holidays to pass out to the guests in the OHK.
Dare to Care was named Community Partner of the Year Award. Addressing hunger in our community has been central to SVDP’s mission for decades. Dare to Care Food Bank provides enormous support to our mission in multiple ways:
- Providing food to the OHK where we serve over 160,000 meals a year
- Supporting the children on our campus and in our neighborhood by delivering daily prepared meals for the SVDP Family Success Center’s Kids Café
- And our most recent expansion of the “choice” Food Pantry, providing relief to 360 households every month
The Corporate Partner of the Year Award pays tribute to a business that has contributed significant volunteer time, energy, and/or resources to our mission. A few years ago Specialty Foods Group from Owensboro, Ky., was exploring how a regional company could better connect with hometown communities. The suggestion was made to donate meats that were getting close to their freeze date to local emergency kitchens and food pantries, serving those in need. Clients who use the OHK and Food Pantry have greatly benefitted from this generosity. Over the last few years, Specialty Foods has become one of our most generous benefactors. Our guests have enjoyed a variety of ham, turkey, and other meats. And the Specialty Foods Group team has served in the OHK, offering service with a smile. The team includes Ric Herrera, Greg Faulk, and Laura Davis.
Randy Coe, president of Kosair Charities, received the Spirit of de Paul Award, honoring someone who has the heart of a servant and who has provided community leadership to advance the SVDP mission.
SVDP opened the Family Success Center in September of 2014 to provide educational and social development opportunities for at-risk children who have experienced extreme poverty and homelessness. Coe’s leadership helped to ensure the financial success of the Center, which today serves 43 children with after-school programming and an additional 80 children during summer break. In his long career, Coe has stepped in to ensure that good works were funded. Coe has served in his role with Kosair Charities since 1996 and retires later this year.
Your donations enable St. Vincent de Paul to help thousands of individuals and families with emergency shelter, housing, meals, counseling, addiction recovery, and enrichment opportunities for at-risk youth in an after-school environment.
Veteran Finds Stability and Career Inspiration at St. Vincent de Paul
Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the November 2017 issue of The Good Samaritan and was written by Linda Romine.
David Cox, 39, an Eastern High School graduate, served in the U.S. Army from 2008-15. He was a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Army’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Fort Campbell, KY), during his last deployment to Afghanistan.
A history buff, Cox grew up in a working-class family in Louisville’s West End. He attended Jefferson Community College and Methodist University near Fort Bragg. At one time, Cox considered pursuing a career in broadcasting, but his life took a different turn when he made the decision to return to civilian life in the United States.
Detaching from the military was more difficult than he’d anticipated, he recalls. Back in Louisville, marital problems led to a divorce, and his attempts to re-enter society while working and living with friends failed. He wound up with nowhere to live.
In August of last year, Cox was sent to St. Vincent de Paul’s Ozanam Inn Men’s Shelter. Since then, Cox has received counseling and personalized case management, while living in a small private room – one of 20 rooms offered for homeless veterans through a partnership with the Veterans Administration.
Today, Cox is on his way to a better future. He works as a security guard and attends college full-time. He is on good terms with his children, ages 14 and 15, and he is grateful to the VA and to St. Vincent de Paul for the help he has received getting back on his feet after temporary personal and financial setbacks.
5 Questions with David Cox
Q: The VA directed you to St. Vincent de Paul, is that correct? Had you ever heard of St. Vincent de Paul before?
A: Yes. I initially called the VA crisis hotline, who gathered my information and forwarded that info to the VA housing assistance personnel. I had heard of St. Vincent de Paul, but only peripherally, as a place that assists people with drug and alcohol rehabilitation and that also assists women and families. (Cox said he has never had a problem with drugs or alcohol.)
Q: What has your experience in our program been like?
A: My experience has been humbling and enlightening from a personal standpoint. It is never easy to ask for help, but the assistance and support provided by the program has been extremely crucial in helping me help myself get back to a stable footing. The coordination between the staff with other programs that help vets is truly remarkable. I can’t thank the staff and [SVDP] donors enough for what they have enabled me to do, and that is get back to being self-sufficient.
Q: Where would you like to be in 10 years, professionally or personally?
A: Professionally, I see myself assisting other vets that may have a hard time transitioning, as a social worker. I am currently attending school and am two classes short of my associate’s degree. I will be attending Spalding University to complete my degree in social work.
Q: What is the thing that has most surprised you about St. Vincent de Paul
A: What surprised me the most was that there was such an extensive and well-staffed support apparatus for veterans to utilize during a time of duress. The staff has really been a blessing to me. They have supported me and helped me set a plan and make it materialize.
Q: What would you like for people who support St. Vincent de Paul to know?
A: That what they do can truly make a difference in a significant way. They have helped a veteran like me get on his feet and continue to be a productive member of our great society. I can’t thank them enough for what this charity has helped me accomplish.
Your donations enable St. Vincent de Paul to help thousands of individuals and families with emergency shelter, housing, meals, counseling, addiction recovery, and enrichment opportunities for at-risk youth in an after-school environment.
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