Rejoicing in Success

There are so many exciting things going on at Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph, it’s difficult to narrow down. Our staff is working hard to find new ways to serve the poor and vulnerable in our 27-county diocesan area.

Here are highlights from each of our four pillars:

1. Our Welcome Center saw a record number of people with 423 individuals coming through our doors in the month of July alone. We also continue to serve flood victims since research shows vulnerable populations suffer more adverse effects from disasters and have more difficulty recovering to their pre-disaster state of living. So far, we’ve helped 235 households or 625 individuals with financial and other assistance. Many of these people (72) reported having a disability, while 40% reported their home was either severely affected or destroyed.
2. Children & Family Services achieved a higher number of adoptions this year than in the previous few years. The positive ripple effect this has on our world is immeasurable!
3. Our Employment Services served a record number of people this past fiscal year by serving over 600 more individuals than the previous year and receiving a 97.8% overall satisfaction rate from our clients.

   In August, we formally met with students at Metropolitan Community College to enroll qualified candidates in our new Stay the Course® program. Our goal is to serve 120 students through this program, helping them persist in school and attain an associate degree or certificate. As of mid-September, we have over 350 students who have expressed an interest in the program, far exceeding our expectations.

4. In July, Housing Services had our first tenant move into one of our newly constructed homes in the Northeast. The second home located just down the street is expected to be occupied by a formerly homeless veteran and his family. All of this is designed to provide affordable housing for those shut out of the traditional housing market.

These are just a few of the exciting things happening at Catholic Charities. Let us rejoice in this success and praise God for His abundant blessings (Psalm 118)!

And finally, in October, I will be on pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi with Bishop James Johnston. Please feel free to send us specific prayer requests we can carry with us on our journey. Prayer requests can be sent to gjohnson@ccharities.com.

Chris Ice