Annual Report 2008 - Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New ...

When an emergency strikes a family,we provide training, find jobs andhousing and much more. As I writethis, the number of unemployedjumped to nearly nine percent,triggering homelessness and familyinstability. Meanwhile, the stockmarket collapse left many, includingour own siblings, parents andgrandparents, with savings thatdwindled to almost half.To prevent emergencies frombecoming catastrophes, ourprofessionally trained FamilyAdvocates help assess thesesetbacks, develop a concrete planto deal with them and provide thesupport needed to resolve the crisis.They connect families to servicesthat Catholic Charities and ourpartners offer New Yorkers in need.Supporting the Physicallyand Emotionally ChallengedOur core belief values eachperson as made in God’s image—regardless of his or her challenges.The senior adjusting to recentblindness, the developmentallydisabled child and the emotionallychallenged adult need intensivehelp to live with dignity. In NewYork, more 600,000 suffer frommental illness and 125,000 havevarious developmental disabilities.Catholic Charities’ specializedservices offer early-interventionprograms that nurture children todevelop. We help the physically andemotionally disabled, sometimesfor a lifetime. We provide decenthousing and compassionate carewhen aging parents and caregiversno longer can provide for them.Pope Benedict XVI highlightedCatholic Charities with his movingvisit and blessing of disabledchildren and their caregivers lastspring at St. Joseph’s Seminaryin Yonkers.Welcoming and IntegratingImmigrants and RefugeesThousands of immigrants andrefugees continue to make NewYork their first port of call in theUnited States. Newcomers comewith their hopes and ethics ofhard work. They need the basicsto avoid exploitation and becomeintegrated into their new home:accurate information, Englishlanguage skills, housing and jobs.Catholic Charities responds withan unparalleled range of assistance.Last year, we answered 43,000calls for accurate information intwenty languages. We providedlegal services and other counselingthat enabled families to avoidexploitation, find legal work andlearn English and civics. CatholicCharities literally saved the livesof twenty individuals by blockingtheir deportation to face probabletorture and death in their owncountries.Stewarding the Missionof Providing Help andCreating HopeThose in need—especially the mostvulnerable—deserve the highestquality services. Catholic Charitieshas committed its resources toassist the boards of directors andexecutives of our network ofagencies to enhance governanceand accountability. In turn, privateand public funders recognizeCatholic Charities for deliveringservices with integrity and quality.The Philanthropic AdvisoryService of the Better BusinessBureau certifies Catholic Charities’adherence to its high standards.During this period of economicanxiety, Catholic Charities occupiesa singularly strategic position.We effectively bring togetherlocally based agencies andparishes in every community andneighborhood, skilled staff anddedicated volunteers and privateand public resources. Drawing onmore than a century of experience,Catholic Charities provides help,creates hope and evolves in newand challenging circumstances totouch almost every human needalways with compassion and dignity.Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan and Msgr. Kevin Sullivan pitch in with the Catholic Charities Mobile Food Pantry atthe Highbridge Community Life Center located in one of the poorest Congressional districts in the United States.www.catholiccharitiesny.org 5