Lauren Solidum, President & CEO "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” 1 Peter 4:10 Rounding out my first 60 days at Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, I reflect on why I am called to this vocation. The answer is summed up in two words – to serve. There [...]
While food and drink might be frowned upon at some libraries, it certainly wasn’t the case this summer at the Pottawatomie Wabaunsee Regional Library in St. Marys, Kansas. There the staff encouraged eating -- handing out sack lunches three days a week as part of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas’ Summer Food Program. It was [...]
Tom and Sue have 12 credit cards totaling $34,000 in debt. All have a balance due each month. With a three- year-old child to raise and a second baby due soon, the couple knew they needed help. Like many who walk through the doors of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas’ emergency assistance centers, Tom and [...]
Michael Shirley grew up with humble means. His parents were the product of the Great Depression and barely had the resources to care for their family. “They taught me early to save everything that I could,” says Michael. “They taught me to be frugal.” It was his mother, Irene, who grew up in an orphanage [...]
It’s been a decade since ground was broken on a nine-acre training farm in Juniper Gardens in Kansas City, Kansas. It is home to the New Roots for Refugees program, a partnership between Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and Cultivate KC. The urban incubator farm model is an ideal fit for refugees, who often come [...]
Although it can be hard to accept, death is a stage in all of our lives. Through the Angel Vigil program, Catholic Community Hospice provides around-the-clock bedside volunteers, so that patients and their family members don't have to go through these final hours alone. Catholic Community Hospice Volunteer Director, Bonnie Krause, provides training to those [...]
TurnStyles Thrift, a ministry of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, celebrated the grand opening of its second Overland Park location. Fr. Jerry Volz, Pastor at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, blessed the store, which directs 100 percent of its proceeds to helping families in need. The Overland Park Chamber of Commerce conducted the ceremonial ribbon [...]
Then Jason arrived at Shalom House, Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas’ men’s shelter, he was in very rough shape. Years of hard living, poor nutrition and drug abuse had wreaked havoc on his teeth, and within his first month at the shelter, he had the remainder removed. To make matters worse, he endured an emergency [...]
Denise Ogilvie, Vice President, Outreach and Grants Management Remember, as a kid, that excitement surrounding the last day of school? It meant summer had finally arrived. It was a care-free time filled with fun and friends. As adults, we don’t always look at summer in quite the same way. It’s a time filled with stress [...]
Lavaunte has always been passionate about auto technology. Without the proper training, that passion, unfortunately, couldn’t translate into income. He needed more education, but as the youngest of five, no one in his family had ever had the option of attending college – until now. Lavaunte was among a group of six students who participated [...]