Press release from Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte:
Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte will host the 13thAnnual Gala for Hope event on Saturday, March 12 at 6:00pm at the Crowne Plaza Tennis & Golf Resort in Asheville. The annual fundraiser aims to raise $110,000 to support life-transforming Catholic Charities programs that fight poverty and support families in the Asheville area and western North Carolina region. Ellen Goodell, a dedicated volunteer for Catholic Charities, will be honored with the 2016 Spirit of Hope Award. Kat Williams will provide the evening’s entertainment following the dinner and program.
In 2015, 200 attendees reached the set goal of $90,000. Through that generous support the Catholic Charities was able to serve 2,607 clients with nearly 80,000 pounds of much needed food and supplies and provided nearly 1,000 bags of clothing. The office also provided 590 counseling and 669 immigration services within the Asheville community. “With support from our friends and neighbors at the Gala we are able to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and welcome the stranger every single day,” says Justin Reilly, Western Regional Office (WRO) Director. “Pope Francis offers a call for Catholic communities to become “islands of mercy in a sea of indifference,’ that is what inspires us and what we aim to be at Catholic Charities.” The WRO of Catholic Charities depends on the continued work of volunteers so programs and services can be successful. Last year, 71 volunteers donated 5,026 valuable hours, allowing more funds to be directed to resources like food and clothing for distribution. The 2016 Spirit of Hope Award will be presented to one of these volunteers, Ellen Goodell, for being a shining example of what Pope Francis has called us to do in this Holy Year of Mercy. Ms. Goodell plays many roles at Catholic Charities, including organizing the food pantry and distributing groceries, arranging donations of grocery carts and fresh produce, managing the annual Angel Tree program, and teaching ESL classes for the refugee program.
Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte serves the poor and vulnerable regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion, with offices in Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Asheville, Greensboro, and Murphy. The agency provides a variety of services: adoption and pregnancy support, counseling, family outreach, refugee resettlement, citizenship services, food pantries, economic development, disaster relief, respect life, social concerns education and advocacy. The mission of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte is to strengthen families, build communities, and reduce poverty.
Bishop Judis canceled performance by Kat since she is gay/ relationship with another woman. This isn’t right!
John,
Exactly. Here is a woman (Kat Williams) whom has done other charity events in the past,
giving her time to do this Gala of Hope event, to fight poverty, and she gets an insulting
slap in the face from the Diocese of Charlotte.
Bishop Jugis and others in the Catholic faith with the same mind set, should look to their own Pope Francis whom in 2013 said….”If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will,
who am I to judge?”
To anyone, of ANY religion, let your God do the judging, not you.
Yet pedophile priests having sex with children are protected & hidden by the Catholic church.