Note: click on underlined events to link to additional information.

June :: 2008

July :: 2008

• 4 - Fourth of July. Catholic Charities offices closed.

August :: 2008.

September :: 2008

• 1 - Labor Day. Catholic Charities offices closed.

1. Springfield Catholic Charities Voted Best Local Charity

The State Journal Register recently conducted its first Reader’s Choice Awards, and Springfield Catholic Charities won first place in the Best Local Charity category, with the Children’s Miracle Network coming in second and the Salvation Army winning third.

“We were very surprised and excited to win this award,”said Danielle Zellers, area director.  “It’s really nice to know that our community sees the work we do and think we’re doing a good job!”

2. Catholic Charities to Receive $2,500 Grant for Food Pantries in Diocese

Catholic Charities has been selected by the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois to receive a grant through Operation Rice Bowl Collection to purchase food for its 7 food pantries throughout the diocese.

The grant of $2,500 was part of a collection taken during the Lenten season at Catholic parishes throughout the diocese.  Twenty-five percent of that collection is used to support local hunger-relief programs, and the rest is distributed through Catholic Relief Services to hunger alleviation programs throughout the world.

In 2007, Catholic Charities’ food pantries in Alton, Carlinville, Decatur, Effingham, Mattoon, Quincy and Springfield helped feed more than 55,540 people in the Springfield Diocese. 

3. Charity Navigator Finds Catholic Charities USA a “Slam Dunk” For Donors

Recognized as 8th Most Fiscally Responsible Charity in Nation

Alexandria, VA Catholic Charities USA is a “Slam Dunk” for donors looking to maximize their investment, according to Charity Navigator, the country’s largest independent charity evaluator, which recently recognized Catholic Charities USA as the eighth most fiscally responsible charity in the nation. In addition, Charity Navigator awarded Catholic Charities USA its highest rating -- four stars -- for both organizational efficiency and organizational capacity.

”At Charity Navigator we’ve scrutinized the financial health of more than 5,300 of the best-known charities in America. Catholic Charities USA stands out not just as one of the most fiscally healthy, but also for their strong commitment to respecting the rights of donors,” said Trent Stamp, president of Charity Navigator. “Their inclusion on our top 10 list of Slam Dunk Charities signals to the public that Catholic Charities USA is worthy of its trust and support.”

Catholic Charities USA, which as founded in 1910, serves as the membership association of one of the nation's largest social service networks, providing networking opportunities, national advocacy, and media efforts, program development, training and technical assistance, and financial support. For more than 275 years, Catholic Charities agencies and institutions nationwide have provided vital social services to people in need, regardless of their religious, social, or economic backgrounds.

”Quality, accountability, and compassion are the foundation of our efforts to help local Catholic Charities agencies improve the lives of those in need,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA. “We are honored that our financial stewardship and our commitment to donors and those we serve have been recognized by such a reputable independent evaluator of charities. We commend Charity Navigator for helping donors make intelligent giving decisions that will result in a positive lasting impact.”

Charity Navigator aims to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace in which givers and the charities they support work in tandem to overcome the nation's most persistent challenges.

For more information contact Shelley Borysiewicz at 703-236-6218 or sborysiewicz@catholiccharitiesusa.org

4. St. Clare's named finalist for statewide award

Clinic given $1,000 for being finalist
By DEAN OLSEN
STAFF WRITER, State Journal-Register
Published Sunday, October 07, 2007

Seeing children as young as 3 and as old as 15 walk into a room and nick the door with their shoulders tugs at Cindy Hinkle's heart.

The licensed practical nurse helps dispense glasses to low-income and uninsured children and adults, some of whom fumbled through school and life - bumping into walls and squinting to see the chalkboard - before they reached St. Clare's Health Clinic and found help.

"Their eyes light up," she said. "They say, 'I can see.'"

"Before I started working here two years ago," Hinkle said, "I never knew the need in Springfield. It's unbelievable."

National City Corp. has recognized the work of the north-end clinic in addressing the health-care needs of area residents by naming it one of 16 Illinois finalists for the fourth annual National City Children's Champion Award.

The award program honors organizations that "contribute in an exemplary way to children being healthy, happy, safe, loved and well-educated," according to a National City news release.

St. Clare's applied for the award and would love to receive the statewide honor - $10,000 - to support the clinic, which is part of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Springfield, said Carol Harms, Catholic Charities' community services coordinator.

The clinic already has received $1,000 for being named a finalist, and the statewide award winner will be named Oct. 30. The 2006 winner was Springfield's Mini O'Beirne Crisis Nursery.

Named for a Franciscan nun who served the lepers and the poor of Italy during the Middle Ages, St. Clare's Health Clinic began as a provider of vision care in 1988 and currently is based at 700 N. Seventh St.

The clinic since then has expanded, providing free and reduced-price basic health-care services and hearing screening to children, as well as vision and dental care to children and adults.

About 4,000 people were served from July 2006 through June 2007.

Like Springfield's Capitol Community Health Center, which provides medical and dental care, most St. Clare's clients either are uninsured or covered by the Medicaid or All Kids programs.

But unlike Capitol, St. Clare's provides services mainly through a cadre of health-care professionals who volunteer their time.
The clinic employs six people, including several nurses, and the biggest part of its $259,000 annual budget comes from Medicaid and All Kids, Harms said.

St. Clare's annually receives more than $45,000 from the United Way of Central Illinois and smaller donations from groups such as Rotary Club South and the Springfield-based G.V. Black Dental Society.

About 65 doctors, dentists, optometrists, nurses and other professionals volunteer at the clinic and in their offices as part of clinic programs.

"We get thanked a lot," said Connie Marzinzik, a registered nurse and a paid staff member who supervises the clinic. "People are very appreciative."

Marzinzik said the clinic serves many people who have had a hard time finding a health professional willing to accept payment from Medicaid or All Kids. Those programs are supported by federal and state funds but pay rates to doctors, dentists, optometrists and others that generally are lower than what private insurance pays.

Needing five teeth pulled but unable to afford dental work, Jo Ella Teufel of Springfield said she endured pain, illness and despair for several years before she learned about St. Clare's.

"My teeth looked so bad that I didn't want to smile," she said.
Unemployed and without dental or medical insurance, she was referred by St. Clare's to Springfield dentist James McDermott, a St. Clare's volunteer.

Teufel, 50, paid St. Clare's just $30 to have McDermott pull five rotted teeth - the only teeth remaining in her mouth - during visits to McDermott's office a few months ago.

Then McDermott fitted Teufel for full dentures, which cost her $280. Dentures normally cost up to five times that much.

"I feel like a new woman," Teufel said. "I don't feel sick anymore."

Teufel, who also was able to buy a good but inexpensive pair of bifocals through St. Clare's a year ago, said: "It's a wonderful organization. They're pleasant, and they don't discriminate. I hope a lot of people hear about St. Clare's, because if it weren't for them, a lot of people would be out there with no help."

Dean Olsen can be reached at 788-1543 or dean.olsen@sj-r.com.

The staff at St. Francis Community Clinic has created a new game called “Cassopoly.” Along the lines of Monopoly, this game represents the landmarks and history of Cass County. 

The center of the game includes pictures of the Old Lincoln Courtroom & Museum, Virginia County Courthouse and the Old Arenzville School House. As you buy property around the board, you may land on Cargill, Jennings, Barkley Furniture, Beard Implement, Hierman’s Home Appliance, First National Bank of Beardstown, First State Bank of Beardstown and many more.

This game is available for $20 at St. Francis Clinic (323-5264); Chamber of Commerce or The St. Anne Residence in Beardstown.  Games can be delivered locally by calling 323-5264. Stop by or call if you’d like a little Cass County history in your game collection.

The proceeds of the sale of “Cassopoly” will help the clinic cover costs associated with replacing its server last year.

6. Catholic Charities Secures COA Reaccreditation Status

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois received notification in January 2006 that the agency has been reaccredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), according to a formal announcement made to Steven E. Roach, Catholic Charities Executive Director.

The COA accreditation process involves a thorough examination of the agency's compliance with best practice standards. The process includes a review of organizational standards, including human resources, financial and risk management, and continuous quality improvement, as well as numerous program and service standards. The service standards address a full array of social services, including adoption, foster care, counseling, pregnancy and parenting support, family preservation and volunteer outreach programs, such as Decatur's Faith in Action.

“Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is proud to join COA's Community of Excellence that includes 1,500 private and public organizations that serve over 7,000,000 children, individuals, and families in the USA and Canada,” said Roach. “COA accreditation attests that Catholic Charities meets the highest national standards and is delivering the best quality services in communities where we serve.” He indicated that Catholic Charities was first accredited by the Council on Accreditation in 2000.

“COA’s mission is to promote best ¬practice standards, champion quality services for children, youth and families, and advocate for the value of accreditation,” states Richard Klarberg, President and CEO of the Council on Accreditation. The organization is an international, independent, not-for-profit accrediting body established in 1977, as an accrediting body of social and behavioral healthcare services. It is endorsed by leading consumer and professional groups and by many regulatory bodies and managed care organizations. COA is sponsored by a number of charitable organizations, including the Alliance for Children and Families, Catholic Charities USA, Lutheran Services in America, National Council For Adoption, and Prevent Child Abuse America.

For more information, click here to visit COA's website.

7. Catholic Charities Network Named Second Largest Nonprofit in America by Annual Ranking

The Catholic Charities USA network—in which Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is part—has been ranked as the second largest nonprofit in the country according to The NonProfit Times, which publishes the oldest annual ranking of charities in the USA. The criteria for inclusion in the “NPT 100,” released in November 2005, requires that nonprofits must raise at least ten percent of their total revenue from public sources, such as individual donors and foundations. To review the rankings, click here.

This year, the Catholic Charities network also has been ranked tenth among the nation’s largest fundraising organizations by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The publication’s “Philanthropy 400” ranks the nation’s largest nonprofits groups by how much money they raise from private sources. At the 79 charities that provided fundraising totals for the 2005 fiscal year, contributions grew by a median 7.3 percent, meaning that one-half achieved greater fundraising gains and half did worse. Donations to the leading 400 charities on the list totaled $53.9 billion last year, or more than $1 out of every four dollars given to nonprofit groups last year. America’s charities raised $248.5 billion in 2004, according to Giving USA, an annual yearbook on philanthropy published by the American Association of Fundraising Counsel, in Glenview, Illinois.

In 2004, Catholic Charities agencies across the USA received more than $580 million in private support, a 9.2 percent over the previous year, and provided services to 7.1 million people in need. The 2004 combined revenue of the Catholic Charities network was $3.2 billion. Nearly 90 percent of these funds were spent on programs and services, making the Catholic Charities network one of the nation’s most efficient charities. Click here for more information on Catholic Charities USA.