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catholicnewsherald.com | November 25, 2016 OUR PARISHES
HELP OUR RELIGIOUS
Religious retirement collection set for Dec. 10-11 CHARLOTTE — Our retired religious men and women need our help. More than 175 men and women religious in 30 communities in western North Carolina are counting on the faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte to donate generously to the 29th annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection, being taken up in all parishes Dec. 10-11. The appeal is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office and offers support for senior Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests whose communities lack sufficient retirement funding. Nationally, some 33,000 women and men religious past age 70 benefit. The U.S. bishops started this collection to address the significant lack of retirement funding among U.S. religious communities. Proceeds are distributed to eligible communities to help underwrite retirement and health care expenses. Women and men religious who serve or have served in the diocese but whose communities are based elsewhere may benefit from the Retirement Fund for Religious. Last year parishioners in the Charlotte diocese contributed a record-high $327,596.32 to the national 2015 appeal, which raised $30.7 million overall. The NRRO distributed more than $25 million in monetary support to 401 religious communities. “Words cannot express our gratitude for the love, sacrifice and generosity these donations represent,” said Sister Susan Schorsten, a member of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary and NRRO’s interim executive director. “The annual assistance the collection furnishes helps religious communities across the country provide for the ongoing needs of aging members.” The funding disbursed is known as Direct Care Assistance and represents the majority of financial support distributed by the NRRO. Religious communities combine this assistance with their own income and savings to help meet such dayto-day expenses as prescription medications and nursing care. Additional allocations will be directed toward religious communities with the greatest needs and for ongoing education in retirement planning and eldercare delivery. Nearly 95 percent of donations aid elderly religious and their communities, while the remaining 5 percent is used for administration and promotion of the annual appeal. While the response to the collection is unprecedented, so is the need. The total cost of care for senior women and men religious has exceeded $1 billion for each of the past seven years. At the same time, the number of religious needing care is on the rise. In 2016, 68 percent of the religious communities providing data to the NRRO had a median age of 70 or older. Accompanying the higher median age is a decrease in the number of religious able to serve in paid ministry, which further reduces the income available for eldercare. Hundreds of religious communities also lack sufficient retirement savings, due in part to historically low compensation. Religious communities are financially autonomous and thus responsible for the support and care of all members. Annual distributions from the Retirement Fund for Religious provide supplemental assistance to help meet such day-to-day needs as prescription medications and nursing care. Throughout the year, additional funding is allocated for communities with the greatest needs and for retirement planning and educational resources. Ninety-five cents of every dollar directly aids elderly religious; the remainder is used for administration and promotion of the appeal. Besides providing financial assistance, the NRRO offers education and resources that help religious communities stretch retirement dollars and plan for future needs. Strategic partnerships with various organizations further these efforts. The NRRO coordinates the annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection and distributes the proceeds to eligible religious communities. The organization is sponsored by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Learn more at www.retiredreligious.org. — SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. The National Religious Retirement Office contributed.
Photo provided by the Mecklenburg County Council of the Boy Scouts of America
The Belk Dining Hall at Boy Scouts’ Camp Grimes in Dysartsville was completely destroyed in a fire Nov. 13. Scout leaders are pledging to rebuild the dining hall and make other improvements to the iconic camp in the South Mountains.
Fire destroys Boy Scout camp’s iconic dining hall Scout leaders vow to rebuild, launch $2.5M campaign DUSTIN CHANDLER The McDowell News
DYSARTSVILLE — Boy Scout leaders are pledging to rebuild following the total destruction of Camp Grimes’ much-loved dining hall in a fire Nov. 13. Emergency agencies responded to a call in reference to a fire at Camp Grimes Boy Scout Camp on Vein Mountain Road at 6:18 p.m. Sunday. Dysartsville, Nebo, Marion, Glenwood, Hankins, P.G., Sugar Hill and West End fire departments, the N.C. Forest Service, McDowell EMS, McDowell Rescue Squad and Emergency Management responded, finding the camp’s 40-year-old Belk Dining Hall fully engulfed in flames. They worked quickly to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the camp. Local fire investigators later determined that the cause of the fire, which originated in the kitchen, was accidental and unrelated to nearby forest fires that have been raging for weeks in the South Mountains. Chris Williams, camp ranger and employee with the Mecklenburg County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, was on site at the time with his family when he noticed the flames and called 911. According to Williams, no one was inside the dining hall and there were no injuries sustained, but he called the building a “total loss.” Williams complimented the numerous agencies that responded, claiming that their quick response prevented the flames from spreading throughout the property. Camp Grimes remains open, although a regionwide ban on burning prevents campers from having campfires. In a message emailed to Scouts across the region and posted online, Mark Turner of the BSA’s Mecklenburg County Council wrote, “The memories built over the last 40 years are steeped deep within our community and this is a tremendous emotional loss to our Scouting family. Structures can be rebuilt, but we lost items that can never be replaced. Lost were the original hand carved entrance signs to Camp Grimes erected in 1976. Many neckerchief slides hand carved by Gene Grimes were also lost. The memorabilia has taken decades to gather, but we know deep inside we will begin to build our new memories and traditions.” To that end, Turner said, Scout leaders have rallied to launch a campaign to raise $2.5 million to replace the
Dustin Chandler | The McDowell News
dining hall with a larger, more modern facility as well as upgrade other central buildings at Camp Grimes to ensure that the iconic camp will serve many future generations of young people. They plan to build a larger dining hall with a heating and air conditioning system, so that it can be used yearround by more campers. They also plan to refurbish the adjacent open shelter and flag plaza, as well as update the trading post, laundry facility, and indoor climbing wall area. The entire project will cost an estimated $3.5 million. They anticipate receiving approximately $1 million from their insurance policy to put towards the rebuilding campaign, Turner noted. A GoFundMe account – www.gofundme.com/ campgrimesdininghall – has been set up with a goal of $500,000 to help with the site cleanup and rebuilding effort. Donations can also be mailed to: Mecklenburg County Council, Boys Scouts of America, Camp Grimes Building Fund, 1410 East 7th St., Charlotte, NC 28204. — Catholic News Herald contributed.