St. Martin de Porres House of Hope – 35th anniversary program

Celebrating 35 Years of Hope

Old St. Patrick’s Church Chicago Saturday, May 19, 2018

Welcome! Thank you for joining us for our 35th Anniversary Celebration St. Martin de Porres House of Hope has come a long way since our humble beginnings, proving ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things. For more than three decades, our agency has been a beacon of hope in the Woodlawn community, providing thousands of women and children with the resources and support they need to overcome the disease of addiction and homelessness, to transform their stories from ones of hopelessness to lives filled with stability, health, and vision for a strong future. A study conducted by the American Society of Addiction Medicine reported that drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Heroin overdose deaths among women have tripled in the last few years and women are twice as likely as men to become homeless because of drug addiction. These facts demonstrate that our mission is as vital today as it was in 1983 when we first opened our doors. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the important role our supporters play in helping to further our mission. I am often awed by the passion, commitment, talents, and enthusiasm that is unique to our volunteers, as well as by the generosity of our donors. It is a remarkable achievement for any organization to navigate the waters of social service for 35 years. That the House of Hope is also undergoing a transition from being run by the founders to a new executive director speaks to the strength of Sister Therese’s vision. I am committed to providing Sister Therese and her remarkable successor, Yaisa, with every support they need to firmly establish this beloved institution on the firm footing it deserves. The board and I are committed to moving House of Hope into the future as a social service agency driven by its mission. We are going to pursue the vision of excellence which Yaisa and I share. We will provide the absolute best environment for the women we serve to facilitate their road to recovery. After all, they have done the hardest work by committing to themselves. We have a moral obligation to provide them optimal support to ensure that their brave leap leads to transformation.

Gabriel Piemonte

Thank you for being part of this transformation.

Gabriel Piemonte Board Chair

St. Martin de Porres House of Hope has helped more than 4,000 women recover from the disease of addiction and homelessness.

Mission St. Martin de Porres House of Hope creates a safe, healing community where women and their children recover from substance abuse, trauma and mental illness.

Why We Exist We exist to restore and strengthen families by ending the cycle of homelessness, trauma and addiction.

Our Beliefs • • •

We believe length of service directly impacts the chances for long-term recovery. We believe women are capable of dramatic change when in a gender-specific recovery program that is facilitated in a nurturing and supportive environment. We believe recovery is a lifelong process.

Who We Serve We serve homeless women and their children or grandchildren from inner-city neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area. All adult residents have an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol.

2017 Impact • • •

78 families received Addiction Recovery Services, Behavioral Health Counseling and Case Management 10,023 Shelter Nights Provided 21,201 Meals Served

Program Music Harmony, Hope & Healing Welcome Gabriel Piemonte, Board Chair Opening Remarks Yaisa Hagood, Executive Director Sr. Therese O’Sullivan, Co-Founder Sr. Connie Philanthropy Award Awarded to Tom Owens, Founder of Cara Chicago Presented by Eric Weinhemer, President and CEO, Forefront Sr. Therese Service Award Awarded to Brother Tom Collins Presented by Sr. Therese, Co-Founder Alumnae Speakers Lisa Cunningham Bertha Colquitt-Wright Carmelita Woods (Distinguished Alumna Award) Closing Remarks Gabriel Piemonte, Board Chair

Board of Directors Brother Tom Collins, CFC Chemistry Teacher, Retired Brother Rice High School Program Committee

Peter Brown (Treasurer) Chief Financial Officer The Avery Coonley School Finance Committee Chair

Geannine Harris (Secretary) Nutrition Advocate Illinois Action for Children Program Committee

Jessica Harris Associate Director of Advancement Cara Chicago Fundraising Committee

Rusan McNeal Admissions Representative Everspring Partners Program Committee

Bill Olmsted Professor Emeritus Valparaiso University Finance Committee

Sheryl Morris Program Director Woodlawn Community Resource Center Program Committee Chair

Gabriel Piemonte Community Resident Board Chair/ Fundraising Committee Chair

Ryan Priester Associate Director for Community Programs The University of Chicago Fundraising Committee Ollie Thomas Program Leader Thresholds Program Committee Mary Whalen Management Consultant MVW Associates Program Committee

Wendy Ringo, M.D., MPH Chief Operating Officer Near North Health Services Corp. Fundraising Committee Kevin Waklatsi (Vice Chair) Associate Lathan & Watkins, LLP Finance Committee Board Co-Chair Sr. Therese O’Sullivan Co-Founder Yaisa Hagood Executive Director

We Celebrate Our Women... LYNTOI, 58, has worked hard to

get where she is today. A native Chicagoan, she grew up in a close knit, loving family on the West Side. Her father was a pastor and a singer and her mother stayed at home and raised Lyntoi and her brother. “We didn’t know we were poor,” Lyntoi remembers. “We always ate, always had nice clothes to go to school in. My mother made sure we did our homework.” Life changed when Lyntoi turned nine and her mother took a night job. A cousin babysat Lyntoi and her brother. After putting her brother to bed, her cousin molested Lyntoi. “I fought every time, but he was a big boy so I always lost that fight,” says Lyntoi. He warned her not to tell anyone and gave her alcohol to stop her from fighting him. That’s when her addiction began. “I didn’t know that it wasn’t my fault,” says Lyntoi. “I was so scared and the alcohol made me feel good.” Lyntoi suffered from alcohol addiction and turned to other drugs over the next 30 years. At times, she worked as a stripper and as a prostitute to support herself. When Lyntoi came to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, she was looking for structure and a foundation. “Sobriety is very hard,” Lyntoi said. “You have to work steps, to follow rules. I had to learn how to live.” In addition to alcohol and drug counseling, she underwent therapy for the first time. “I thought therapy was for crazy people. It’s ironic how we label things—I never knew how to ask for help. St. Martin’s was the first time I dealt with what happened to me as a child. I never even said the word ‘molested.’ I heard people talking about it, but thought that wasn’t me, because I was in denial. I was in so much pain and didn’t know what that came from. I suppressed those feelings, but through having a therapist I was able to dig down deep and find out why I kept abusing myself and blaming myself.” At St. Martin’s, Lyntoi says “I know I always have somewhere safe to come. I can ring a doorbell and get in.” “I feel safe and wanted here. They know who I am.” Lyntoi is currently working full-time at Shake Shack and last year moved into her own apartment as she continues to build her bright future.

1983 St. Martin de Porres founded as a homeless shelter for women and children in Woodlawn

CARMELITA entered House of Hope

in 1991 for an outpatient rehabilitation program for drugs and alcohol. She hated where she was living. A woman who lived at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope with her six kids told Carmelita about the shelter. Carmelita called Sr. Therese the next day. “She convinced me to come in immediately,” Carmelita said. “She knocked out all my excuses. I had to make a decision. It was kind of scary for me. Later, I was able to go back to where I had been living and get my things.” Both Carmelita and St. Martin de Porres House of Hope were in transition. “While I was there, it got stricter and stricter. It evolved from a shelter into a recovery home,” she says. “Every time someone did something wrong, a new rule was put into place. By the time I left, curfew went from 9 or 10 p.m., and then to dinner. When a problem occurred, the nuns would work on the solution and say, ‘This is not going to happen again.’” Sister Connie’s nephew, John Driscoll, was working on establishing a more formal substance abuse counseling program. “Before, we had a priest who tried to help us make good decisions. Then we had a resident come back to sit and talk with the women. She had so much to give because she was living on the outside, going to AA/NA meetings, getting empowered, and bringing that back to us.” After Carmelita lived at St. Martin de Porres for nine months, Sr. Therese told Carmelita that she was ready to strike out on her own. “St. Martin de Porres found me an apartment. I had saved close to $3,000 in cash and $1,000 in food stamps. I was afraid, but she knew I could do it.” After leaving St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, Carmelita pursued her newfound interest in substance abuse counseling. She took classes at Harold Washington College and led weekly groups as a volunteer at the House of Hope. She graduated, landed her first counseling job in 1997, and became certified in 1998. While working at the Woodlawn Organization Substance Abuse treatment center, she earned a bachelor’s degree in behavior science from National Lewis University, followed by a master’s degree in social work from Jane Addams College at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Following employment as a social worker for WECAN (Woodlawn East Community and Neighbors), Carmelita now consults with various nonprofit organizations and plans to launch her own recovery home.

1984 Board of Directors established

CRYSTAL is looking forward—she

now has a part-time job and her own apartment. Crystal has battled addiction for 30 years. She grew up in a suburb of Chicago and began using alcohol and marijuana while in high school. She remained functional until her late 20’s, when both her mother and her brother died. Following this trauma, her addiction spiraled out of control. She began smoking crack cocaine to relieve her anguish. “In the beginning, getting high makes you not feel rotten. Then the escape from misery dissipates, but you are stuck in a vicious cycle,” she says. In and out of treatment centers and recovery homes, Crystal learned about St. Martin’s year-long program from women who had graduated from it. They told her “You don’t have to worry about running out and getting a job and paying rent—you have to worry only about yourself.” She was also drawn to the security and structure it offered. “I’m undisciplined—I had been doing what I want to do when I want to do it,” Crystal says. “I knew from prior experience with trying to get sober that I needed the time to build the foundation. We had groups, homework—you didn’t have time to get bored.” Focused on getting sober, Crystal took every opportunity that St. Martin’s had to offer. “What I learned from Sr. Therese is if you are willing to allow yourself to be vulnerable and believe in yourself, your dreams are still possible. Her quiet presence and nurturing spirit covers you like a quilt. She listens to you wholeheartedly. I trusted her the first time I laid eyes on her. She has the largest spirit in such a small frame.” Asked what advice she would give to women entering St. Martin’s, Crystal says, “I’d tell every woman to take advantage of this opportunity you have been blessed with, and all the resources that St. Martin’s has to offer. It’s such a beautiful place. It prepared me to reclaim my life.” “I learned at St. Martin’s how to become responsible for my recovery. Addiction is a very lonely, isolated place. Staying connected is key. Your disease wants you to be isolated and alone where it can trick you and tell you lies. You need to stay connected to the source that has given you hope.”

1985 Becomes a sharing partner with St. Anne’s Catholic Community

We Celebrate Our Community... SISTER THERESE O’SULLIVAN, a member of the Loretto Sisters of the Irish Branch, IBVM, is co-founder and executive director emerita of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, a women’s substance abuse recovery home in Chicago’s Woodlawn community. She realizes the importance of respecting women in recovery until they can learn to accept and love themselves.

After 33 years of ministry and service at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, Sister Therese retired on June 1, 2016, at age 77. But she continues work at St. Martin de Porres alongside Executive Director Yaisa Hagood. “I still have a lot of energy and drive. I love what I’m doing, and I can still make a difference in people’s lives,” she said. Sister Therese became a nun at age 18 when she joined the Community at the Loretto Convent in Wheaton, Illinois. She took vows of obedience, chastity and poverty. Sister Therese thought her sole ministry would be teaching primary students. She had earned a bachelor’s degree in education from St. Xavier University, and she had been teaching first graders at St. Cyril Elementary School (which was eventually razed) in Woodlawn for 18 years (from 1966 to 1984). Sister Therese absolutely loved the children, and she loved teaching them. She was caught off guard one day when her Mother General approached her and suggested that she broaden her horizons and pursue a new mission. Sister Therese, who was 45 years old at the time, did not want to leave her ministry in education. Touched by a newspaper photo she saw of a Chicago homeless man walking in a blizzard, Sister Therese felt called by the Spirit to work with women and children facing this same plight. Several months later, on May 18, 1983, Sister Therese and Sister Connie Driscoll opened St. Martin de Porres House of Hope as a homeless women’s shelter. A few years later, Sister Therese and Sister Connie changed the direction of the shelter to substance abuse recovery. Since its inception, St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, located at 6423 S. Woodlawn Ave., has served more than 4,000 women addicted to drugs and alcohol. A native of Chicago’s Greater Grand Crossing, Sister Therese resided at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope from 1983 until 2017. She is the youngest of eight siblings. In her spare time, Sister Therese likes to read, take walks and visit her family and friends. She also loves going to White Sox games.

1985 St. Martin de Porres documentary “Living on Premises” broadcasts on CBS with Walter Jacobson

SISTER CONNIE DRISCOLL,

co-founder of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, died in 2005 at the age of 72, but her legacy lives on in the thousands of women and children whose lives she changed. Before Connie Driscoll became Sister Connie, she was a sergeant in the Women’s Army Corps, a law school graduate, and an entrepreneur. In her late 40s, she traveled to Chicago to visit nuns who had taught her at Loretto High School in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. In a 1990 interview with the Chicago Reader she said, “I just stayed because they showed me what was going on with the hungry. They convinced me that this was the place to stay and help. So, we opened a shelter and we’ve been here ever since.” In 1983, Sr. Connie co-founded St. Martin de Porres House of Hope with Sr. Therese O’Sullivan. Two years later, she founded a religious order, the Missionary Sisters of the Poor, and dedicated the rest of her life to caring for women addicted to drugs and alcohol and their children. Sr. Connie’s long-time friend, Inner Voice CEO Jackie Edens, said “She believed you could accomplish anything as long as you were willing to focus and put your shoulder to the wheel.” Sr. Connie also believed in taking personal responsibility. Residents at the shelter-turned-recovery home were required to both take care of themselves and to work as part of a community of women. As she told Forbes magazine in a 1997 interview, “They have to turn over 80 percent of their welfare check and 50 percent of their food stamps. I put the money and stamps into a safe-deposit box and return it when they’re ready to leave. We teach them to pay rent, utilities and food bills first, then prioritize what else they need. The word on the street is that ours is a tough house. The women always have somewhere to be: career or computer training, GED classes, Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings or a job here in the house.” Sr. Connie worked tirelessly for St. Martin de Porres House of Hope through her final days and left detailed instructions upon her death. “I wish to be buried in Chicago, so I can be close to my child. Since 1982, these have been the happiest years of my life. Please remember to give thanks to all who cared for me and made this possible. And always remember my family. You know my family has meant everything to me. All of my nieces and nephews, sisters, brothers, in-laws and extended in-laws. Therese, you have meant everything to me, and your spirituality has made me a better person.”

1985 Weekly medical clinic started with Dr. Dekker

YAISA HAGOOD, executive director

of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope since June 2016, says joy comes from helping others. “We were all put here for a purpose. I believe my purpose is to be of service to others and to help them reach their full potential,” Yaisa said. The fundraising and marketing expert has spent the past 15 years of her career helping nonprofits and educational institutions increase their revenue and improve their development and marketing strategies. Before being named executive director, Yaisa worked as a development consultant for St. Martin de Porres House of Hope in 2015. In that role, she increased revenue by $100,000 for the organization, designed models to measure the qualitative and quantitative impact of the organization’s programs, and implemented quality control measures to ensure transparency of the organization’s finances and ensure fiscal responsibility. As a result of Yaisa’s work, co-founder and executive director Sister Therese O’Sullivan retired and recommended Yaisa to the board of directors as her successor. Before joining St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, Yaisa worked as assistant director at Argosy University, where she exceeded the school’s education sales goals by 50 percent and increased student retention by 30 percent. Yaisa has also worked as a marketing executive in the education industry, including serving as director of marketing and development for St. Martin of Scotland School and assistant director of marketing for Dominican University. She also served as an adjunct faculty member for the University of Phoenix, and has served as a consultant with both nonprofit and for-profit organizations since 2008. The Chicago native considers herself to be an introvert. The proudest moment of her career was starting her own business. At the age of 24, she purchased and rehabbed her first rental property, and a few years later, she purchased a Jan-Pro commercial cleaning franchise. These experiences gave her a chance to develop new skills and get out of her comfort zone. “The communication and leadership skills I learned have been invaluable to me,” she said. Yaisa is an alumna of Roosevelt University, where she earned a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Illinois. In her spare time, Yaisa enjoys reading and volunteering for youth-based organizations, serving as an online mentor for iCouldBe.org and cheering on her daughter, a competitive swimmer since the age of eight.

1986 St. Clara School building purchased

BROTHER TOM COLLINS, an Edmund

Rice Christian Brother and Chicago native, is an educator to his core. He studied chemistry as an undergrad, earned a master’s of science in chemistry from Notre Dame, and went on to earn a master’s of education in school administration and a masters in Christian spirituality. As Brother Tom was learning, he was teaching. He taught chemistry for 58 years, including 35 years at Brother Rice High School, where he also served as principal in the 1980s. Now retired from teaching, Brother Tom is an avid photographer who took an estimated 25,000 photographs each year for Brother Rice High School. He also drives 100 miles each week picking up and delivering donated food to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope and other organizations. “I’m a food hustler in the first order,” he says with a smile. Brother Tom came to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope to teach in 1994, and has continued to do so ever since. “I would bring Brother Rice High School students and teachers to St. Martin’s to tutor the residents’ children. There were many children living at the home in the primary grades. After awhile, I suggested to Sr. Therese that I could work with the women, teaching the GED program. The two nuns got religion and mandated that residents who did not have a high school diploma had to get a GED. I come to St. Martin’s every week to tutor women for their GED.” Brother Tom doesn’t just tutor the women—he encourages them to believe in themselves. “They respond so positively to any type of encouragement we give them. They may not have met with success in the past with their schooling, and some of them have been out of school for 20 years and they may say ‘Oh, I don’t want to do this,’” Brother Tom says. “But we encourage them to give it a try and to work on it. When they do get their GED, typically the state just sends you a piece of paper in the mail, but we make a big deal out of it. I get white academic gowns, we come in the dining room and I play ‘Pomp and Circumstance,’ we have a cake with their name on it, and we give them a dozen roses. We really make it a big deal.” “I’m impressed by the people who are here and the struggles and things that they’ve faced,” Brother Tom says. “I keep coming back because they’re a wonderful example of courage.”

1988 On-site preschool opened

TOM OWENS, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, is the founder of Cara Chicago, a nonprofit workforce development agency and social enterprise that helps people affected by poverty get and keep quality jobs. Since its inception in 1991, Cara has helped more than 6,000 women and men find employment, hope and self-esteem for themselves and their families.

Before founding Cara, Tom was an IBM executive for 20 years and started XL/Datacomp, which provided products and services for IBM. Adhering to the call of “To whom much is given, much is expected,” Tom retired from his business to focus on helping those less fortunate. “There were some 150 shelters and programs in Chicago that dealt with terribly impoverished people, and many of them had their own jobs program, but they featured jobs that really didn’t have any type of staying power, and consequently the recidivism rate back into the shelters was very high,” Tom recalls. “My dream was that I would create a professional jobs program that all the shelters could utilize, cost-free.” Tom realized that he could use his contacts in the business world to help provide good jobs with companies whose CEOs were vested in the process. He joined up with the late John Donahue, a former priest who headed up the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. John felt strongly, Tom says, about concentrating their efforts on women with children in shelters. “He convinced me if we got them jobs and support, we’d have success. He was right on a narrower margin than we would have liked. The individuals who were successful were overwhelmingly successful and convinced us there was gold in them there hills. Many, however, succumbed to the forces of poverty and hardship and generational issues.” Tom explained, “Sometimes a person would get a job and in 30-60-90 days end up back where they were or even worse. They were successful because they got a job, but they would lose it, get demoralized and sink to a further level. That was a big problem.” Tom says Cara’s greatest success story was a resident of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. “She had seven kids,” Tom recalls. “She was in desperate straits.” Through Cara, the woman was placed in a position with Cook County. “In no time flat, she had two or three promotions and she was the darling of the office.” Tom says that St. Martin de Porres House of Hope has a phenomenal success rate with residents they recommended to the Cara program. “If she came from St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, that person was always ready.”

1989 First mental health counselor hired

BOB BATOR had never heard of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope until he went for a haircut in 1993. Outside the barbershop on the University of Chicago campus was a bulletin board. One note, “Grant Writer wanted,” caught his eye.

A week later, Bob was helping Sr. Connie secure foundation support. “It was something I had never done, but at the time I was an English professor at Olive-Harvey College and had done academic writing so I felt up to the challenge,” says Bob. He wrote St. Martin’s first proposal to The Owens Foundation and some other first-time proposals. At the recovery home’s annual founding celebration each May, he found a way to solicit donations—a newsletter about House of Hope that was passed out to all attending the mass. “It worked,” Bob recalls. “In church I remember hearing the sound of checks being torn out of checkbooks.” When Bob retired from teaching In 1995, he hoped to work full-time at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope as a grant writer, “but Sr. Connie felt the agency could not afford to pay me the $12,000 (!) a year that all employees were working for.” After volunteering to serve a Thanksgiving dinner at Southwest Chicago Homeless Services (formerly Southwest Chicago PADS), Bob became a grant writer and board member there. “I support House of Hope because I believe in its mission and the long-term continuum of care they provide without charge for women struggling with addiction,” Bob says.

PAT BENNETT The University Of Chicago Service

League was founded in 1895 as the University Settlement League, a social and philanthropies organization of university women interested in supporting the work of Service League the University of Chicago Settlement. Their efforts were used to support clubs, classes and improved facilities at the University Settlement. In 1957 the organization was incorporated as a nonprofit and was given its present name. Today, the University of Chicago Service League is a group of approximately 400 community-minded women who continue to fulfill the philanthropic mission of the League to study social questions through monthly meetings and programs, followed by tea and a number of smaller interest groups. Patricia Bennett is the Service League Representative for St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. Patricia was sent a personal invitation by other Service League members to join the League’s fellowship and interest groups in 2013. Patricia 1991 First substance abuse counselor hired

has served on the board for the last two years. In this role, Pat and other board members coordinates the Service League’s giving and service projects with St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. A graduate of Mundelein/Loyola University, Pat was a career employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Veterans Benefits Counselor and as liaison for women who reported abuse during their military service.

JOHN BERG, a former prosecuting attorney who now

practices civil law, first came to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope to settle a legal matter. Former board member and fellow attorney Tom Breen had called John to address a building complaint filed by an inspector with the City of Chicago. “Two hours after getting the call I whipped down there and visited the building. Sister Therese was running around taking care of everyone. She and Sister Connie showed me around the place. I had never seen anything quite like that before,” John says. “It was an eye-opening experience. The moment you walked in you could feel the dedication. I was stunned at what an incredible experience it was, and how selfless these people were.” John inspected the building and quickly determined the complaint was without merit. He got the complaint dismissed, and has been providing pro bono legal services to St. Martin’s ever since. “I got to know Sister Connie first—she had a fascinating legal mind. I worked with her to represent St. Martin on a number of different issues, mostly administrative things.” After five years of working pro bono with St. Martin’s, John joined the Board of Directors where he served for 10 years and got to know Sr. Therese better. “Sr. Connie and Sr. Therese are wonderful human beings and I wish there were more people like them. They represent true selflessness.” John, who enjoys singing in a choir, has enjoyed visiting St. Martin de Porres House of Hope for masses, church services and choir performances over the years. “There’s no place like the House of Hope,” he says.

JOANNE CIMBALO’S mother taught Joanne how to sew when she was very young. Joanne belonged to a sewing group when she was first married, sewing clothing for her family, reupholstering furniture, and making curtains for her house. In 1990, Joanne contacted St. Martin de Porres House of Hope about volunteering to teach residents how to sew. “It was loosely organized,” Joanne recalls. “I would bring in sewing supplies and we would sit and talk and sew. In a sewing circle, what you’re doing is getting together and giving each other therapy. It just happens that we made quilts 1991 Recovery program created for women suffering from drug and alcohol addiction

and sewed clothes. “It was great fun. I loved doing it. It was a great thing to bring to the shelter - to have them create something - but the bigger benefit was us sitting around talking. What you’re doing is getting together and giving each other therapy.”

This place is a life saving life changing home for women. I count myself blessed and honored to be a part of this miracle!!!

The informal group therapy of the residents’ sewing circle served as a springboard for Joanne to join fellow volunteer Marco Pardo in conducting individual and group therapy for the - Michelle D. residents of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. After Marco Pardo moved, Joanne continued running the Feelings Group, the Parenting Group, and Anger Management, and added Family Counseling and Parenting Counseling. A trained psychologist and social worker, Joanne worked at Catholic Charities where she did child placement. She earned an MA in Pastoral Counseling, an MA in Psychology, and a Ph.D. in therapeutic counseling while serving at St. Martin’s. “The women taught me more than any classroom. They were my best teachers. I miss their courage and their raw honesty and their absolute determination and commitment to what it was they were doing there. All they needed was a place to be and then they just got down to work and made some beautiful lives.” After 27 years with St. Martin’s, Joanne left in 2017 to work in the court system supervising visits with non-custodial parents, teaching and counseling people privately, and conducting retreats and workshops. “I stay in contact with a lot of women who have become friends and really grace my life,” she says.

DOLORES & JOHN CORUTHERS came to

Chicago from Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1975. “My first job was as a medical social worker at Cook County Hospital. I was a sheltered little girl thrown to the wolves. I learned so much about the world.” Dolores took to that world. A former teacher, she met Sr. Therese while volunteering at Loretto Academy, an all-girls’ Catholic high school in Woodlawn. Their friendship deepened after Dolores and her husband John, an electrical engineer with Illinois Bell, had a baby boy and no babysitter. “We hadn’t been anywhere for nine months and we wanted to go to the opera,” Dolores recalls. “So we asked Sister to babysit our son. A while later, we got a letter from Sr. Therese and Sr. Connie telling us that they had set up a shelter at an abandoned drugstore and asking us to be on the board. We were the first ones on the first board.” John served on the 1991 Program created for homeless teens

board at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope for 30 years, and three years ago, John and Dolores celebrated their 50 year anniversary and renewed their vows.

MARK & CONNIE CRANE Constance “Connie”

Crane was on a scouting expedition with “Know Your Chicago,” a University of Chicago affiliate that runs lectures and tours exploring Chicago’s strengths and challenges, when she first visited House of Hope. Connie served as a member of the Know Your Chicago Committee for 30 years, helping the organization identify arts, culture, social and human service organizations to feature on its tours. In 1985, one of Know Your Chicago’s tours was entitled “South Side Dreams Coming True,” and Connie met with Sr. Connie and Sr. Therese to discuss St. Martin de Porres House of Hope’s participation on the tour. They determined that the nascent shelter was too small to accommodate bus loads of visitors, so St. Martin’s did not participate that year. Despite that, the three women made a connection, and Connie was struck by what the nuns were accomplishing through faith and sheer grit. “We started sending a monthly check, and we’ve been sending a monthly check ever since,” says Connie’s husband, Mark Crane. Connie and Mark were married for 58 years. Connie passed away in 2014, and Mark continues to support St. Martin’s. “I had never been to see St. Martin’s until last spring, when I got my driver to take me there for a visit. I learned all about the organization. Coincidentally, it turned out that my driver’s best friend was a social worker, and she said that St. Martin’s was one of the best organizations out there.”

CAROL CRONIN’S family foundation has been

supporting St. Martin de Porres House of Hope for more than 20 years. “My sister Hannah first heard Sister Connie speak to a group of women in Northbrook in 1985. She made a contribution and still has the thank you note signed by Sister Therese. When our family started a foundation several years later, Hannah suggested St. Martin de Porres and we have been funding them for general operating costs ever since.” Carol’s family foundation has also supported St. Martin de Porres House of Hope with strategic planning. “We thought that it was important that the board and leadership at St. Martin’s take a hard look at issues related to sustainability in order to assure the community and the women, kids and funders that we have the infrastructure and strategic plan to be around for the future. That led to a real commitment to upgrade the development function and strategic planning.” As a result, Yaisa Hagood was brought on 1991 Moved into St. Clara School

as a development consultant, and after a year, assumed the role of executive director. “As a foundation we are particularly interested in organizations that serve single moms and their kids. We did research about the most in-need population in the country and came up with single moms and their kids. The fact that St. Martin de Porres House of Hope provides care I love the place. They that allows moms to stay with the kids, and taught me how to be that women stay as long as they are able is a lady and to love a real plus. Other organizations have to exit pretty fast, after just three to myself. six months.”

- Michelle S.

Carol, who has a background in gerontology and health policy, served as president of her family’s foundation, and is now a member of its governing group. She and her family members have made numerous visits to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. “Half of my family of 15 people has been there. I remember one Thanksgiving, we went to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope to visit. It’s a very warm setting with the kids, the smell of good food cooking and a dog wandering around. It felt like a home. ”

DR. ANTHONY DEKKER On his first day of work in

1982 as a physician, Tony Dekker, D.O., received a phone call. On the line was Father Jim Hoffman, then manager of the Franciscan Home of Mary and Joseph, a men’s shelter on Chicago’s West Side. “We understand you do house calls.” Dr. Dekker agreed that he did and walked the four blocks from his office to the shelter. He began volunteering at Franciscan House every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., providing medical care to an average of 80 residents each week. A short time later, Dr. Dekker received another phone call, this time from Sr. Connie. “I understand you take care of men. Why don’t you take care of women?” He drove to the House of Hope to meet Sr. Connie and Sr. Therese and agreed on the spot to volunteer at the newly opened women’s shelter every Tuesday morning from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. “Our team decided to make Tuesday ‘homeless healthcare day,’” Dr. Dekker recalls. Delores Bell recruited fellow doctors, residents and students from all seven medical schools in Chicago, requiring each to come to their volunteer shift bearing medical supplies such as bandages and tape. Despite this, and despite the hours, “we had hundreds who wanted to volunteer,” he said. To pay for medication and supplies, Delores and Denise Patin organized celebrities, including Mike Ditka, Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey and Walter Payton, to 1992 Partnership with CARA for job training and placement launched

facilitate fundraising events at their restaurants. At the on-site clinics, Dr. Dekker and his team treated basic medical needs including health maintenance and minor infections and conditions as well as immunizations and minor injuries. Residents who needed additional care could visit Chicago Osteopathic or St. Luke’s (now merged with Rush) as needed. Dr. Dekker estimates that from 1983-1994, he and the teams delivered over 700 babies of residents at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, including Molly, who was adopted by Sr. Connie and Sr. Therese. The teams under Dr. Bruce Peters and Dekker provided care at over 34.000 visits as volunteers. A Christian, though not Catholic, Dr. Dekker was named a lay member of the Franciscan order for his work healing the homeless in Chicago. Today, he practices at the Veterans Administration facilities in Northern Arizona.

KATY DRISCOLL Every Friday afternoon for 20 years,

St. Martin’s volunteer nurse Katy Driscoll got in her car in Iron Mountain, Michigan, and drove six hours to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. On Saturdays, she ran a clinic for residents, and on Sunday mornings, she drove the six hours back home. Katy was married to Sr. Connie’s late brother Chuck, a railroad engineer. She worked at a VA Hospital in Michigan for 43 years, managing infection control, safety, and quality there for the last 18 of those years. From 1996-2016, Katy promoted health, hygiene and wellness at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. “I interviewed the ladies as they came in to see if they had any healthcare needs that required transfer to a physician or an outpatient clinic, and conducted a weekly medication review. If anything happened while I was there, like a woman tripping and hurting her ankle, I evaluated it to determine further care. I also gave immunizations to the children living at the home.” Katy also taught CPR and first aid to the recovery home’s staff and residents. She taught the Heimlich maneuver, which resulted in three lives saved over the years, and served on St. Martin’s Board of Directors for 20 years. Trained in decontamination, Katy also taught the residents and staff how to maintain a safe, clean house, including setting up kitchen standards in practice to this day. Katy fondly remembers her weekends at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. She spent Friday and Saturday evenings in the attic at the recovery home. “I stayed in the living quarters with my son, John, who was working there as a 1993 Partnership with Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) launched

counselor. It was very nice because I got to see him. When they cooked for the women, whatever they ate we ate. If I wasn’t operating the clinic, I would watch TV or visit.” She was in good company: her fellow attic residents included Sr. Connie, Sr. Therese, their daughter Molly, Sr. Connie’s niece, Connie Lynn, and her two kids. Now retired, Katy serves on the board of a number of health and human services facilities and councils.

JOHN DRISCOLL “There I was, in my mid-20s, living in

the attic of a homeless shelter with 60 women and about 70 of their children,” John Driscoll says with a smile. Today John is senior vice president in charge of recovery services with Hazelden Betty Ford, overseeing a staff of 900 and 17 treatment centers nationwide that treat 23,000 people annually. It all started with a conversation John had with his Aunt Connie Driscoll at his father’s funeral in 1990. “My aunt told me I needed to come to Chicago and see what they were doing there. I spent the following summer at the shelter as my internship between my junior and senior year of college.” The nuns tried to teach the residents accountability and responsibility, requiring them to save 80 percent of their food stamps and 75 percent of their income so they could accumulate rent, have money for furniture and food to eat. That gave them a start, but for many residents, it wasn’t enough. “We discovered they would leave with money and have an apartment, and the next month due to their addiction, they’d be broke and homeless again.” John returned to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope after he graduated college with a degree in psychology, staying for a total of eight years. “That second summer, we started to create phases of the program. We created a pass system. We started to put structure into their lives, began counseling and groups. We started providing, education­—help with reading, math, and English.” At St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, John learned about the 12-step approach to treating addiction. “We learned what was working for the women. The longer they stayed with us, the more engaged in AA/NA meetings, the more structure and guidance, the better they did. Women started to seek us out and come to us because they heard if you really wanted to get sober, this is where you should go. Some women came to the shelter because their drinking and using buddies had stopped showing up and were with us .” John met his wife, Kris, when she interned at St. Martin’s. He says his experience at the recovery home “is the foundation of what I do. It launched my life, my career, my family. It helped me understand how the 12 steps work. The change that happens in people is unbelievable. Hope really happens here.” 1994 GED program launched

JACKIE EDENS has devoted her career to helping

Chicago’s homeless and disadvantaged. She started working for the city as a Mobile Crisis Intervention Worker in 1975. The police department assigned her to work on social service-related cases. Jackie met Sr. Connie in her next role as Shelter Clearinghouse Coordinator. At the time, placing homeless individuals into shelters was challenging. With organizations focused on different populations and catchment areas, it was difficult to know what shelters had available beds on any given night without making multiple phone calls to overwhelmed providers. “Sr. Connie was not happy about getting calls when her shelter was full,” Jackie said. “She did not suffer fools gladly.” Jackie developed a shelter clearinghouse to streamline the process. Following a stint as Assistant Director of Legislative & Community Affairs, Jackie was named Director of Homeless Services. Her relationship with Sr. Connie blossomed when they were both appointed to the Chicago Task Force on Homelessness. “We became fast friends. She was the chair of the task force and had the perspectives of a businessperson, a provider and a fundraiser. You’ve never met a nun like her, that’s for sure.” Sr. Connie asked Jackie to join St. Martin de Porres’ Board of Directors, where she served for 20 years. “I don’t remember a time when the shelter wasn’t at capacity,” recalls Jackie. “They had to show tough love. When you have 120 people in a building, it can just take a few people to upset that balance of serenity. Sr. Therese was the quiet calm. She had a different way of laying down the law.” Jackie’s next position was as Assistant Commissioner, Division of Family Support Services, followed by her final job with the city as Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. For eight years, she consulted on workforce development and homeless services. In 2012, she joined the Board of Inner Voice, a homeless services nonprofit for individuals, families and veterans, and has led the agency since September of that year. As a CEO with a board to answer to, Jackie says “part of my tenacity is due to watching Sr. Connie deal with a situation and getting the job done. She showed me how to take a bite and another bite and another bite, always moving forward.”

GLORIA & FRED GLEAVE Gloria

Gleave started her career as a computer programmer in the early 1970s and ended it as a certified Project Manager. In the late 1980s, she met Sister Connie Driscoll at a Women in Management event in Chicago. She was impressed with the work St Martin de Porres House of Hope was doing in Woodlawn. 1994 First participant earned her GED

In 1995, Sr. Connie asked Gloria and her husband Fred, an architect, to join the House of Hope’s Board of Directors, where they served for approximately 20 years. They were drawn to St. Martin’s by Sr. Connie’s charisma and the disciplined program. In late 2004, Gloria was elected Chair of the Board, succeeding Marianne Lutz. Just a few months later, in May of 2005, Sr. Connie died. Besides mourning the loss of a very special person, Gloria recalls “I was panicked, because Sr. Connie had done everything herself.” The responsibilities of the board increased in an instant. Gloria ended up absorbing much of the “behind-the-scenes, keep-it-going” work. She transitioned the financial records from the green paper ledger to an online system. She entered data and created reports for years. With input from Sr. Therese, she created two fundraising mailings a year. “If the mailings didn’t go out, the income did not come in.” The board stuffed and sealed envelopes at one meeting before Fred was drafted to help. After a few years, an annual report was also included with the mailing.

St. Martin de Porres was truly a blessing for me and my children. I am proud to say on April 26 I’ll be celebrating 22 years of uninterrupted clean time. - R.B.

Now retired from work and the board, Gloria and Fred live in Evanston and enjoy traveling. They keep in touch with friends they made at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. They wish all well as St. Martin de Porres House of Hope continues its mission.

PATRICK & JOYCE HENEGHAN With their three

grown children living far away, Christmas is now a time of reunion for Joyce and Patrick Heneghan’s family. After attending Christmas Eve mass, the family sleeps in and opens presents in the late morning. It’s very different from the Christmas mornings they spent from 2005-2012, celebrating with the residents at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. Joyce’s daughter, Maeve, introduced the Heneghan family to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. As a service experience, Maeve and the rest of her confirmation class at Our Lady of Perpetual Hope made dinner for the residents at the recovery home. After dinner, a resident talked with the confirmants about her life. When Maeve came home and told her parents about the dinner and talk, the Heneghans decided to create their own service experience. Making Christmas morning special for the women and children at the recovery home took two days of preparation, beginning with assembling 10 dishes of French toast casserole. The family would wake up bright and early on Christmas 2000 Partnership formed with Harmony, Hope & Healing

morning, load their car with food, juice, cocoa and candy canes, and drive to Woodlawn to serve breakfast and play with the children. “We’ll never forget those Christmas mornings,” Joyce recalls. “Each kid fell into their own role, cooking, playing with the kids, cleaning up. We all look back on it with extremely fond memories.”

REBECCA & LESTER KNIGHT Becky and Lester

Knight are partners in a family foundation. Their mission is simply stated: to serve the underserved. “We keep our mission broad on purpose,” Becky says. “We get to move quickly and nimbly.” The Knights’ faith informed their decision to start a foundation. “We feel grateful, and we believe we have a responsibility to give back,” says Becky, who is originally from St. Louis. The four Knight children are involved in the foundation’s decision-making. Becky was familiar with the Woodlawn area through her studies at the University of Chicago, where she earned a master’s degree in social work. She learned about St. Martin de Porres House of Hope through her friend, Richard Day, who had attended a presentation given by Sr. Connie. “Richard said, ‘I have just met the most amazing person,’” Becky recalls. “You’ve got to meet Sr. Connie.” So, Becky paid a visit to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope and toured the recovery home. “I was astonished at what Sr. Connie and Sr. Therese were doing on a shoe string,” Becky recalls. “If you live at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, you have to be very serious about your recovery. It is a hard and fast recovery, but it isn’t simply that you need to stop using drugs. It’s about what else you need to become a well-integrated person. You need to learn how to be a good parent, and how to keep a job. They don’t work in a vacuum. They work with other agencies such as the Cara [workforce development] program to get people employed.” Becky was impressed not only with St. Martin de Porres House of Hope’s impact, but with its measurement of that impact. “Sr. Connie used metrics to measure results—not just immediate results, but long-term results. As a foundation, we invest and support people who are really moving a needle, and that’s what St. Martin’s does.”

SANDY & BRIAN KRAIMER met while attending

college in Wisconsin. They got married and moved to Chicago for work. Sandy thought the move would be temporary. That was almost 30 years ago. The Kraimers remained in Chicagoland where Sandy, president of the board of Harmony, Hope & Healing, works to make it a better place for all. Ten years ago, 2005 Co-Founder Sister Connie died

Sandra joined the church’s sharing board, but still wanted to do more. Sharing board president Marianne Lutz mentioned that an annual Christmas party hosted by St. Anne’s at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope had discontinued. That’s when the Kraimer family re-established a Christmas tradition that continues to this day. “It didn’t seem at the time like there was a physical connection between us and our sharing partners,” Sandy recalls. “My husband and I felt like we had no exposure to the lives of people like the residents of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. We wanted to explore that and show our kids that there are people out there who are a lot less fortunate than us who could use some uplifting.” Since 2008, Sandy, her husband, and members of the St. Anne’s community have hosted a Christmas party on the first Saturday in December. The party begins with Harmony, Hope & Healing singers leading the group in Christmas carols. Next is crafting, with the women and kids each making a Christmas ornament. The women open presents selected for them by their children or grandchildren at a “shopping party” sponsored by the previous month with gift donations from members of St. Anne’s. After the presents, everyone enjoys pizza, sweets, and games. Because many happy memories are made at this event, Sandy says “We take pictures and print them out on the spot. In the last couple of years, we started bringing picture frames.” “I have a special place in my heart for St. Martin de Porres House of Hope,” Sandy says. “It’s such an interesting community. I’ve seen the same women over time and gotten to know the ladies. You can see them blossoming. It makes it personal when you can see the people that you are helping.”

MARIANNE LUTZ is a long-time member of St. Anne’s

Catholic Church in Barrington. Interested in the concept of more well-to-do parishes sharing their resources and their faith with poorer parishes, she joined St. Anne’s sharing program with St. Gelasius, which incubated St. Martin de Porres of Hope. “I came in at the beginning, when Sister Therese and Sister Connie were knocking down walls,” says Marianne. “I was extremely impressed with both of them. I was very much in awe of what they were trying to do and all they were accomplishing. My husband and I made St. Martin’s one of entities that we supported, and we’ve supported it ever since. I also made it a point to make people at St. Anne’s aware of the shelter.” Marianne joined St. Martin’s Board of Directors, serving as its chair for several years. Today, almost 35 years later, parishioners at St. Anne’s remain very active with St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. “I have found people are willing to help out with materials, donations or money but you have to give them an opportunity 2006 Outdoor recreation area expanded

to do it,” says Marianne. In addition to financial support from St. Anne’s, Marianne has coordinated Giving Trees and instigated the annual Christmas party for children to select presents that St. Anne’s donates to their mothers for Christmas. Marianne says that the purpose of a sharing program is not just to share resources, but to also share faith and togetherness. “We would have ‘Days of the Spirit’ where we would worship at each other’s houses, and we had a formal Day of Recognition at the Cathedral,” Marianne says. “We have good times. We’d have a party every year to celebrate effort and successes. A tent would go up, we were all invited to mass and then a party with a band. The band would play ‘Leroy Brown’ and Sr. Connie and Carol Marin would start the dancing.” “St. Martin de Porres House of Hope is a wonderful institution,” Marianne says. “It holds a special place in my heart.”

DOUGLAS MACLEOD was reading the obituary

section in the Chicago Tribune when he came across the story of a woman who had recently passed away following a fascinating life. He was intrigued by the woman, who had been a sergeant in the Army, a businesswoman, earned a law degree, and served as a nun, founding her own religious order, the Missionary Sisters of the Poor, and co- founding and running a recovery home on Chicago’s South Side. “I was really impressed with her. I thought—this is a really interesting person, so I decided to make a donation,” Douglas recalls. The interesting person, was, of course, Sister Connie Driscoll, and Douglas had made his first donation to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. That was in 2005, and Douglas has been donating to the recovery home ever since. Douglas grew up in Carbondale, IL, home of Southern Illinois University, and attended the University of Notre Dame. His career as an administrator and business executive meant he lived in numerous cities, but has always returned to Chicago, where he is a long-time member of St. Michael’s Church in Old Town. Now retired, Douglas has volunteered for five years as a math tutor for 2nd grade students at Manier Elementary, an inner-city school. “I’ve never been in education, so this is very interesting,” says Douglas. “They are curious about me. On my first day, they asked me how many girlfriends I had. Since I am helping them learn math, I told them that I started with five girlfriends, but I lost one, so now I have four.” Douglas made his first visit to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope last month, where he enjoyed touring the facility and meeting with Sr. Therese, staff, and residents. “It’s a wonderful organization and I am proud to support it,” says Douglas. 2008 Received anonymous donation to start an endowment

RON & ELISE MAGERS “Many years ago a dear

friend introduced me to Sr. Connie and Sr. Therese and the work they were doing in Woodlawn,” says Emmy award-winning news anchor Ron Magers. “As a recovering alcoholic myself, I was particularly interested.” Ron grew up in Cordova, Alaska, and Ellensburg, Washington, and began his television career in 1965 as a reporter for KEZI, the ABC affiliate in Eugene, Oregon. He later anchored for KGW, the NBC affiliate in Portland, Oregon; KPIX, the CBS-owned station in San Francisco, and KSTP, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. In 1981 he came to Chicago to join NBC-owned WMAQChannel 5, where his co-anchors included Max Robinson, Deborah Norville, Linda Yu and St. Martin de Porres House of Hope’s supporter Carol Marin. In 1998, Magers joined ABC 7, where he remained until he retired in 2016. His work as a television reporter and news anchor allowed Ron to see countless programs and institutions in Chicago, but St. Martin de Porres particularly impressed him. “I saw it as literally a house built on hope, for at the time it appeared that hope was the only thing holding up the walls. I visited the facility in person only once. That was enough. Their dedication was immediately evident and inspiring.” “This is a program where the staff and volunteers look another person in the eye and raise the possibility of changing a life. I see it as literally life giving,” says Ron. “My wife, Elise, and I have been contributors and supporters for nearly two decades, and are grateful to all those who continue to provide the hope.”

CAROL MARIN Walk into the doors of St. Martin de

Porres House of Hope, and the first room you will come to has walls painted a vivid red. Sunlight streams through the windows. Comfortable chairs and couches, a piano, and bookcases adorn the room. To the side are desks full of computers. This is the Marin Room, named for Carol Marin, award-winning journalist and friend to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. It’s where the women visit, sing, read, reflect, and learn. Carol Marin began her journalism career in 1972 at WBIR in Knoxville, Tennessee, working as a reporter, anchor, and assistant news director. In 1978, she moved to Chicago, where she worked for NBC’s WMAQ until 1997, co-anchoring the evening news with Ron Magers. She and her producer Don Moseley were then hired by CBS news, reporting for 60 Minutes and Evening News with Dan Rather. Marin and Moseley today head an independent documentary company, Marin Corp. Productions, located at DePaul University,

2008 TASC program linkage began

and Carol serves as a political columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and a contributor to WTTW’s Chicago Tonight. Carol and Don found St. Martin de Porres while doing a story for NBC on homeless women and shelters. “One of the places we ended up going was Sr. Therese and Sr. Connie’s newly founded venture in that little drugstore. It was a small brick two-story building located on a gang dividing line, in a DMZ [demilitarized zone].” Sr. Connie and Carol were especially close. Carol gave the eulogy at Sr. Connie’s funeral. “Sr. Connie and Sr. Therese are powerful and wonderful women who have given their lives to something that is greater than themselves. They have done it with grace and dignity, with 24/7 work ethic. I continue to be inspired and amazed by them,” Carol says.

FATHER TOM MCCARTHY grew up in the Marquette

Park area on Chicago’s South Side, a graduate of St. Rita of Cascia High School. Ordained in the Augustinian Order, he returned to St. Rita, where he worked first as school chaplain, then as president, president/principal and finally as chairman of the board. “I couldn’t imagine 21 happier years,” he says. After St. Rita, Father Tom recruited members to the Augustinian Order as vocation director. “I loved working with these young men who were thinking that God was calling them to the religious life, and talking about something I believed in and I was living,” Father Tom says. As a result of his efforts, five men were ordained, ending a dry spell of 16 years without a single ordination. Father Tom and Sister Therese are second cousins and knew each other growing up, “but I didn’t get to know her well until I entered religious life,” he recalls. “The first time I visited St. Martin’s, it was in a converted drugstore. I was flabbergasted that they were doing all of this great work in those conditions. It was pretty primitive, with a big dorm room, but it was an oasis in the middle of the neighborhood. That touched me, and I got to know Sr. Therese on a more personal basis. I saw the good work she did, and I started showing up.” Father Tom showed up a lot. He said mass at Christmas, followed by a feast and presents for every woman and child at the shelter. He coordinated concerts, so the residents’ choir could sing with the choir at St. Rita’s. He brought two seminarians, Brother Phillip Yang and Brother Sam Joutros, to intern at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. Father Tom says he continues to support the work at St. Martin. “These women may be having some difficulty in their lives, but they’re willing to work hard and turn their lives around. Anything in life that is worthwhile is going to take a lot of effort. I’m impressed with St. Martin’s dedicated staff and their success rate is unbelievable,” he says. 2011 Preschool partnership established with Mary Crane Center

FRIEND FAMILY HEALTH CENTER (FFHC) provides residents in the Woodlawn community with Behavioral Health, Care Coordination, Family Medicine, Family Case Management, Lactation Education, Nutritional Education, Dermatology, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics, and Social Services. “We know that during their addiction our residents have ignored their health needs as well as those of their children. Addressing their physical health is just as important as helping them recover from addiction,” says Yaisa Hagood. “Partnering with Friend Family Health Center was a natural fit because, like us, they focus on providing services to families who are undeserved in our community. As a result of this partnership, we truly are able to offer a holistic program that treats the mind, body and soul.” Conrad Gilbert, Outreach & Enrollment Specialist for FFHC, estimates 15-20 current and former House of Hope residents use the clinic. He says, “My main objective is to get residents in the community to be proactive about their health. High blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes are the three top killers of African Americans. These are scourges of our community. A healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle can lead you to a clearer mind. If you are not feeling well, you are not motivated to do anything. “ Conrad says, “St. Martin de Porres House of Hope provides an opportunity for women to get their life together. That is huge.”

MARGE NYKAZA was completing her Master of

Arts in Pastoral Studies at Loyola in 2000. As part of the program, she was tasked with a summer project, working with women in a shelter. Marge was then a teacher of Peer Ministry and the Liturgical Music Director at Brother Rice High School. She reached out to Sr. Therese and asked if she could work with the women at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope for her project. “I told Sr. Therese that I would do anything—talk with the women, stock shelves—but because I was a singer, choir director and music educator, I really wanted to start a choir. Sr. Therese said, ‘Of course, let’s try this.’” The choir and music program Marge developed became an integral part of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. It grew to include a women’s program, a children’s program and a mother/child class, which “facilitated bonding and taught parenting skills through the non-threatening vehicle of music.” “The women and their children were beautiful, recovering and moving forward. It was an incredible experience,” Marge recalls. Word spread throughout Chicago about the choir and music program at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, 2014 Partnership formed with the State Board of Education

and Marge was asked to launch the program at another shelter, and another. Ultimately, Marge created Harmony, Hope & Healing, which achieved nonprofit status in 2003, with a mission to create a safe environment where vulnerable individuals and families heal and rebuild through the restorative power of music. Today, Harmony, Hope & Healing partners with ten social service agencies and serves fifteen sites. The HHH Choir and Ensemble performs throughout the city, and includes numerous residents and alumnae of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. Several alumnae have learned leadership, group facilitation and public relations skills through Harmony, Hope & Healing’s paid internships and assistantships. “It all started with the women and their children at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope,” Marge says. “It’s a blessing to serve there!”

FATHER TRACY O’SULLIVAN, an iconic figure on Chicago’s South Side, grew up in a family of 10 in Chicago’s Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood. The fourth of four boys, he attended Mt. Carmel, an all-boys Catholic high school. His sibling and co-founder of the St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, Sr. Therese, was the fourth of four girls, and attended Loretto Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school.

After high school, Father Tracy entered the Carmelite Order, was ordained in 1962, and assigned to a Carmelite parish in Woodlawn, where he served for 25 years. This was followed by assignments that brought him to Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, California, and El Salvador. His roles ran the gamut, from parish priest to community organizer and school principal. He advocated for justice and education for underserved populations as director of the Commission for Justice and Peace. During this time, he also earned master’s degrees in urban studies from Loyola University and in pastoral theology from the University of Notre Dame. Now “sort of retired,” Father Tracy, a published author, writes a blog on Carmelite spirituality and prayer. “I work a lot of justice concerns into it,” he says. He also says mass on Sundays at St. Anselm and St. Elizabeth. Father Tracy ignited his sister’s interest in serving Chicago’s homeless by sharing a Chicago Tribune article on the topic. Not one for half measures, she responded by establishing the St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. Father Tracy advised her, even before its official founding in 1983. He urged the Archdiocese to support his sister’s work. “One of the few things I’ll take credit for is Cardinal Bernardin giving the nuns the building for $1,” he says. “I love that St. Martin de Porres House of Hope is reaching really poor people,” Father Tracy says. “I got to know several residents who became staff members, and others who have gone on to graduate from high school, college and even get 2016 Co-Founder Sister Therese retired

a master’s degree and Ph.D. Over the years I’ve watched St. Martin’s grow and watched people move on and up. I’ve pushed Sr. Therese to develop the staff and build a place that would continue beyond her.”

CARMEN PAPPAS

played the harp This is an exceptional professionally for 61 years, working at place where women weddings, funerals, bar and children receive mitzvahs, theaters and love, understanding, restaurants throughout guidance and the Midwest before acceptance. They go settling in Chicago. Now retired, she lives on to find their true near her daughter in place in the world. San Antonio, Texas. God bless them Carmen first visited St. all and Sr. Therese Martin de Porres House of Hope when Sr. Connie and Sr. Therese were transforming an abandoned O’Sullivan. corner drugstore into a homeless shelter for women and children. She had attended a luncheon - Anne T. where Sr. Connie was a guest speaker, and wanted to see firsthand what the nuns were doing. “I couldn’t believe they had that many beds in such a small place. Shortly after that, they moved across the street to the abandoned school,” Carmen says. She performed a concert for the staff and residents at St. Martins, most of whom had never experienced a live harp performance. “I lived on the north side so I couldn’t help much except for money. Each month, I sent a modest amount and a letter. They were doing amazing things down there. I saw their vision.” Today, more than 33 years later, Carmen continues to send a monthly check and a letter to St. Martin’s. “When you give to St. Martin de Porres, you know where your money is going,” she says. “You know it’s helping people who need help. I’m so glad to be able to do it.”

MARCO PARDO In October 1983, Sr. Therese

answered a knock at the door of her newly opened shelter and found a young man who introduced himself as Marco Pardo. “I said I’d sweep floors, do dishes—I was available for anything they needed,” Marco recalls. Marco had just moved to Chicago and was living with friends from seminary across the street from St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. “Are you by any chance a counselor? What we really need is a counselor,” Marco recalls Sr. Therese saying. Marco’s first master’s degree was in counseling, and a relationship begun that continues to this day. Marco began to hold “Feelings and Issues” group sessions to help residents 2016 Yaisa Hagood became Executive Director

process and resolve issues, and to develop coping skills. He then began holding individual counseling with women, and soon realized more was needed. “It became apparent pretty early on that they needed to get some parenting skills over and above talking about issues: how to parent, how to discipline, why we don’t hit children, why we have rules and consequences.” Over time, Marco identified and filled another need at the shelter. “I ended up being the house barber. I got some scissors and clippers and learned how to cut the women’s and children’s hair. It wasn’t just a practical thing, because they didn’t have money to get haircuts. It was for self-esteem and dignity—it was for them to say ‘I’m not on the street anymore.’” When Marco first came to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, the new shelter was in a small storefront with 18 cots and was still defining its mission. Marco helped guide St. Martin’s evolution from a homeless shelter to a recovery home, and was a founding board member, serving until a few years ago. In 1998, Marco returned to his native California, where he works at a treatment center in North Hollywood. Every weekday, he writes a mediation and prayer for his clients there, and every day he emails that meditation to Sr. Therese for the residents at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope. “I make the meditation practical and meaningful to what they are dealing with now.”

BROTHER ROSS WIELATZ, a Chicago native,

graduated Leo High School in Auburn-Gresham and entered the Congregation of Christian Brothers. With a bachelor’s degree in biological science and a master’s degree in math education, Brother Ross taught science, math and religion at Christian Brothers schools throughout the United States, including Vallejo, California, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Chicago. In his mid-50s, Brother Ross noticed that some of his teenage students were getting involved in marijuana and started studying addiction counseling. “I thought I could lend a hand in helping them along the way,” he says. He moved from Chicago to Tampa, Florida, to take care of his ailing mother, and was hired by one of Florida’s largest community-based providers of behavioral health services. There, he began his addiction counseling career, working with women and men recently released from prison. He helped them keep sober and learn to adjust to life outside of prison while earning an international certification in addiction counseling. Brother Ross returned to Chicago in 2005 and was living within the Christian Brothers community when he learned that a recovery home in Woodlawn needed a substance abuse counselor. “I jumped at it, and got the job,” Brother Ross 2017 On-site computer lab established

I’m so grateful! I was a resident of St. Martin de Porres 20 years ago. GLORY BE TO GOD! THANK YOU SISTER THERESE AND SISTER CONNIE I LOVE YOU BOTH, RIP SISTER CONNIE! YESSSSS 20 YRS!

recalls. “I counseled the women on an individual basis. I would see them once a week, minimally, and they could come down and talk with me whenever they wanted. I worked with them with all their issues. I understood that these women had lost everything to their drug addiction. Many were grieving the loss of their best friend—their drugs.”

Brother Ross remained at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope for five years before moving on to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and then Brownsville, Texas, where he currently resides. He continues to serve the residents of St. Martin’s by funding retreats to a convent on the North Side of - Renea B. Chicago. “We wanted to bring them to a place where they had their own bedroom, clean sheets, a bathtub and good meals. I’m a religious brother. We treat these women as human beings. I don’t think a lot of them had been treated as human beings in a long time.”

SISTER JULIE STAPLETON entered the Loretto Sisters IBVM convent in 1959. There, she met Sr. Therese and a lifelong friendship was formed. “In 1983, I met Sr. Connie Driscoll before she became a sister. She and Sr. Therese were establishing St. Martin De Porres House of Hope in an old white enamel brick boarded-up store. Their dream of housing homeless women in Woodlawn was coming true.” “At that time I was a teacher of preschoolers at St. Bride’s School in South Shore. Sr. Connie and Sr. Therese needed people to help with meals, so I offered to prepare Thursday dinner. The food regularly available for dinner on Thursdays was a big bowl of leftover pinto beans. There were plenty of onions and cans of beans and chili powder so I always prepared chili. I do not remember there being any ground beef available. A resident named Alberta taught me how to dice all of the onions I needed to put into the chili. To this day, I dice onions the way Alberta showed me.” “When St. Martin de Porres House of Hope began celebrating their founding every year around May 15th, I participated in the anniversary mass by bringing up a bowl of incense while the choir sang ‘Blessed Assurance.’ It was an experience I shall never forget. St. Gelasius’ Church was filled with friends of the House and after the liturgy service, all enjoyed a fabulous outdoor banquet in the parking lot. A band played dancing music for the party. The first piece they always played was ‘Bad, Bad Leroy Brown’ to which Sr. Connie and Carol Marin danced while the crowd clapped and sang. 2017 Formal public graduation ceremonies begin

“I’ve been a member of the Board of the House of Hope for many years, retiring from Secretary several years ago. My connection to this wonderful House on Woodlawn Avenue has endured because of my love for my dear friend, Sr. Therese O’Sullivan.”

SANDRA VASNAIROS spent her career helping

others. Sandy, a mother of two adult sons, taught reading and special education at elementary schools in Englewood and elsewhere in Chicago and the suburbs. In her retirement, Sandy continues to help others. A member of Old St. Patrick’s Church for 12 years, Sandy participates in Encore, a social outreach group for members 50+ years of age. Sandy first learned of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope when Encore toured several organizations served by music therapy program Harmony, Hope & Healing. Encore decided to deepen Old St. Patrick’s relationship with St. Martin De Porres House of Hope. That was seven years ago. Sandy and the Encore team have honored that commitment, and to this day remain highly active at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, leading projects throughout the year. “We try to do a few things to provide things to enhance the women’s lives a little bit, to give them a bit of joy,” says Sandra. “Three times a year we have a card-making project, for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and birthday/thank you. They make their own cards, chat, enjoy. They love when they can be creative and make something special. It’s a joyful experience. “I love connecting with the women, and being part of their journey,” says Sandra. “I admire their courage. When I go there, I come home full of hope and joy. I think St. Martin de Porres House of Hope is an absolute blessing. It gives these women a safe place where they are loved and can save themselves. What’s amazing is that when I’m there, I see how everybody cares for each other. It’s like a family. It’s so moving.”

MARY WHALEN was working with the United Way

when she came across an application for financial assistance from a shelter on the South Side of Chicago. “It was around 1990, and St. Martin’s was still in the little store down the street. I had to go out to see if they were legit.” Mary completed her investigation, concluded that St. Martin’s was indeed legit, and began a relationship with the organization that continues to this day. 2017 Harmony, Hope and Healing Ensemble and residents of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope sang National Anthem at White Sox Game

A long-time board member and consultant, Mary describes St. Martin’s evolution over the years. “We started off with a broad spectrum, helping anyone who was homeless. Then we realized we needed to focus on women with addiction problems, who had different needs than women without addictions. Later, when we saw that the women were suffering not only from addiction, but also from mental health issues, we had to acquire skills in the counseling services. It was a challenge to set up skilled counseling services and learn how to staff this new program with structure and consistency,” Mary recalls. “We collaborated with other agencies. I worked with the staff trying to get them to work within a framework so we could see progress, moving ladies from Point A to Point B.” “With our wonderful counselors, the ladies really started taking hold of their lives. Their progress was phenomenal. We’ve had such success with our ladies. We’ve had our ups and downs, and a lot of women got clean and sober and stayed that way. Working with St. Martin’s has been a wonderful ride. I have loved it. It’s very meaningful for me.”

THE DUNLEAVY FAMILY For 20 years, Christmas celebrations at the Dunleavy family household and St. Martin de Porres House of Hope have been inextricably linked.

Sheila Dunleavy O’Gorman, an educator, connected with Sr. Connie and Sr. Therese through their daughter Molly, who attended the school where Sheila worked. She and her brother Sean asked the nuns if they would be interested in donations of Christmas gifts for the women and children living at the recovery home. “We started coming to House of Hope. It was a team effort with my brother Sean, my sisters Pat and Mary Kay and my daughter Anne,” Sheila says. “Friend and neighbors would come. They would give gifts, or write checks. We got people to play Santa Claus—we even had a Mrs. Claus.” It grew from there. Pat and Sheila would coordinate gift lists with Sr. Therese. The residents would write letters to Santa, and include a request for themselves and their kids. “People would call me and ask if they could fulfill a gift list for a family of three or a family of five. Somehow it always worked out perfectly with the number of people who needed gifts and the people who wanted to give,” says Sheila. Benefactors that gave checks would write them to Mary Kay, and she and her daughter, Kathleen, would shop and write the letters back. “The Christmas party at St. Martin de Porres House of Hope was always my favorite day of the Christmas season, coming to hear these ladies get up and sing, and listen to Father Tom McCarthy talk. They were thanking us, but we got so much more out of it than we gave.” 2018 Received first State Grant from Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs

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St. Martin de Porres House of Hope

Congratulations on 35 Years of Caring and Transforming Lives! From Tom and Mary and the Owens Family

Thank you to our sponsors!

Planned Giving Dear Friends: Your kind generosity over the past 35 years has sustained St. Martin de Porres House of Hope and fueled its mission to provide a safe healing community to assist women and their children recovering from substance abuse, trauma and mental illness. Please consider continuing your support of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope in your estate planning. With planned giving, you can deepen your connections to the St. Martin de Porres House of Hope and our ministry by including us in your Will or Living Trust or as a beneficiary to any account or insurance policy payable upon your death. A very simple way to do this is to include one sentence in your Will or Trust as follows: Specific amount or portion of estate: I give [$ (amount)] [(percentage) of my estate] to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, Inc., an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, for its unrestricted use and purpose. Specific property: I give (describe account or property) to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, Inc., an Illinois not for profit corporation, for its unrestricted use and purpose. Residuary estate (or portion thereof): I give [(percentage)] of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate (both real and personal) to St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, Inc., an Illinois not for profit corporation, for its unrestricted use and purpose. Contact Sister Therese O’Sullivan, Co-Founder at (773) 643-5843 or stosibvm1@sbcglobal.net for additional information on requests or to talk about the different options for including St. Martin de Porres House of Hope in your Will or estate plan. Please seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor before implementing any changes to your Will or estate plan. If you include St. Martin de Porres House of Hope in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.

Legal Name: St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, Inc. Federal Tax ID Number: 36-3332673 Thank you for your continued support of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope and our mission.

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