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PEOPLE of GOD
february 2020
Catholic Charities Enters Their 75th Year There is a lot of excitement always generated after the Christmas holiday and welcoming in a New Year. However, 2020 is an especially exciting time at Catholic Charities as we are marching towards our 75th anniversary this year. Our anniversary is on December 26, 2020, St. Stephen’s Feast Day (one of the seven original Deacons of the Church charged with looking after the welfare of the people of God by the apostles.) Trying to throw a party on December 26th just might be met with a little resistance. Therefore, our official celebration will be November 21, 2020. What a coincidence – that is the same date as the St. Nicholas Ball, so mark your calendar!
Board of Directors Changes This New Year finds us welcoming two new board members: Dennis Garcia and Alan Weitzel. Mr. Garcia is senior VP of US Bank; Mr. Weitzel is retired after a career at Intel and Energy Balance & Integration. We are pleased to have these talented gentlemen on the board. Sadly, we are bidding farewell to two members as well: Carmel Rippberger and Philip Menicucci. We were blessed with their service and thank them for their time and talent in service to the mission of Catholic Charities. “The Catholic Charities Board of Directors is excited to work to fulfill the mission of the agency during its 75th anniversary of service in New Mexico,” says incoming chair, Lisa Trujillo. “Putting faith into action to improve the lives of those in need is our focus. Compassion and empathy for all is central to our values, and honoring human dignity is our vision. We are most grateful for your prayers and continued support in 2020!”
Generations at West Mesa In keeping with the One Albuquerque spirit of collaborating to be part of the solution to homelessness in Albuquerque, Catholic Charities is proud to announce a new collaborative housing assistance project. Generations at West Mesa, located near 57th Street and Central, will focus on grandparents raising grandchildren. Catholic Charities and Gorman & Company developed this 54-unit affordable housing complex, with support from the City of Albuquerque, the New Mexico MFA and various investors. There will be a grand opening on Thursday, February 27. Deputy Director of Constituent Services, Helen Maestas, will represent the City of Albuquerque at this event. Our Executive Director, Jim Gannon, will speak and representatives from Gorman and the MFA will join him.
Tony’s Gift Tony’s Gift is a donor-advised fund, a donation from a couple to honor the bride’s brother, which will distribute $100K a year. These funds are committed for the next 10 years to help homeless households, counter the disappearance of government funding and help folks who have challenges and are not readily put into neat categories of eligibility. This is a total donation of $1 million. James Walker, Director of Center for Self Sufficiency & Housing has developed a great plan of use and benefit with the assistance of Associate Director, Quinn Donnay. The fund will plug a hole in resources for families preventing them from moving into safe secure housing.
