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Friday, May 13, 2005 .
WINNERS OF St. Vincent's Home 2005 Kaleidoscope Awards honoring dedicated community supporters were, from left: Denia Mendonca, Jamie Prevost, Madeleine Lithway, Dr. David Steinhof, and Jim and Holly Vogel.
Community supporters recognized by St. Vincent's Home for dedication to children FALL RNER - St. Vincent's Home recently hosted its second annual Kaleidoscope Awards Ceremony to honor six dedicated community supporters. Madeleine Lithway, Denia Mendonca, Jamie Prevost, Dr. David Steinhof, and Holly and Jim Vogel were recognized for eXfending themselves in very special ways as volunteers to the youth and families of St. Vincent's Home. The honorees were as diverse in background and contributions as the agency's youth themselves - a dedicated board member, volunteer, and vi!!iting resource; a social worker who consistently goes above and beyond partnering with us in meeting her clients' needs; a radio station manager who helped to spread the word about the agency's mission and obtain hun, dreds of holiday gifts; a thoughtful and generous dentist who has do- . nated his time providing internship opportunities for our youth, and acting as an ambassador for our youth by embracing our mission and encouraging donations over the holidays; and the hosts of a children's experiential learning program on a horse farm providing caring support and' education for youth. Each honoree reflected love, commitment and hope for the children whose lives they touch. Madeleine Lithway, a St. Vincent's Board member and volunteer - for many years, she has been a visiting resource, mentor and a volunteer in the Childhood program. Because of her dedication and investment over the years, Lithway was invited to serve on St. Vincent's Board of Directors. Lithway is always there to show her support at any agency event, and is a strong advocate for the mission of St. Vincent's. Dr. David Steinhof, a Fall River dentist - "Doc," as he is idfectionately called in the Fall River area, is a member and vice chairman of the Fall River Chamber of Commerce. He has logged many volun-
teer hours in various community organizations. One ofSteinhof's first associations with the mission ofSt. Vincent's was through a staffmember several years ago. That visit began a relationship with St. Vincent's, which has expanded through the years. One resident did an internship in the dentist's office that was an affirming and rewarding experience. Every Christmas, St. Vmcent's children and youth are the recipients ofbeautiful gifts that are collected at "Doc's" Holiday party. Holly and Jim Vogel, from the Wellspring Farm and Learning Center - are more than just instructors at the Wellspring Farm. They have gone above and beyond their duties, and show their commitment to the mission of St. Vmcent's by treating and respecting each youth as an individual. It is an enriching and refreshing experience for the children to visit the farm and participate in life skills and pre-vocational classes that are educational, rewarding and enjoyable. At the end ofthe semester last year, the Vogels planned a graduation party for the children who had participated in the program. Jamie Prevost, a radio station manager for WCTK in Providence, R.I. - has been a great public re- . lations person and advocate for St. Vincent's. Through the station, she was able to solicit Christmas gifts as well as to provide education about the mission of St. Vincent's. Prevost enlisted numerous members of her family to donate gifts for the children. Because she believes in the mission of St. Vincent's, she has begun the process to b"ecome a visiting resource for one of the residents. Denia Mendonca, a social worker with the Department ofSocial Services in Lowell - has met with numerous challenges in her dealings with a former client and his family. Faced with difficult decisions, Mendonca met these challenges in a non-judgmental manner.
Through her advocacy and problem solving, she has enriched the lives ofthis family and collaborated with St. Vincent's staff in reuniting the family. The Kaleidoscope Awards are an outgrowth of the agency's annual Mission Awards,. which¡are given to recognize the compassionate ways in which employees and friends ofSt. Vincent's Home make a difference in the lives ofthe children and families the agency serves. With an increasing number ofnominees each year ofcommunity part-
ners and volunteers, St. Vincent's Home decided to create a specific award, the Kaleidoscope Award, to recognize these individuals expressly. "When the award planning committee first met, we talked about how so many people outside of the agency were our supporters and friends," said Sister Rosemary Laliberte, St. Vincent's mission coordinator. "We looked at ways in which they helped us live out our mission of "Giving Children in ~eed What They Need Most." We saw that this help came in a variety ofways, that they were light, color and strength. Thus the symbol ofa kaleidoscope emerged." In her remarks at last year's award ceremony, Louise Richmond, the agency's assistant executive director, reminded the large crowd of the agency's philosophy of care. "Our values include compassion, recognition of the dignity ofeach person, hope, respect, trust, integrity, faith and non-judgmental
care." The Kaleidoscope Awards honor individuals who reflect these values and make a difference in the lives ofchildren and families served by St. Vincent's Home. Each day, St. Vincent's provides care to more than 155 children ranging in age from four through 22. Children come to St. Vincent's for many different reasons, from neighborhoods across Massachusetts, and from a wide range ofsocio-ec-onomic backgrounds. All ofthe children at St. Vincent's are in need of the individualized care the agency provides to help them heal and grow. With the support ofthe community for more than 100 years, St. Vincent's Home has been able to provide the quality programming necessary to assist these children and their families. Today, St. Vincent's Home continues to restore hope to children with a wide range ofdifficulties, who live each day with the hope of returning to a farnily.
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