A Century of Service From the Spanish Flu to Tornado Recovery, Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley Has Been a Beacon to Those in Need for 100 Years B Y KARY E LLEN BER GER
From its beginnings of helping immigrants and orphans, to now serving 10 counties in the northern part of the archdiocese and 20,000 people each year, Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley (CSSMV) has seen growth and gratitude for a century. This spring marked the organization’s 100th anniversary of service. “Father Francis Gressle opened the first Catholic Charities office in Dayton as a response to a growing concern over the conditions immigrants were living in Dayton at the time,” Mike Lehner, Director of Marketing and Development for CSSMV, said. “There were also up to 500 orphans from the Spanish flu of 1918 and people still recovering from the flood.” CSSMV is an affiliate of Catholic Charities USA, which has 162 affiliates of Catholic Charities across the country. 4 8 | TH E C ATHOLIC TE LEGR A P H
CSSMV’s CEO, Laura Roesch, is a member of Catholic Charities USA’s Board of Directors. With a focus on both individuals and families, CSSMV provides services in eight primary areas: • Mission Services — including family stabilization and support and the organization’s choice food pantry; • Pregnancy and Parenting Services — including parent education, groups for mothers, and postadoption support services; • Supervised Visitation and Exchange Services at Erma’s House — providing a safe place for parents and their children to visit and for parents to have a supervised exchange; • Refugee Resettlement — assisting those coming to the Dayton-area with initial housing, help finding employment, and providing community resources;
