By Ken Bresnan, Parish Outreach Liaison

Last week, I attended the graduation ceremony for students who completed computer literacy classes sponsored by Catholic Charities Hispanic Community Outreach Program. Staff member, Mireya Ramirez, addressed the graduates and their families and to be completely honest, I didn’t understand one word since English is my only language and she was speaking in Spanish.

But then, as the graduates were to cross the podium and receive their certificates, I picked up the camera. From that point on I understood everything through the universal language of the lens. The spoken word did not matter. As I focused on each graduate I saw smiles, pride, a sense of accomplishment, a love of their fellow students and there were hugs all around. Through that same lens, I saw children playing, crying, skipping and proudly hugging their mother or father. It was clearly a special and rewarding time for all.

Do you speak Spanish? We are always looking for bilingual volunteers to assist with computer classes, nutrition classes and other empowerment opportunities offered by the Hispanic Community Outreach Program.

Last year, Catholic Charities volunteers donated more than 17,300 hours of time and talent! That is valued at $290,121*! (*According to the Corporation for National and Community Service a volunteer hour in Iowa is valued at $16.77 per hour.) 

Are you or do you know of someone who has generously contributed volunteer time through Catholic Charities? Nominate them for the 2012 Bishop Charron Caritas Award!

Each year hundreds of volunteers assist Catholic Charities in numerous ways-- cleaning the homeless shelter, setting up apartments for refugees, organizing donations, packing and distributing food boxes, selling tickets to fundraising events, offering expertise on the Board of Directors and through committee membership and many, many other ways that are critical to Catholic Charities' mission.

The Bishop Charron Caritas Award is presented annually to an individual and organization that shows exceptional compassion, service and love to all those in need through their volunteer work with Catholic Charities.

The award is named for retired Bishop Joseph L. Charron, who not only served the Diocese of Des Moines from 1994 to 2007, but also inspired people of all faiths to join Catholic Charities in service to those in need.
 
Nominations for this award are open to the public now and are due by May 15. Applications can be obtained by calling 515-237-5019, by  emailing pnestvedt@dmdiocese.org (click for electronic  application). To send an application by mail, please download the PDF file here.
  
The Bishop Charron Caritas Award recipients will be honored publicly at Catholic Charities Night at the Iowa Cubs on June 7. 
 
In addition to showing compassion, serving with humility and displaying love for all people, the nominees will be judged on four criteria: fulfilling the mission of Catholic Charities; bringing unique gifts, skills and talent to one’s work; demonstrating commitment and enthusiasm to helping all those in need; and making a measurable impact on the community and those served through Catholic Charities. 
 
 

By Ken Bresnan, Parish Outreach Liaison

If you are lucky in life your only acquaintance with a tornado is with the one in the Wizard of Oz. But unfortunately for some that is not the case. 

I traveled to Creston, the home of Holy Spirit Parish, last week with Catholic Charities Disaster Response Team. As many of you know Creston was hit by a tornado on Saturday, April 14. It touched down in a fairly straight line for a relatively short distance on the northwest corner of town by the hospital, the middle school and the community college, all of which suffered significant damage in addition to homes:

- 59 housing units were either destroyed or heavily damaged
- 40 of those were multiple unit buildings like condos or apartments
- 19 single family dwellings destroyed

I saw at least three instances where a house was completely demolished but the ones on either side of it had only shingle damage on the roof.  The athletic field had batting cages blown away, student bleachers completely turned over and the bus barn is now an open air building.  But the town vows to move on. Prom was Friday night.
 

The infrastructure of the town was unhurt so life could be somewhat normal for most. I was there on a Wednesday, three days after the storm, and all of the downed trees had already been removed. Driving into and through Creston, I passed a Casey’s, a HyVee, restaurants and other businesses— all open.  The Country Club, which is located close to the college and hospital, had people out on the course. One block from a completely demolished house, a man was cutting his lawn.
 

But for the 59 families who were uprooted, and the rest of the townspeople who know or are related to someone who suffered the catastrophe, life does not go on as usual. They prepare for a new "normal". Please keep the tornado victims in your prayers as they recover and begin to rebuild their lives.

How can you help victims of the April tornado's!
• Organize a Personal Care Item & Twin Bedding Collection. Catholic Charities can help pick up collections of items and will deliver them to Creston for distribution to people in need. Click here for a collection flyer.

• Sign up for the Disaster Volunteer email list.

• Make a donation to help victims of the tornado online or by mail to:

Catholic Charities Tornado Relief, 601 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50309, or by phone at 515-237-5078

Learn more at http://www.dmdiocese.org/emergency-and-disaster-response.cfm.