Parish Outreach Coordinator Provides Link to Catholic Charities Honor
January 2017 Parish Outreach Coordinator Provides Link to Catholic Charities By Christine Corbett Conklin Parishioners, religious and clergy Charities. contact and understanding there may throughout the Diocese of Yakima have a A former director of public relations be for the spectrum of social services new resource for information and referral. at Perry Technical Institute and reporter headquartered here, she suggested. Leanne LaBissoniere, a longtime and copy editor for the Yakima Herald- Catholic Charities provides assistance Yakima resident, has been named Parish Republic, LaBissoniere says that her new for pregnancy through early childhood, Outreach Coordinator for Catholic responsibilities include updating those in foster care, kinship (support and referral P our 41 parishes of the many services offered to relatives serving as caregivers), housing, under the Catholic Charities umbrella. mental health, clothing/household needs “I hope to become the person they call and volunteer services for elderly and when they don’t know who to call,” she handicapped individuals. Its three major said. divisions are Catholic Family and Child Since LaBissoniere began her job at Service, Catholic Charities Housing the end of August, she has traveled to Services and St. Vincent Centers. Catholic many parishes and visited with some 28 Charities offers services throughout central priests, explaining the range of social Washington, with offices in Yakima, services available and learning of parishes’ Wenatchee and Richland. individual needs. “We are the social service arm of the “The priests wear a lot of hats,” she Church,” LaBissoniere said. “My goal is to observed. “They run a business, counsel develop a relationship with them (clergy people and, in addition, have the whole and parishes) so they understand what spiritual element.” we do and we understand who they are… The greater distance there is, We want to tailor what we do to serve Leanne LaBissoniere geographically, from Yakima, the less their needs.
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