JULY/AUGUST 2021 “Young at Heart” VOL. 53, NO.4 keenagernews.org BRINGING NEWS TO SENIORS SINCE 1969 INSIDE FEATURES Catholic Charities Call Center: The Voice of Catholic Charities: Vámanos! 3 Preventing Homelessness, and Much More Anthony Spalla Farewell 5 Keenager Veteran Dies at 106 11 It’s a moment that happens hundreds of times a day. Someone JULY picks up a phone, or sits down at BIRTHSTONE FLOWER a computer, knowing he or she Ruby Larkspur needs assistance, hoping Catholic 4 Independence Day Charities will help. Once that call 25 Senior Unity Mass-VIRTUAL is made, or that email is sent, 25 FIRST World Day for Catholic Charities has a team of Grandparents & Elderly professionals in its Call Center that is ready, willing, and able to assist AUGUST in a wide variety of ways. BIRTHSTONE FLOWER Call Center staff members Periodot Gladiolus receive in-depth training that 6 Feast of the Transfiguration teaches them how to respond 15 Feast of the Assumption to callers in a compassionate, Bob Haennicke, Catholic Charities Associate Vice-President, Family & Parish Support, in Catholic Charities Call Center with Wendy Avila, Program Director. For more news and events, competent manner. They are visit catholiccharities.net well-versed in Catholic Charities assisting clients ever since. programs and services, to which Bob says, “The primary mission they refer clients to find short of the Call Center is to try to help GREETINGS FROM THE EDITOR and long-term support. They also clients with whatever they need. know how and when to contact Oftentimes, this means helping Happy Summer, Senior Unity Mass at 11:00AM on our partner agencies on behalf of them prevent homelessness. A Keenager Readers! July 25th! Please join us! See Page a client. By providing emergency brief over-the-phone assessment Every season in Chicago is 3 for details. At Keenager News, help, and offering access to is done and, when we can, we use wonderful, but summer gives us we strive to honor grandparents proven assistance that can address resources within our agency, or we more reasons than ever to smile, and the elderly all year long, but underlying issues, Catholic Charities connect callers to partner agencies and count our blessings. we salute you, with Pope Francis, Call Center staff members show who can disperse funds to them, so In this issue, we feature Catholic ESPECIALLY on July 25th this year! clients every day that they want to the callers can stay in their homes.” Charities Call Center, and its staff As a final note, this is one of do more than help them through “In addition,” Bob adds, “We receive that has been working harder two issues in 2021 in which we will very challenging times in their lives. requests from callers for a number than ever this past year to help include appeal envelopes. Thank Fulfilling the mission of Catholic of other things, including senior people in need. you in advance for whatever We bid a very grateful farewell you can contribute to help us Charities, Call Center staff members services, counseling, domestic to our Spiritual Matters columnist, keep Keenager News as a free genuinely want everyone who abuse, and community resource Anthony Spalla. See Page 5 for publication. contacts Catholic Charities to have referrals, such as where the closest Anthony’s inspiring message. We hope you stay healthy and the opportunity to find a more food pantry might be to a caller’s DON’T FORGET: Pope Francis find enjoyment throughout every stable, happier future. home.” Before COVID-19, the Call Center has established a new, “World Day one of these long summer days. According to Bob Haennicke, for Grandparents and the Elderly” Thank you again, Anthony! received an average of 70,000- Catholic Charities Associate Vice- this summer! We will be marking 75,000 calls a year. In 2020, the President, Family & Parish Support, this occasion by broadcasting For the Keenager News Team, total number of calls was 107,798, Catholic Charities Call Center Catholic Charities 48th Annual Katie McDonnell Bredemann opened in 2007 and has been Continued on p. 6 2 JULY/AUGUST 2021 AMERICAN HISTORY July 4, 2021: United States Celebrates EDITOR 245 Years of Independence Katie McDonnell Bredemann EDITORIAL BOARD In June, 1776, sensing that a the document. Sally Blount vote for independence might be The signers’ names were not Stephanie Johnson near for the Second Continental released publicly until early Robert Boyd Congress, John Adams 1777, when Congress allowed Anthony Spalla suggested that Thomas Jefferson the printing of an official Angela Bailey begin drafting the written copy of the Declaration of Kindle Wilfinger document that would explain Independence. All who signed GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Homan this drastic move to the public, the Declaration put themselves, and further engage its support. and their families into great PHOTOS danger as they publicly declared Catholic Charities Communications Adams believed Jefferson to staff unless noted. be the best writer among the themselves to be traitors of Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA Keenager News is a free monthly delegates. Great Britain. Of the fifty-six men publication mailed to persons aged 55 and On July 2nd, twelve colonial called Independence Square. who signed the Declaration, older by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, a non-profit organization. delegations voted in favor It is believed that the Liberty five were captured, tortured of independence from Great and killed by the British. The EDITORIAL OFFICE Bell was rung to announce 721 N. LaSalle Street, 2nd Floor Britain, with New York delegates this public reading, and this homes of another twelve signers Chicago, IL 60654-3503 abstaining, unsure of how their event is reenacted every year in were ransacked and burned. Phone (312) 655-7425 constituents would want them Philadelphia. In addition, nine of the fifty-six For subscriptions, changes of address, to vote. Two long days ensued signers fought and died from deletions, contributions, questions, or On August 2, 1776, members comments, please write or call our editorial during which significant editing of the Congress joined wounds or hardships of the office, or e-mail the changes to us. Contents was done to Jefferson’s draft together to sign one copy of Revolutionary War. We owe all may be printed in their entirety with proper of the document. The final of them our thanks for the credit given. Catholic Charities is an the Declaration. They added equal opportunity employer. version of the Declaration of their signatures by delegation, freedom we enjoy today. Copyright 2021 by Catholic Charities Independence was approved starting in the upper right A number of organizations of the Archdiocese of Chicago. on the 4th of July. John Dunlap column, continuing in five exist today where you can trace ADVERTISING POLICY printed about 200 copies that columns, from the northernmost your family lineage for possible Advertisements appearing in the night and it is believed that 26 connections to the revolutionary Keenager News cannot be construed as state (New Hampshire) to being an endorsement by Keenager News of these copies still exist today. the southernmost (Georgia). period in American history. or its members. Advertisers and their On the “Dunlap broadsides,” To learn more, visit dar.org; agencies assume liability for all of the However, historians have agreed content of advertisements printed and only John Hancock’s name, as that the signers on August 2 sar.org, valleyforgesociety.com are responsible for any claims that may President of the Congress, was and such genealogy websites as arise from their advertising. Keenager weren’t necessarily the same News reserves the right to reject any printed at the bottom. delegates who approved the ancestry.com, familysearch.org advertisements it deems objectionable. On July 8th, Colonel John Declaration on July 4th. Seven and usa.gov/genealogy. CATHOLIC CHARITIES MISSION Nixon of Philadelphia read new members of Congress Catholic Charities fulfills the Church’s role in a printed Declaration of Sources: ushistory.org; history.com; the mission of charity to anyone in need by were added after July 4, and providing compassionate, competent and Independence to the public for seven other members who were constitutioncenter.org professional services that strengthen and the first time, on what is now present on July 4 never signed support individuals, families and communities based on the value and dignity of human life. Veteran’s Bike Project of Lake County Do you have a gently used bicycle that could help a veteran start a new career? Consider donating to this wonderful veterans program! With public transportation, bicycles help veterans ride the first mile and/or the last mile to their new places of employment. YOUR COMMENTS Financial donations are greatly appreciated, too, for the purchase of new bicycles. ARE APPRECIATED To learn more, call: Mitch Siegel, Catholic Charities Job Developer E-mail us at Veterans Employment Program of Lake County [email protected] [email protected]; (847) 782-4219 keenagernews.org THE VOICE OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES JULY/AUGUST 2021 3 Vámanos! Let’s Rebound from COVID Together Vámonos! When COVID-19 and medical groups provide began taking its toll, my the vaccines. Catholic Charities, colleagues and I started using The Voice of parishes, and other community this Spanish expression, agencies organize and oversee which means Let’s Go!, as a Catholic Charities the events. From greeting rallying call to get out into the Cary Rositas-Sheftel, PhD. guests and taking temps at the neighborhoods to help those Director of Latino/Latinx Affairs door to putting shots in arms, who needed it most. We used it the way everyone has worked with the connotation of “let’s get together to get the hope of the this done” and “we can do this” crisis, providing unprecedented To date, Catholic Charities has vaccine to those hardest hit by because there indeed was a lot amounts of food, rental and participated in 77 vaccination the pandemic has been, again, to be done.