Extend a Hand. Change a Life. 2013–2014 Annual Report A Letter from the Bishop Faith in Action My Dear Friends, The people of God have been conscious of their obligation to the poor since the earliest days of the Church. As Catholics, we take seriously the Gospel commands to care for those in need: the hungry, the homeless, the sick, those in prison and the widows and orphans. St John the Baptist, preparing the way for Jesus, tells the crowd waiting to be baptized, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” (Luke 3:10-11) Also in the Gospel of St Luke, we read that Jesus, addressing “a crowd of many thousands,” exhorts them not to be afraid, and says bluntly, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” (Luke 12:33) In this report you will read what we in the Diocese of Covington are doing to help the poor and needy in our diocese. Through the work of Catholic Charities we minister to thousands of our brothers and sisters who are struggling with hunger, homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse. Although the work of the agency has gone on uninterrupted, this last year has been a challenging time. Our Executive Director, Bill Jones, suffered a stroke in February 2013 and died in Novem- ber. For most of the past year, the agency has been led by Shannon Braun, whom I appointed to be Interim Executive Director during Bill’s illness. I am grateful for Shannon’s leadership and her dedication to furthering the mission of Catholic Charities during this time. I am happy to announce the appointment of Alan Pickett as the ninth Executive Director of Catholic Charities. Alan is a faith-filled Catholic with a deep desire to give back to the Lord the gifts that he has been given. Coming to us from the business world, Alan has a strong commitment to serving the poor and needy as Jesus commanded us to do. I am confident that Catholic Charities will continue to do the Lord’s work in serving our brothers and sisters with compassion, respect and skill. I am thankful for all of you who through your generosity make it possible for us to do this work, whether through prayer, volunteer activities or financial support. Be assured of my prayers. Please, pray for me. Yours devotedly in the Lord, Most Reverend Roger J. Foys, D.D. Bishop of Covington Diocese of Covington Office of the Bishop 115 Madison Avenue Covington, KY 41011-3115 (859) 39-1500 Page • Catholic Charities • Diocese of Covington A Letter from the Executive Director Called to Serve Dear Friends, It is with much excitement and anticipation that, as of mid-September, I joined Catholic Charities, Diocese of Covington as the ninth Executive Director. I look forward to working with you, together with the fine staff and many volunteers who so capably serve the poor and needy throughout our diocese. In my short tenure, I have already met with all of the staff and many of the volunteers to learn about the resources and help we have to offer. I have also seen the poverty and other needs in our diocese that require our vigilant attention and care. Our annual report is an opportunity to share with you the many accomplishments we have achieved and services we have provided in the past year under Shannon Braun’s leadership. More importantly, this report is also an opportunity for us to share with you the future vision of mission and service to our brothers and sisters in need. At a time in our society when our basic religious freedoms are being threatened, we must first let people know that the primary reason we have been called to serve is because we are Catholic. Also, where we see opportunities to expand our mission, we need to be creative in finding ways to meet these needs. So while we celebrate the many gifts we have shared, we invite you and our community to join with us as we strive to answer God’s call to serve. “Lord, make me a channel of your peace... for it is in giving that we receive.” I thank you, each of you, for your gifts as co-workers in the vineyard. Thank you for your time, your talents, your ideas, your energy, and your treasure. Especially thank you all for the legacy of charity and service that has been left for us to continue together. What a beautiful gift it is to be called to serve. I look forward to meeting with you, working with you and serving you. Faithfully yours, Alan Pickett Executive Director Catholic Charities • Diocese of Covington • Page 3 A Letter from the Associate Exective Director Change a Life Dear Friends, This year at Catholic Charities we have continued to carry out our mission of service to our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Covington, doing the Lord’s work to alleviate the suffering of those in need. Our staff helped individuals and families in a wide variety of programs. In this report you will read how we have fed the hungry at Parish Kitchen and provided a new home at St. Joseph Apartments for 16 homeless families. The mental health therapists care for those distressed in mind and spirit because of mental illness or the torment of addiction. In the parenting education program we have helped parents develop the skills they need to raise their children successfully. The housing counselors have intervened so that families have been able to avoid fore- closure and the trauma of losing their homes. Last year the jail ministry program taught men in jail how to rebuild their relationship with their children. Adoption program staff have helped find loving adopted homes for infants. Pregnancy counselors assisted women experiencing an untimely pregnancy with professional mental health counseling, as well as practical assistance with housing, transportation and medical care. Overall our programs have provided services to over 11,000 persons annually; and provided 75,000 meals each year at Parish Kitchen. We take a holistic approach to serving our clients. As Catholics, we seek to be spiritually available to clients. Many clients seek out Catholic Charities because of this spiritual aspect. As a Catholic agency, we have the freedom to educate, explore and guide our clients on their faith journey. Sometimes they ask us to pray for or with them, and this is something we are able to do. It is part of how we respond to our Call to Discipleship. We are very excited to unveil a redesigned website where you will find information about our programs and services. This redesign allows us to tell our story in a new and different way, using a new tag line, Extend a hand, Change a life. We have grouped our programs into four categories which are easy to understand and which show how our services are linked. The new groupings are Counseling Services, Child and Family Services, Housing Services and Community Outreach Services. You will be able to read more about the groupings in the pages of this report. I want to offer our most heartfelt thanks to our friends at Intrinzic, led by Wendy Vonderhaar and our Marketing Committee, who have spent countless hours working on this and on the marketing plan that accompanies it. We are profoundly grateful for their dedication to this project and their faith in our work. In closing, I would like to thank Bishop Foys for his support and encouragement over the last nineteen months. I would like to thank all of you who have continued to support the agency during this time of transition with your time, treasure and talent, and most of all with your prayers. We are about to begin a new chapter in the story of the agency with the appointment of Alan Pickett as the ninth Executive Director of Catholic Charities. Alan brings a passion for serving the poor, and spreading the message of God’s goodness among our brothers and sisters in need. Your partner in service, Shannon Braun, MSW, CSW, Associate Executive Director Page 4 • Catholic Charities • Diocese of Covington Our Service Lines Counseling Services Highlights • 404 adults and 76 children received mental health or substance abuse treatment services. Through the addition of the following insur- ance companies—Anthem, Cigna, Humana and United Behavioral Health—the agency’s average fee for all counseling sessions has improved to $22.00/hour in 2014 compared to $15.00/hour in 2013. • Our counseling program continues to adjust to industry standards of prevention and well- ness and is one of five counseling agencies that supports a learning circle, Behavioral Healthy Quality Assurance with United Way. A new project this year is partnering with Gateway Nursing Students to offer a 6 week wellness program that provides education on physical and mental connections. Counseling Services Substance Abuse Treatment At Catholic Charities, we provide treatment for all people who Substance Abuse Treatment (SAT) is intended to help addicted are seeking help to improve their mental health. Our Individual individuals stop compulsive drug seeking and use. Behavioral and Family Therapeutic Counseling Program has four Catholic, therapies can help motivate people to participate in drug licensed counselors with advanced degrees. treatment, offer strategies for coping with drug cravings, teach Mental Health is a state of emotional and psychological well- ways to avoid drugs and prevent relapse, and help individuals being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and deal with relapse if it occurs.