Employee Beat. May Amanda and Tami from PSAS at the Mat-Su child abuse awareness rally.

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1 Employee Beat Amanda and Tami from PSAS at the Mat-Su child abuse awareness rally. David Ri/enberg with Holden A. Holden and his friends at his 6th birthday brought 105lbs of food for the St. Francis House. Lisa A with Video Dad shoo ng a video promo ng the CSS Mission! Con nental Subaru presented two checks through the Share the Love campaign to CSS totaling $43,000, a check for CH and for CEH!!

2 EMPLOYEE KUDOS Congratulations to Homeless Family Services for becoming accredited by the Council on Accreditation in Community Supported Living standards. Accreditation in these standards allows CSS to pursue multi-year funding for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families grant. A special shout-out to Pamela, Katrielle, Stephanie, and Ashley for their work before and during the accreditation process!! Ruth Oliver deserves a kudos because she goes above and beyond for our guests every day. She is always looking for ways to make our guests feel welcomed and cared for. She has worked hard to make Brother Francis a better place. She always has a great attitude and puts our guests needs first. We are so lucky to have her here at BFS! Kudos to Wes and Tricia in a beauful annual report To Stephanie for a FABULOUS presentation! Catholic Social Services Charity Ball is May 7 th at the Hotel Captain Cook. May 30th: Memorial Day is a work holiday. Enjoy your day off on Monday, May 30th. Have a wonderful three day weekend. For those of you working, thank you for your dedication! Page 2

3 What s Happening! Do not give up your dreams of a more just world! Recently the Pope tweeted this inspiring message to young people of the world. What a message that is to us about the future. At Catholic Social Services we are taking that message to heart as we kick off the celebration of our 50th anniversary as an organization in our community. Starting out as a small food pantry on 3rd Avenue 50 years ago, Catholic Social Services has at its roots addressing family struggles with poverty and homelessness in Anchorage. Last month, Effie Caldarola wrote a really wonderful piece chronicling the history of Catholic Social Services ( In the piece she mentions many important milestones along our journey as an organization. She also speaks to our mission and our special gift as an agency. Catholic Social Services has a long and rich history of serving the underserved. Together with our supporters, we have transformed as an agency from a small food pantry in a tiny house on 3rd Avenue, to a multi-faceted organization with eight hope-inspiring programs. These programs include: two emergency shelters for adults and families experiencing homelessness; a home for teen boys; the busiest food pantry in town; homeless case management services; adoption & pregnancy support program; services for people with disabilities and their families; and the state refugee resettlement program. To best serve the entire community these programs are run efficiently and effectively. Maximizing our resources, we strive to use professional expertise and evidence-based practice in order to best serve the needs of all people in our community. All of this is provided from a place of love and respect, honoring the Catholic Social Teachings and the work of so many individuals over the past 50 years who have dedicated their time and support to help those in need. It s inspiring to say, inspiring to hear and even more inspiring to see it in action throughout our organization. Not long ago I attended a conference, and I had the opportunity to meet a young woman. She was a university student studying social work. She, and a group of her peers, had been asking me questions about how to best serve women and children experiencing homelessness, and about our program at Clare House. After the session, this young woman approached me and thanked me for answering the questions. I expressed my gratitude for her interest and her passion about homeless families. She explained that for her it was very real. She had grown up at Clare House, off and on, as her mother struggled with economic challenges. She told me that Clare House had been a safe place for her, and inspired her to complete her studies and focus on helping others. I thanked her again and embraced her. Just a few days later, I had the opportunity to hear a story about the planning involved in beginning the original Clare House. I heard about personal passion among a group of individuals to help women and children with nowhere to go. This group felt so strongly that in Anchorage their community it was unacceptable to have women and children on the streets, without options. Their passion was palpable and continues to live on in women such as the young lady I met. All of that passion has led to a successful program in Clare House. These stories are not unique, but they are so special. Each program at Catholic Social Services shares similar stories. Families and individuals impacted by challenges very difficult to overcome alone, being aided by community members working together to create solutions to help their neighbors. From these solutions, hope is inspired and future generations take up these challenging issues with renewed energy and passion. This speaks to the heart of why Catholic Social Services came into existence, and why I know we will survive for many years to come. Our tagline, providing help and creating hope, says it brilliantly. I began with a quote from Pope Francis tweeted to young people, but I think it speaks to all of us. Catholic Social Services is our vehicle to create a more just world, and a more just community. Thank you to the community of Anchorage for driving that vehicle and helping our neighbors and those in greatest need. If you have questions on any of the topics in this column, anything else going on at CSS, or ideas of topics you would like to hear about please let me know through at ldhaquino@cssalaska.org, call me at or write me a note. Lisa DH Aquino Page 3

4 On behalf of the many volunteers and paid employees who comprise the CSS family we d like to thank you for joining us in working to fulfill the mission of Catholic Social Services. Your work with CSS will require commitment, compassion, flexibility, and integrity. New Employees: Sascha Poplar - HFS Yuri Sutton - Admin Lavinia Fonua - CH Sierra Floyd - BFS Julie Vannosdale - CH Mission To compassionately serve the poor and those in need, strengthen individuals and families, and advocate for social justice. May Birthdays May Anniversaries Mealilo Suafoa (FDS): 2 Year Amber Meyer (PSAS): 2 Year Issa Braman (RAIS): 4 Years Bill Watson (ADMIN): 5 Years David Rittenberg (BFS): 5 Years Mark Artemyev (ADMIN): 7 Years Meysio Fong-Phan (FDS): 8 Years Nermina Fisek (FDS): May 1st David O Neel (ADMIN): May 3rd Miron Price (FDS): May 6th Meysio Fong-Phan (FDS): May 7th Felix Albaladejo (FDS): May 10th Lisa Caldeira (BFS): May 22nd Robin Dempsey (BFS): May 24th Sascha Poplar (HFS): May 25th Tina Kahele (BFS): May 29th Amber Meyer (PSAS): May 29th Lavinia Fonua (CH): May 31st TOTAL: 33 YEARS Page 4

5 May 1st : May Day May 2nd : Brother & Sister Day May 5th: Cinco De Mayo May 6th: No Diet Day May 8th : Mother s Day May 12th: International Nurses Day May 14th: Dance Like a Chicken Day May 16th: Wear purple for peace day May 30th: Memorial Day May 31st: Macaroon Day Page 5