National Mentoring Month

January is National Mentoring Month. And every year, Catholic Charities USA joins Mentoring Works! for a nation-wide effort to highlight the importance mentors play in young people’s lives and mentorship’s power to fight poverty one child at a time.

Whether it’s helping with homework, playing games or just hanging out, mentors break the cycle of poverty by letting a child know that he or she matters. For a child living in poverty, this encouragement goes a long way. Impoverished children struggle academically and socially, which stunts emotional and intellectual development. These disadvantages deplete a child’s confidence and lead to delinquency, truancy, drug use, gang involvement, teen pregnancy and other at-risk activities that trap youth in a lifetime of poverty. Yet, mentorship has the power to break this cycle.

Catholic Charities is actively engaged with those in our communities throughout Central and Southern Indiana to provide help and create hope in the lives of young people all year round. If you’d like to get involved, please contact the Catholic Charities agency nearest you.

More than an Adoption Plan

Several months ago, St. Elizabeth|Coleman received a call from Julia. Young, pregnant, and two weeks from her due date, Julia contacted us for help in making an adoption plan.

At just 23 years old, Julie was already a single mom of three and had been staying in a local shelter. Her three children had been removed from her care by CPS due to Julia’s many challenges, including poverty, homelessness, mental illness, lack of a strong social support system, the inability to read or write, and a long history of abuse and abandonment by family members. Though Julia had contacted us to make an adoption plan, she also opened the door to a whole new support system to help her financially, emotionally, and to connect her with local resources.

Julia chose adoption because she wanted to be able to select a permanent family for her daughter. She was able to meet her daughter’s adoptive parents, and the adoptive mom served as her support system by being at the hospital – holding Julia’s hand during the delivery of her baby.

Since the placement of her child, a social worker has visited Julia numerous times. Having no friends or family to share her grief, she calls her social worker every day to share her thoughts and feelings and get the support she needs. Julia is comfortable and happy about her adoption decision, and shared a reunion with the adoptive family and her daughter less than two weeks after placement.  Julia has also been able to move out of the shelter and into a small house within walking distance of her health clinic and the grocery store. 

Through St. Elizabeth|Coleman’s life-long services, Julie has been provided with practical help and with the joy of renewed hope for a better future…and she thought she was just calling to make an adoption plan.

Artic Blast doesn't stop the Warmth of Compassion

Since April 1982, the Bethany house Soup Kitchen has not missed a day of serving meals to the hungry in our community – including during the recent arctic blast we experienced in Indiana.

Dottye Crippen, director of Bethany House, shares her story of feeding others even on those frozen, snow-covered days:

"Fed 32 hungry, cold people yesterday in the soup kitchen. You know these people are cold or hungry or BOTH when they brave the elements to walk to the soup kitchen to either get into a warm room, or get a warm meal, or both. In conversation, many do not have heat...sent food along with some for later...these are the truly needy and my heart feels good being able to help. It was well worth digging myself out and braving the road conditions to see the smiles and gratitude for the warm coffee and hot chocolate, the chicken noodle and beef veggie soup, the pork loin sandwich and a piece of pie for dessert. Plus since the dining area wasn't crowded with a line waiting, everyone stayed awhile and we had good conversation! Sometimes I'm beat down with my work, but most times I'm lifted up! God is great!" 

We are so thankful for our dedicated Catholic Charities staff, volunteers, and supporters all throughout Indiana. You truly help us provide help and create hope during some of life’s most crucial times.