Hunley honored for refugee mentoring work
CHARLOTTE — Hundreds of friends and supporters gathered April 26 for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s 15th annual Vineyard of Hope dinner and fundraising event.
The gala raised approximately $117,000 for Catholic Charities’ efforts to strengthen families, build communities and reduce poverty in the Charlotte region. Sponsorships and donations exceeded previous years’ events, organizers noted with gratitude.
Catholic Charities’ leaders summarized accomplishments of their Charlotte-area initiatives over the past year – including highlighting the Burial Assistance Program, which helped 86 families with a dignified burial for their loved ones in Mecklenburg
County last year, and the Refugee Resettlement Program, which welcomed 343 refugees from 19 countries last year.
In his remarks thanking the staff, volunteers and supporters for their efforts over the past year, Catholic Charities’ executive director, Dr. Gerard Carter, noted, “I see every day the incredible work carried out by our deeply dedicated staff and volunteers. The lives of so many people living on the peripheries are positively impacted through the work of so many people of goodwill. As I often reflect, one of the most rewarding components of my work with Catholic Charities is being in a position to thank so many donors and benefactors who make the work of this ministry possible.”
“Catholic Charities can only carry out this ministry because of the efforts of so many,” Carter said.
One of those honored during the event was volunteer Thomas Hunley, who received Catholic Charities’ Fruit of the Vine Award for his leadership in mentoring a refugee family of 11 from Somalia.
“We have a mentorship program that serves almost every volunteer interest and refugee need. What we didn’t have was a mentor program designed to serve an 11-person Somali family,” noted Tammy Greyshock, Catholic Charities’ volunteer coordinator, before presenting Hunley with the award.
“Enter Tom Hunley, a recently retired bank executive who had relocated with wife to Charlotte. Tom arrived in my office with a simple request of wanting to serve wherever needed. And, as the Holy Spirit often works, we had a need,” Greyshock said.
The Noor family, who had arrived in late 2016, needed someone to help them navigate life in the United States. Hunley and his mentor team of eight were with them every step of the way.
“Tom and his co-mentors responded to countless needs with a grace, compassion and steadfast resilience that are unmatched,” Greyshock said. “They saw and learned first-hand what living on the margins in America looks like. How extending a helping hand can warm the soul, cross cultural boundaries, create new friendships, provide hope in the most unlikely circumstances and impact a family for generations to come.”
Hunley credited all of the volunteers in the refugee resettlement program for their teamwork in assisting the Noor family and others who have escaped war, poverty and persecution to build new lives in this country.
Hunley quoted from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!” Then he added, “With that measure, everyone here, has succeeded.”
It is important to give thanks for the agency’s many blessings during the previous year, speaker Dennis Marstall of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte reminded everyone gathered at the event, but he added that there is more work to be done.
“Charlotte is the 17th largest city in the U.S. Nearly 60 people move here every day. It is a city with wealth, low unemployment, rising incomes, and rising home values. Beyond the gleaming Charlotte skyline, tree lined roads and well-manicured lawns is a population struggling every day just to make ends meet,” Marshall said. “In Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, the poverty rate is 15.8 percent, or roughly 150,000 people living below the federally-defined poverty level, making less than $25,100 for a family of four. Additionally, the working poor, hundreds of thousands of people, struggle to provide basic needs for the family each and every day.”
“Catholic Charities opens its doors to help those in need, to help rebuild lives and compassionately provide basic support. They even go a step further to open doors – and borders – to refugees and others facing persecution, strife and hardships that we cannot fathom.”
“Charlotte would not be the vibrant community it is without such a great organization and the willingness of so many in our community to lend a hand, volunteer or provide financial support to help their fellow neighbors and citizens,” he said.
— Lisa Geraci, correspondent
More online
At www.ccdoc.org: Learn how you can support Catholic Charities’ work across the Diocese of Charlotte