Paul and Beth Hoeing, recipients of the Bishop William G. Curlin Partners in Hope Award, are pictured with Catholic Charities¹ Piedmont Triad Regional Director Becky DuBois. (Georgianna Penn, correspondent)
WINSTON-SALEM — Supporters and friends of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s work in the Triad gathered for the 15th annual Partners In Hope event March 10 to celebrate the past year and encourage support to meet future needs.
The annual fundraiser offered an overview of Catholic Charities’ services and a glimpse into the lives of some of the clients who have been helped over the past year. Sponsors’ support covered the entire cost of the event, enabling Catholic Charities to raise more than $375,000 in donations that will go directly to funding the programs offered by Catholic Charities in the Triad.
Dr. Gerard A. Carter, executive director and CEO of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, began the evening with heartfelt thanks for the attendees’ generosity, telling people that he hoped they all understood that their gifts truly mean the world to those who come to Catholic Charities seeking help.
In his keynote address Kevin Mark Kampman, retired publisher of the Winston-Salem Journal and member of Holy Family Church in Clemmons, repeated Catholic Charities’ mission statement: “We are a Christian ministry of charity, service and justice dedicated to providing help to those in need, hope to those in despair, and inspiration for others to follow.”
“It’s really hard to image another organization walking the walk of their mission statement any better than Catholic Charities,” he said.
He said he and his wife Deborah began working with Catholic Charities of Birmingham, Ala., as foster parents more than 20 years ago.
“They taught us a lot more than we ever taught them,” he said, adding that Catholic Charities became the way his family put their faith in action.
Catholic Charities’ tenets of Christ-centered service and treating people with dignity, compassion and love, he said, combined with careful stewardship of its resources, enables the agency to help anyone in need.
Catholic Charities’ Triad office – which moved last year to a new location near St. Benedict the Moor Church in Winston-Salem – continues to have a powerful impact on the community, Kampman noted.
Among other measures, more than 4,000 people – half of whom were vulnerable children and the elderly – received free food and personal items last year, it was reported. Nearly 1,500 people facing a crisis received direct assistance, and 377 families received baby clothing and supplies through the Wee Care Shoppe.
“And the great thing is, we’re just getting started,” Kampman said.
A community garden will be planted this spring to provide much-needed fresh produce for food bank clients, and the Triad office is in the process of developing home gardening mentoring and support as well as a blood pressure education and monitoring program for the wider community.
Also during the event, Monsignor Anthony J. Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X in Greensboro, remembered the life of the late Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin, noting his episcopal motto was “Sentire Cum Christo” (“To Think With Christ”).
If each person thought like Christ and felt with Christ, as Bishop Curlin did, this attitude would become second nature, Monsignor Marcaccio said.
“And then when that intuition is in you, it naturally spills over into action. It spills over into Catholic charity, the charity that we celebrate today,” he said.
Catholic Charities’ award named in honor of the late bishop – the Bishop William J. Curlin Partners in Hope Award – was then presented to Beth and Paul Hoeing by Father Brian J. Cook, pastor of St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem.
The award is given in consideration of the work the Hoeings do for Catholic Charities but also, Father Cook said, in recognition of the charitable work they do for the entire region. Year in and year out, he said, the Hoeings serve as the hands and feet of Christ through their work with Room at the Inn, serving breakfast to the poor, bringing the Eucharist to the sick and homebound, and more.
The Hoeings thanked God for giving them the chance to share His love with others in concrete and practical ways – “to be His instrument, His hands and His heart to others so they can be encouraged, optimistic and respected as they experience trials and hardships in their life,” said Beth Hoeing. “I have witnessed so many examples of faith, courage, perseverance and patience from the many guests who come to Catholic Charities for services.”
Paul Hoeing expressed deep affection for the late Bishop Curlin, calling him a wonderful model for showing people what a life of service should be. He also remembered one of the late bishop’s simple prayers, a prayer that he and his wife strive to live each day: “Your will, O Lord. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.”
— Annette K. Tenny, correspondent
By the numbers
- 193,278 pounds of food and personal items were distributed to 4,395 people – 50% of whom were vulnerable children and the elderly
- 1,473 people received direct assistance when faced with an urgent crisis due to a job loss, health issue, death or problem that threatened safety
- 43 families with babies born to teen parents received support and parenting assistance. 100% of the high school seniors in the program graduated
- 668 direct counseling services helped to save marriages, strengthen families and transform lives by helping those coping with crisis, trauma and anxiety
- 377 households received assistance through the Wee Care Shoppe including: children’s clothing, diapers, baby wipes, formula, books and toys
- 60 direct supportive services were provided to families with teens in crisis as an effort to help them to cope and thrive
- 34 Forsyth Technical Community College students received supportive services through the Stay the Course program to maintain enrollment in college.
- 40 people received immigration and naturalization services
- 123 volunteers provided 10,217 hours of service to the Piedmont Triad Office, which would equal the work of 5.5 full-time people
- 30 people from a diversity of languages have been trained and qualified to work as professional interpreters through the Translation & Interpretation Enterprise (TIE) program