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Catholic Charities: Celebrating the
Kathy Schimschock, Development Director
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ON, NOVEMBER 19, International Men’s Day, the world will celebrate all the men in our lives, but every day we celebrate and are thankful for the men at Catholic Charities of North Louisiana. There are four men who make a difference and play active roles as part of the amazing CCNLA staff. These gentlemen show great care in the jobs they do, and compassion for the clients they serve, and they work tirelessly and selflessly giving of themselves inside and outside of the office.
JOE BULGER, CCNLA’s Operations Manager, has been at Catholic Charities 5 1/2 years. He assists our Executive Director, Meg Goorley, with the day-to-day running of the organization. Joe makes sure the organization stays in compliance with various grants, provides basic support and management of technology and facilities, and he recently became a certified HUD Housing Counselor.
Joe moved to Shreveport in 2014 as a full-time missionary with the People of Praise community in the Lakeside-Allendale neighborhood to help to start a school, Praise Academy at Lakeside. Working at Catholic Charities offered Joe the opportunity to continue serving the poor, including many of his neighbors. “It was clear from the start that I was valued and heard, and that I had a role to play on a great team doing good work for those in need,” said Joe. “I love the camaraderie among the staff and being part of a small organization where everyone wears a lot of different hats and supports each other and does what needs to be done.”
PAUL HAND, Accounting Manager, joined the team in August of 2020 when the Pandemic was going strong. He was already familiar with Catholic Charities because he volunteered to teach ESL (English as a Second Language). Later, Paul and his wife became clients of CCNLA while navigating the immigration process. Briana Bianca, CCNLA’s Immigration Attorney, assisted Paul’s new wife, a native of Mexico, with her permanent residency application.
Paul is an avid runner and is his church’s cantor—he attends St. Nicholas Orthodox Church. He feels comfortable working at Catholic Charities and when Paul announces, “Happy Pay Week,” it is his gentle reminder for the staff to turn in their timesheets. This is how Paul describes working at Catholic Charities: “The organization embodies both excellence and compassion. The knowledge I’ve gained here is incredibly valuable, and the work/ life balance is near unbeatable. I feel that my work is valued from within and out in the community.”
CARL PIEHL has been CCNLA’s Directory of Financial Stability for ten years. After volunteering at Christ the King Catholic Church in Bossier, he was offered a position at Catholic Charities to pair financial literacy classes with emergency services, and cocreate and developed what CCNLA now calls Money $chool®. Carl has taught thousands of participants over the years and is a certified credit counselor and certified HUD Housing Counselor. Being bilingual, he also teaches ESL classes at CCNLA during the evening thru a partnership with Bossier Parish Community College.
According to Carl, “We (CCNLA) are the best stewards of the funds we are given, and we believe that our clients are the sons and daughters of the living God, and they have everything that it takes within them to lift themselves up, they just need knowledge and support.”
JAMIE WORLEY joined the staff at our Monroe office in June of this year and is the Outreach Coordinator. He spends his days building the referral network through community outreach to help individuals with food scarcity issues and assist them with SNAP applications. After a life in retail, sales, and advertising, Jamie stated, “I wanted to do something with my life that made me feel like I was contributing to the betterment of society. I am finally at a job where I am doing something worthwhile with my time.” Since joining the team, Jamie has proven to be an asset at the Monroe office and growing the list of clients CCNLA assists.
*Photos of Bulger, Hand, and Piehl provided courtesy of Harrington House Photographic Studio and Gallery
