Big-hearted ‘Volunteens’ bond with residents of Holy Angels

SHAWN FLYNN

Special to the Catholic News Herald

MOUNT HOLLY — Teenage volunteers gave their time and hearts this summer to help support the residents of Holy Angels as part of its Volunteen program.

“The Volunteen program was a really great opportunity to do good and spread God’s love,” said Volunteen Lila McGarry, an incoming freshman at Charlotte Catholic High School. “Holy Angels is filled with so much love, and it is a wonderful place to volunteer.” endowments to eight – some of which have been set up by individuals. Currently, there are 41 members of the Holy Family Parish Legacy Society and Catholic Heritage Society who are remembering the Church in their estate plans.

Holy Angels has provided residential services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and complex medical needs since 1955. This is the first time the organization welcomed back the Volunteens since the beginning of the pandemic.

Program attendees supported residents through art and music therapy, visits to Camp Hope, playing games and lots of conversations, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of the residents.

To establish an endowment, donors give $25,000 or more, which is then invested. The endowment then draws upon earnings from the investments only, not touching the principal, leaving a stable source of money to be used according to the endowment agreement terms. An individual can establish an endowment immediately, through their estate plan, or both.

One of the new endowments at the Clemmons parish is the Holy Family Scholarship Endowment Fund that provides tuition aid for parishioners. Many Holy Family parishioners have children who attend Our Lady of Mercy and St. Leo schools in Winston-Salem and Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville, Father Stuhrenberg noted.

“Catholic schools used to be run by the religious, but now they are run by lay people who support a family, so tuition continues to increase,” he said. “We started a scholarship program to help our

Charlotte. “His commitment and leadership are having a positive impact. We welcome all parishes to work with our office in encouraging parishioners to remember the Church in their estate plans.”

Father Stuhrenberg added that donations to help a parish with immediate needs fixes only the problem of today, but endowments set up security for the future.

To illustrate this, he said, “Many people invest in a 401(k) so that they will have a sustainable income many years in the future. Endowments could be just like that for our parish. Instead of a retirement fund, it’s a stability fund.”

Fund an endowment

Interested in setting up – or adding to – an endowment to benefit your parish or Catholic school? You can establish an endowment in the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation by leaving a bequest in a will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a trust or annuity, or a gift of real estate, life insurance, cash or securities. For details, contact Gina Rhodes at 704-370-3364 or gmrhodes@rcdoc.org.