Tri-County Connections June /July 2017
In This Issue: Catholic Charities 100th Anniversary
Issue 10
Catholic Charities Turns 100! As you may have heard, 2017 is the big 100th Anniversary celebration for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany. We celebrated the momentous milestone across all of our programs!
Staff BBQ Our New Staff Member Employee of the Year Volunteer of the Year Looking Ahead: Back to School Programs Birthdays & Calendar Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany is the social service arm of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, providing services with dignity and compassion that respond to people in crisis, provide for basic needs, and support and protect the vulnerable. 2017 marks our 100th year of serving the Albany Diocese as an active witness on behalf of the Scriptural values of mercy and justice. During its early beginnings through the 1950’s, Catholic Charities primarily served Catholic families in the urban areas of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy. During the 1970's, Catholic Charities launched a large scale initiative to expand its social services beyond the Capital Region and to serve all 14 counties in the Diocese of Albany. Individual Catholic Charities agencies were established in rural counties of the diocese, as well as service-specific agencies to focus on housing, helping people with disabilities, assisting senior citizens, and helping young mothers and pregnant teens. With a constant eye on how the most vulnerable members of our society are faring, Catholic Charities is committed to developing diverse responses to local community needs. Today, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany provides a wide array of services through its 12 agencies and dozens of programs to meet the needs of the people we serve. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany is affiliated with Catholic Charities USA, one of the nation's largest social service networks. Catholic Charities participates and collaborates in national networking, advocacy, and program development through CCUSA. You can celebrate 100 Years of Caring Beyond Belief at the annual Night at the Museum event or purchase a raffle ticket to win a trip to Tuscany! More info at www.ccrcda.org/nam.
Win a free raffle ticket for the Tuscany trip by answering the following question by Wednesday, June 21st. Email your answer to jcarroll@ccalbany.org.
How many people does the Catholic Charities Diocese of Albany serve annually?
June  & July Birthdays: Sunnyside Center 6/2: Shanay Dixson
Staff BBQ at Camp Scully We enjoyed a Staff BBQ at Camp Scully on June 9th and had a cake to celebrate Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany's 100th Anniversary. It was a beautiful day and we look forward to our next Staff get together in the Fall.
6/17: Jomar Marin
If your program site would like to host our next staff event, please reach out to Justine at
7/31: Stanford Dixson
jcarroll@ccalbany.org.
Roarke Center 6/3: Pam Booker 6/23: Madison LaValle 7/12: Sr. Loretta Hoag Camp Scully 7/1: Colin Stewart Admin 7/4: Salley Zgolinski Hilltowns 6/7: Mary Beth Peterson Sr. Maureen Joyce Center 6/4: AJ Hart 7/8: Don Foreman
Calendar: Sunday June 4th: Catholic Charities 100th Anniversary Mass
Meet Veronica Nieves Many of you had the chance to meet our newest staff member, Veronica at the Staff BBQ last week. Veronica started in mid May as the Emergency Assistance Case Manager based out of the Roarke Center in Troy.
Friday June 9th:
Originally from Brooklyn, Veronica spent the last 16 years
Staff BBQ at Hilltowns
in Texas and Florida, where she also spent time working at Catholic Charities. "Catholic Charities feels like home for
Wednesday June 21st: First Day of Summer
me." she says. Single mom to an adult son, she's looking forward to exploring her new surroundings in Upstate NY and getting back on roller skates! "I practice in my apartment, but I'm
Monday & Tuesday July 3rd & 4th: Catholic Charities Holidays Tuesday July 4th: Independence Day Friday August 21st: 5th Annual Golf for Good
determined to do it! I enjoyed it so much as a child." We are excited to welcome Veronica to our Catholic Charities Tri-County family!
Have a great Summer!
Employee of the Year - Heather Ellis Congratulations to Heather Ellis of Sunnyside Child Development Center for her Employee of the Year Award! Heather was honored at this years Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany Annual Gathering in May, where we say "Thank You" to our incredible staff and volunteers. Heather came to the Catholic Charities family first as a volunteer and soon after became an employee working as an Assistant Teacher. Today she is Head Teacher of the Toddler Room and as a single mom whose three children attended Sunnyside programs, she is as dedicated as they come! Congrats and Thank You, Heather!
Volunteer of the Year - Jim Banagan Volunteer James Banagan was honored as Volunteer of the Year at this years Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany Annual Gathering. Jim volunteers at the Sister Maureen Joyce Center and is one of our "go-to" guys! Always one of the first to arrive and last to leave, willing to jump in where needed and do any task, from intake to packing bags to unloading the weekly delivery truck. THANK YOU Jim!
Looking Ahead: Back to School School may have just ended but our programs will be gearing up for Back to School before you know it! Be sure to send the following info to Justine to have it posted on social media, shared with our donors and to get extra volunteer help.
Dates for collecting donations Most needed items Dates for clients to register Pickup dates & times for students Any extra volunteer needs during that time