St. Vincent de Paul | Louisville
February 2017
Baptist Pastor Brings Shared Purpose to Role on SVDP Board What’s an African-American, Baptist preacher doing on the board of directors of a lay, Catholic charitable organization? The Rev. Bernard Crayton used to ask himself that very question, he says with a chuckle. Besides being neighbors with St. Vincent de Paul here in the Shelby Park community, the pastor of Little Flock Missionary Baptist Church says we serve a similar purpose, which is to help people. He knows as much because he and his parishioners have been long-time volunteers at SVDP, having served meals for years at the Open Hand Kitchen. Over time, Rev. Crayton has gotten to know Ed Wnorowski, SVDP’s executive director and CEO. “Ed’s a great guy,” Crayton says. “Our sons both went to Murray State, and we discovered we had things in common.”
In his church office, Bibles and reference books line the shelves of the Rev. Bernard Crayton, senior pastor of Little Flock Missionary Baptist Church.
In an effort to bring greater racial diversity and more varied career backgrounds to SVDP’s board of directors, Wnorowski approached Rev. Crayton about joining SVDP’s Board of Directors, which has historically included mostly white men - most of whom were Catholic
Until joining the SVDP board, however, the pastor was unfamiliar with other areas of SVDP’s outreach, including the Family Success Center, recovery services and supportive housing programs. He is learning everything he can about SVDP in an effort to help spread the word about our good work, he said.
“First of all, I was honored,” Crayton says. “But I was a little surprised.” He ultimately accepted, though, because he sees the outreach of both Little Flock and SVDP as closely intertwined. Serving much of the same clientele – the poor in our community – the two organizations are also in close proximity, located within a block of each other.
In addition to our board, Rev. Crayton has also served on the boards of the Louisville Urban League and of Norton Hospital, where he underwent successful treatment for prostate cancer. He has been cancer-free for seven years, he says.
The congregation was founded 150 years ago by freed slaves, who literally picked up the original wood-frame building and relocated it from Old Louisville to its present location. A book documenting Little Flock’s history is being written to coincide with a big anniversary celebration that’s planned for the third weekend in November. Little Flock warmly welcomes SVDP clients at Sunday morning services. In fact, two of the people Rev. Crayton met in our Open Hand Kitchen not only became regular worshippers, he said, but ended up getting married at Little Flock! “It’s really been an eye-opening experience to be on the board,” Rev. Crayton said, “especially when I see the wonderful things you’re doing there. You folks feed a lot of people, and I think it’s serving a great need.”
ABOUT LITTLE FLOCK
Little Flock Missionary Baptist Church 1030 S. Hancock St., Louisville, KY 40203 Worship Services 8 and 11am Sundays
ABOUT REV. CRAYTON
Hometown: Cleveland, OH Career: 20 years in banking (and pastor of a small church) Moved to Louisville: 1999 Family: Father was a pastor Wife: Marcella, school counselor at Eisenhower Elementary Daughter: Ashley, 32, Cornell University and Tennessee State University graduate who now works in supply chain management in Columbus, OH Son: Justin, 26, Trinity High School and Murray State University graduate who works for R.J. Reynolds in Fort Worth, TX
SVDP Receives Grant The monthly newsletter of St. Vincent de Paul | Louisville 1015-C South Preston Street Louisville, KY 40203
St. Vincent de Paul Louisville is so grateful for the capacity building grant from the Community Foundation of Louisville’s Fund for Louisville. Their support will allow us to conduct a full strategic plan and to further our efforts to obtain accreditation. Thank you, CFL, and partners Lift A Life Foundation and James Graham Brown Foundation.
Get Ready to Help Us Score! You can help St. Vincent de Paul Louisville score big this month through an online competition called Brackets for Good. For the second consecutive year, we’ll be competing against other local nonprofits to raise the money online in the first round of a contest that begins on Friday, February 24. Donate at this link: https://louisville.bfg. org/nonprofits/st-vincent-de-paul-louisville/ statsheet
Ed Wnorowski Executive Director/CEO
Linda Romine Editor, Director of Marketing & Communications
Angela Champion Sprowl Director of Development
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Donna Young Director of Conferences/Volunteers
Send comments and change of address notifications to lromine@svdplou.com
Our Mission Respecting the dignity of each person, St. Vincent de Paul Louisville offers hope and help to families and individuals in crisis, including those who are affected by poverty, homelessness, addiction, and mental illness, so that they may achieve more stable and fulfilling lives.
Support SVDP To find out more about our work or make a donation, visit our website.
Grant recipients, including representatives from St. Vincent de Paul Louisville, gathered last month at a Community Foundation of Louisville event at Chef Space.
Support SVDP When You Shop Kroger
Have a Used Car or Truck? Did you know that your used vehicle, whether it still runs or not, can help people in need? It’s true. St. Vincent de Paul Louisville’s Donated Vehicles Program provides a critical revenue stream to help support our many programs and services for the poor and hungry in our community. We accept cars, trucks, SUV’s, boats, etc. Contact Wanda Selph to learn more about how you can earn a tax donation for your gift. She will handle all of the details, including the title paperwork. We strive to make the process as easy as possible for our donors. We even provide free towing for vehicles, if needed. What happens to our donated vehicles? They are not given away to clients, but are sold “as is,” at fair market value, either to the public or at auction. To inquire about our inventory of donated vehicles at any given time, or to schedule a test drive with one of our available cars or trucks, call or email Wanda Selph at 502-589-7837; wselph@svdplou.org.
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Brackets for Good FAQs:
1 Every March, Brackets For Good hosts a
single-elimination, bracket-style fundraising tournaments across the country that raise much-needed funds and awareness for nonprofit organizations of all sizes.
Kroger’s Community Rewards program is an easy way to help support St. Vincent de Paul’s services for the poor in our community. Each time you shop, Kroger will donate a portion of your purchases to SVDP. Customers who are new to the grocery chain’s charity program may enroll at any time by visiting Kroger.com/communityrewards. When you enroll, choose “St. Vincent de Paul Louisville” from the list of charities, or enter SVDP’s number, 10789. Need additional support? Call 1-800-KROGERS and press option #3.
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Participating nonprofits retain the donations raised and all donor information during the tournament, regardless of advancement. The tournament champion in each city will also receive a grand prize donation from the title sponsor.
Children in SVDP’s after-school program play basketball in our Family Success Center.
The six-round tournament takes place over five weeks beginning on the last Friday in February, with each of the first four rounds lasting a full week and the semifinal and championship round each lasting three days. The tournament begins with 64 charities, each paired in a competitive match-up against an opponent. Charities advance through the rounds by rallying enthusiastic donors to scoring more points than their opponent. Every $1 donated through BFG equals 1 point scored for the chosen charity. At the end of each round, the nonprofit with the most points in the individual match-up advances to the next round, the points are reset, and the fundraising continues until a champion is crowned.
February ushers in the season of March Madness in Kentuckiana, and it also coincides with a basketball-themed fundraising opportunity you don’t want to miss! Donations raised for SVDP Louisville through this year’s Brackets for Good contest will go toward programs at our Family Success Center. Students receive free tutoring as well as help with reading and other academic skills.
Target Employees Spend MLK Jr. Holiday at SVDP About 25 employees from area Target stores spent the better part of their Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday involved in a service project at St. Vincent de Paul Louisville. The crew painted the entry area, hallway and day room on the first floor of our Ozanam Inn Men’s Homeless Shelter. Target granted SVDP $5,000 toward total expenses toward the project. The funds paid for paint, supplies, window coverings, bed-bud covers for the bunk-bed mattresses, and a new water fountain. On behalf of the men who utilize our shelter, we thank Target and the hard work of their employees!
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3 Louisville Locations 248 E. Market St. 40202 2217 Hikes Ln. 40218 10280 Shelbyville Rd. 40223 1 Southern Indiana Location 706 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy. 47129