St. Vincent de Paul Louisville
March 2017
All Things Are Possible Program Rooted in the ‘Physicality of Faith’ Appeals to St. Vincent de Paul Clients Seeking Self-Improvement and Spiritual Awareness In colorful leggings, fleece jackets and bright sneakers, the participants gathered in the Family Success Center (FSC) on a recent winter weeknight. Although the sun had already set outside, and temperatures were below freezing, the St. Vincent de Paul clients and volunteers were eager for their outdoor run. RunPossible is the name of the program that brings together several dozen SVDP clients, plus about 14 volunteers, to the FSC gym each Tuesday evening. A “sharing circle,” in which participants hold hands to form a circle, opens each session on a reflective note. Many of the participants are in recovery from substance abuse. They take turns voicing gratitude for blessings received over the previous week, share small victories or big milestones, or they may ask for thoughts and prayers from the collective group.
physicality of faith,” Latimer said. Its purpose is to promote physical activity, provide nutrition education, and to foster healthy mentorship to individuals facing homelessness and addiction recovery, she added. KY Yoga Initiative and Fleet Feet Louisville provide gear and other incentives as a way to get people interested in the program and committed to increasing their physical activity. “Participants can earn t-shirts, water bottles, running shoes, sports bras, and more by walking or running at least a half a mile each week,” Latimer says. RunPossible is open to women as well as to men and youths. In addition to walking and running, Friday Zumba or yoga classes, and Bible studies are other options available to our clients. All are offered at no cost.
“I love this,” said one young woman, a recovering addict and current client in our St. Jude Women’s Recovery Center. “I look forward to it. This is my favorite thing that we do all week.” Ryan Althaus of Sweaty Sheep Ministries approached SVDP several years ago about offering a therapeutic walking/running outreach here for homeless shelter clients. Althaus’s colleague, Lacey Latimer, now oversees RunPossible at SVDP with a simple mission: “Sweaty Sheep Ministries is an inclusive community rooted in recreation and the RunPossible Coach Lacey Latimer
Reflections on the Lenten Journey The monthly newsletter of St. Vincent de Paul Louisville 1015-C South Preston Street Louisville, KY 40203 Ed Wnorowski Executive Director/CEO
Linda Romine Editor, Director of Marketing & Communications
Angela Champion Sprowl Director of Development
Donna Young Director of Conferences/Volunteers
Send comments and change of address notifications to lromine@svdplou.org
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.
By Ed Wnorowski A co-worker gave me some guidance in writing this month’s column. As a recent participant in the RCIA (Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults) program, she suggested the idea of a Lenten analogy in describing the journey many of our clients are traveling. It’s true that Lent is often depicted as a period of winter. But then the darkness gradually transitions into longer daylight hours in the spring, culminating with the Easter sunrise as Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The more I thought about this, the more I felt that it was a very apt analogy. Usually, when people first seek help from St. Vincent de Paul, they are truly in a dark place. These individuals and families come to us in desperate need, barely existing. Imagine for a moment that you are a single parent living out of your car. Every waking moment would be a survival challenge. Every minute would be consumed with worry about how you would acquire what your family needed to get through the day. At St. Vincent de Paul, our role is to both comfort and guide people through these valleys of despair. At the onset St. Vincent de Paul provides basics that most of us take for granted: Food, clothing, and shelter. However, too often, these essentials are often mistaken as the solution to the problem. Unfortunately, it is only the start of the journey. After they’re fed, sheltered, and safe, that means beginning the frequently slow, hard work in addressing issues such as lack of education, substance abuse, or underlying mental illness. St. Vincent de Paul’s professional case managers assist clients with strategies to help them overcome barriers to living independently. They connect clients with the resources and programs that meet their personal needs. To be honest, we all live vulnerable lives. As we strive to serve others with humility, we’re aware that our own relative comfort could be taken from us at almost any moment by a significant illness, sudden unemployment, or some other unanticipated event. But the good news is that, like the Easter story shows us, there is always hope. Compassionate case management, in conjunction with services such as housing, recovery treatment and more, allow SVDP clients to begin the process of healing. Out of the shadows, these once-broken people emerge to lead more fulfilling lives. Resurrected lives, one might say. I would like to extend my thanks for your past and future support of our mission, and I wish you a blessed and happy Easter. - Wnorowski is SVDP’s executive director/CEO.
Kent School Student Launches Literacy Project Called ‘Read with Me @ FSC’ Stephanie Henry Age: 21 School: University of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work Title: Practicum Student/SVDP Case Manager since fall 2016 Stephanie Henry started the program ‘Read with Me at FSC’ to improve the literacy rate among the approximately 45 children from low-income homes who are enrolled in programming at our Family Success Center. Studies show that there is a correlation between students who are from low-income homes and their ability to read, she says. “This is the time where their attitudes toward reading and learning can really set the stage for the rest of their educational trajectory,” Henry said. The program started on February 1st with a gracious donation of more than 50 books from Metro United Way. Henry expects to receive an additional 100 books from them in the near future. Assisting in the effort have been FSC staff members Julio Anthony (program manager), Ce Garrison and Angel Russell, and volunteers including Sam Schreier, who have taken time to make copies of reading logs, assist with phonics sheets, and collect books, Henry said. So far, of all the books the children have read, one has been a standout: Tye May and the Magic Brush was popular with children and their parents alike, Henry said.
Stephanie Henry
She is encouraging their input for future book orders. “I have asked for their suggestions on the types of books they would like to read,” she said. “I want to let them know that their opinions matter.” “I get encouraged when I see that the children have a positive attitude toward reading--and how excited they get when I can exchange their old books from the previous week for a new one.”
SVDP Works to Prevent Overdose Deaths from Opiates One weekend last month, Louisville set a grim milestone: City officials received 52 drug overdose emergency calls in a 32-hour period. Drug overdoses increased from 4,642 in 2015 to 6,879, according to the New York Times, which carried the alarming headline: “Sudden Rise in Overdoses for One City in a Nationwide Epidemic of Opioid Abuse”. Just a few days earlier, St. Vincent de Paul staff had gathered for a training on how to administer Naloxone (or Narcan), an opiate antidote that can save lives. Everyone from case managers and administrative assistants to maintenance workers and cooks in our Open Hand
Kitchen attended the session, which included a presentation about the scope of the drug problem in our city, what to look for in people who might be experiencing symptoms of an overdose, and how to help them. Narcan is a safe nasal injection that can prevent death in opiate overdoses, according to Russ Reed, executive director of the local Beacon House, and is one of the founders of the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition. He and his colleagues educate and train the public in drug abuse prevention and awareness. In fact, Reed has led several trainings in the use of Narcan here at the SVDP campus, where drug
overdoses, though not common-are an unfortunate reality in our community. “Due to the continuance of the heroin epidemic, it is imperative that all staff be trained so that we, as a community, can decrease the number of overdoses and the number of lives taken,” says Beth White, SVDP’s Director of Programs. For videos showing how to administer Narcan, a list of upcoming training sessions, and more information, visit the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition website: https://kyhrc.org.
Top Vincentians Honored and New Members Inducted St. Vincent de Paul Louisville inducted 22 new volunteers, or Vincentians, and gave awards to the top three Vincentians, at a ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 26, at St. Agnes Catholic Church following their 11:30am Mass. Ken Kirn, of the St. Raphael Conference, was awarded the St. Vincent de Paul Top Hat Award, the highest honor presented by SVDP’s Conference Affairs Committee. Kirn volunteers about 10 hours a week at SVDP’s Food Pantry by making food donation pick-ups, stocking and organizing pantry shelves, and even cleaning pantry floors. In addition, Kirn is active with SVDP’s annual Christmas Food Basket Drive for families in need, and he organizes and helps with the cookout for the
downtown shelter residents on the SVDP campus. Jim Koerber of Corydon, IN, earned the St. Vincent Award. As conference president, Koerber revitalized the languishing St. Joseph Conference in Corydon, recruiting 12 new members.
Koerber also makes home visits each month and delivers food baskets at Thanksgiving. Sue Taylor recently finished a threeyear term as president of her SVDP Conference in Elizabethtown, KY. An an active volunteer with The Room in the Inn, a warming shelter in the Elizabethtown area, she assists daily with check-in. Ed Wnorowski, SVDP’s executive director/CEO, addressed the gathering and assisted in presenting awards. Bob Hagan, an SVDP board member and the conference president for the Society of SVDP, Council of Louisville, Inc., inducted 22 new Vincentians into the Society.
Ken Kirn, Vincentian of the Year
To see a list of names, visit: svdplou.org/category/svdp-news