I have been in the USA for four months now through the Diversity Program organized by the US Immigration Services. Since then, it has been an enriching experience to get closer to those with which I have been working for about a decade, namely the US Peace Corps Volunteers.

While looking for jobs and better opportunities for my family and myself, I found St. Vincent de Paul Society where I am now volunteering. My past experience with Language and Culture facilitation, Program coordination, ESL teaching, French/English interpreting/translations and other experience were all conducive to my volunteering at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference Support Center.

I came from Burkina Faso, West Africa, where I grew-up in a St. Vincent de Paul Parish; my 9-year-old son is name Vincent de Paul. I have also found the best in many human beings on the road to becoming useful and helpful to others. Indeed the rule of the Vincentians is to make personal contact with those who suffer and direct services of the marginalized, their basic work. The final objective of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to grow together, spiritually, morally and humanly. Every time I step into the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s premises in Atlanta (Chamblee Tucker Road), I pray the Lord to continue making this place a solid rock for all those coming from hard places, I pray to the Lord to allow his glory to be revealed in every person I meet, every activity I’m going through, data entry, setting up donated appliances, folding envelopes… and I pray to my Lord to make me new again, to give me the means to be more helpful to people.

My job search has been challenging. It’s difficult to go through a lot of applications and sometimes to be told that you’re not the best match for the position, when you know deep in your heart that you have potential to be taken into account.

After four months of job seeking, I filed about 80 applications, from which I received about 10 non-matching notifications, 10 in progress notifications, 10 interviews and 50 silent responses. It sounds like an adventure. Actually there is no need to go into a no man’s land, in the middle of nowhere, in a remote jungle to seek adventure. Adventure nowadays is anytime you click on a “apply now” icon without knowing definitely where it will lead you; adventure today is when you cross the threshold of your door (when you have any) without expecting the road to take you to any store you can’t afford because you’re penniless, or bring you to any hospital you can’t visit because you’re dime less.

I do believe we’re in the right place, where the American Dream is still possible, where we can move from square one to the top of the mountain. The right people are those who believe in this dream and who struggle to find opportunities to achieve their dream. The right people at the right place, is it not a perfect match? I also believe that when God hears the cries of a captive, he assigns a deliverer.

God Bless You!

Jean

Honoring Our Jubilarians

Each year at Evening for Hope, we honor a few of our dedicated Jubilarians. This year we honored Joe Grno, Annie Marie Johnson and Bob Spaeth.

 Joe Grno
Joe Grno and his wife, Mary, are founding members of the Immaculate Heart of Mary parish which began in 1959. In the following years, a local conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul was formed. Joe was not an original member, but he began making home visits as early as 1966. He even took along his eldest son, who was 8 years old at the time. At that time, there were few Catholic
parishes and Conferences, so IHM covered a very large area. Joe also served as one of the first Conference secretaries.

 After his retirement from Western Publishing Company in the late 1980’s, he devoted even more time to the Society by serving as Conference President at IHM from 1990 to 1999. During this time, he also served as the chairman of the Thanksgiving and Christmas program which provided meals and gifts to families in need.
 
When asked what he enjoys about the Society, he says, “The Good Lord said that we need to help the poor andthat the poor will always be with us. After 43 years they still are, but I really enjoy helping people.” The biggest challenge Joe has faced is when he encounters families who are unable to get help from our government or other agencies. In those cases, St. Vincent de Paul is their last and only hope, and that carries a great responsibility.
 
Annie Marie Johnson

Annie Marie Johnson and her husband Mason have been members of St. Paul of the Cross for over 40 years. Annie can be found at almost every event taking her familiar role as “worker bee.” She is a small woman with  an enormous heart and unyielding desire to work for her church and community.
 
She has distributed food and clothing to members of her local community as well as prepared and served food at Atlanta homeless shelters. As a member of the Hunter Hill Community Club, she worked diligently with youth, including sponsoring field trips to educational places such as the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga.
 
When asked about any cases that stand out in her mind, she replies, “There are so many.” But then she spoke of one case when she, uncharacteristically, went out on a case by herself. Her trust in the Lord brought her to a section of town that had a lot of poverty and a good deal of crime. When she told her Conference President about it, he made her promise that she would never go out alone again. She agreed.
She encourages young people to join the Society because there are so many people in need, many more now than when she first started. Young people have so much enthusiasm that they can share with people who are struggling. A smile, a listening ear and a warm handshake can make a big difference in someone’s life.
 
Bob Spaeth

 Bob Spaeth and his wife, Norma, were members of Annunciation Church in Hollywood, Florida. The
pastor of the church, Fr. McCormick, was very supportive of the Society. In fact, the pastor’s father was
president of a SVdP credit union in Ireland. He encouraged everyone to get involved in the parish, especially SVdP. However, he would interview everyone before they could join SVdP. Bob “passed” and
joined the Society in 1962 where he was a member until he moved to Dalton, Georgia in 1984.
At St. Joseph in Dalton, there were only two members in the SVdP Conference. Then one day Bob
mentioned his involvement in SVdP in Florida and their eyes lit up. He immediately became an officer
in the Conference.
 
The best part of SVdP for Bob is meeting a lot of new people, both members and people that he helps. He says that many people don’t understand what SVdP does. He has been asked, “What do you do with all that money you get?” He says that as soon as the money comes in, it goes out to someone who needs it. 
 
“When you go on a home visit,” he said, “it’s a feeling you’ve never had. You feel like you’ve donesomething really good.”

Providing Hope and Dignity to Individuals and Families since 1903

Over 135,000 individuals throughout North and Middle Georgia received assistance from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in 2007. Your generosity allows us to provide services that make a difference in the lives of people in need.

The Society operates very efficiently, with over 94% of all funds directly supporting programs and services. In 2007, we provided over $4.7 million in assistance to the people of North and Middle Georgia.

Learn more about how you can help support the Society:

Gifts can be made online.
Gifts can be made in the form of a cash, check or credit card donation.

If you would like to make a donation of stocks, bonds or securities; or through a planned gift, contact our Director of Development at 770-576-4076 or giving@svdpatl.org.

If you would prefer to mail your donation – Donations by check should be mailed to:
Director of Development
St. Vincent de Paul Society
2050-C Chamblee Tucker Road
Atlanta, GA 30341

We appreciate the difference you make in the lives other Georgians in need.

svdp_annual_report_2007-20081

Dear Friends:

We are pleased to present the Annual Report of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta for the Fiscal Year 2007/2008. This report covers the period between October 1, 2007 and September 30, 2008. As you will see in the report, the volunteers and staff of the Society provided financial, material, educational, and spiritual support to many thousands of our neighbors in North and Middle Georgia; offering them hope as well as help in these difficult times.

The work of the Society could not — and would not — occur without the tremendous support we receive from our volunteers and our financial supporters. The Vincentians who work in our local Conferences across Georgia visit people in their homes to assess need and provide help; man the food pantries; work in the thrift stores; and perform the multitude of other good works are the core of our Society. Those Vincentians toil tirelessly to make someone else’s life a little better, a little easier, and a little more hopeful.

Those who support us financially can be confident that their financial contributions are well tended. As detailed in the audited financial results presented herein, more than 90% of the funds received go directly back into programs. This is a benchmark for which we are proud and committed to maintain. We thank our benefactors and supporters for giving us the ability to help as many as we do.

The last year has been a difficult one for many and the next year likely will continue to be challenging. With your help, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta will continue to provide the financial, material, educational, and spiritual support that is our mission through those difficult times.

In Hope,

Richard P. Kessler
President and Chairman of the Board
and
John A. Berry
Executive Director and CEO

President and Chairman of the Board

The EVENING FOR HOPE 2009 began with a joyful celebration of the Eucharist by Archbishop Wilton Gregory.

During the cocktail reception, attendees bid on artwork and sports memorabilia through the Silent Auction and decided which items they wanted a chance to win in the Raffle.

After being chimed into dinner, all were made to feel welcomed by Russ Spencer, Fox 5 anchor, who introduced Mary Ellen and Scott Garret, Evening for Hope 2009 chairpersons. Vince and Barbara Dooley, honorary chairpersons, joined us via video and St. Vincent de Paul’s Executive Director John Berry reviewed the society’s work over the past year and announced the plans for a new Family Support Center in downtown Atlanta. 

 
Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI, reminded us how fortunate and blessed we are, and how our acts of kindness and generosity impact our communities and reflect God’s love to all.

Videos of our honored Jubilarians, Joseph Grno and Bob Spaeth, combined the recognition of their service with personal memories of their work over the years.
Sharon Maddox, Family Support Center Manager, was recognized for her 25 years of service to SVdP.

As a result of the generosity of our sponsors and attendees we raised more than $130,000, which will go directly to support those in need in North and Middle Georgia through  SVdP’s  programs. Thank you for your incredible support of EVENING FOR HOPE 2009

Although a brisk walk with thousands of others won’t happen this year, would be participants in the 25th Anniversary Hunger Walk/Run can “walk-in” their donations at the Food Bank all week, including Saturday the 7th of March. The Food Bank and its five Hunger Walk/Run partners want supporters to know their donations are needed now more than ever, to make up for the loss due to snow. Over 45% of SVDP’s donation are raised through Hunger Walk/Run on site registrations each year.

Participants can bring checks and/or cash donations and pick up their 25th Anniversary Hunger Walk t-shirts any day the week of March 2 – 7th, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Get walk-in donation details and directions to the Food Bank.

St. Vincent de Paul Conference Support Center in Chamblee is also collecting envelopes and distributing T-shirts to all who registered to participate this year. Simply email the quantity and shirt sizes to jsebastian@svdpatl.org we can have your ACFB shirts with an advance size list, (we need to pick them up at the Food Bank). Pick up will be March 3 – 14th with Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00pm.

Thanks to those who are bringing in your donations! Imelda Solano, representing The Cathedral of Christ the King has led her team to raising $6,464 from over 133 friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers who planned to walk with her. Her top earning team member is Bernadette Flowers with $2,035 of the team’s contributions! Way to go team! Donors bringing $25 or more will receive a free t-shirt (while supplies last). Online donations for Hunger Walk/Run can be made through March 31.

Where does the money go? As the coordinator of the event, the Atlanta Community Food Bank keeps 40% of the funds raised. The remaining 60% is given to the Conference Support Center in Chamblee. Of that, each participating Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference in Georgia receives 60% of the money they helped raise for use in the areas they serve. An additional bonus of $500 will be awarded to the Conference who exceeds $2,500 in recognition of the 25th Anniversary of the Hunger Walk..

For more information contact Judy Sebastian at jsebastian@svdpatl.org or (770) 576-4077.

Dedicated volunteers, Peter Ngyuen, Eta Abiyou, Dan Krupinsky, with new staff member Serene Coleman and husband Kevin braved the cold and rain to set up for the days activities. (listed under photo of Hunger Walk Group in right column off side of above article)

Now more than ever, we need donations to support our local food pantries! Over 45% of our donations are raised through Hunger Walk onsite registrations each year. (Quote listed as an extract from the above news article.)

South East SVDP Regional Meeting — New online registration for SVDP Society Members. This informational meeting provides training, insight, and useful tools for serving your community.

Join us at the “Piano of the Americas” concert benefiting the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta Education Program. Grammy-nominated Maestro Chia and his orchestra will lead attendees on a magical musical journey through the Americas with pop classics, Broadway favorites and romantic Latin melodies.

General Ticket prices range from $25 to $50. VIP tickets which include a post-concert reception with Maestro Chia are priced at $125.