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The Catholic Foundation was honored to have the support of the following sponsors for its 2011 Grant Awards and 20th Anniversary Celebration:
$5,000 Sponsor
- St. Joseph Community Health
During the first five years of life 90% of our brain development occurs, and our experiences in those years shape the way we learn, think, and behave throughout our lives. New Mexico ranks 46th in the nation in measuring the well-being of our children, 49th in teen birth rates, and 47th for the percentage of children living in poverty. St. Joseph is a voice on issues that impact the health and development of children ages 0-5 years, because it is what happens in those first five years that makes a lifetime of difference.
At St. Joseph Community Health, the goal is to ensure that children reach kindergarten with the health and family capacity necessary to support learning. Children who start school ready to learn are more likely to read at grade level by the 3rd grade – a significant indicator of high school graduation and future success in life.
St. Joseph's Home Visiting program supports parents through education and skills training. Home visitors help parents bond with their children and develop skills for healthy, effective parenting. The Enhanced Referral Services program teaches families how to access community services in dealing with life challenges such as housing, food, income support, medical services, employment, and education. The Advocacy program works to change public policy, influence the allocation of resources to meet the needs of children and their families, remove barriers to service, and fill gaps in services.
$2,500 Sponsors
- Edward Jones Investments
- Keleher & McLeod, P.A.
- New Mexico Gas Company
- Peoples Banking Unusual
$2,000 Sponsor
- PNM Resources
$1,000 Sponsors
- Bank of Albuquerque, N.A.
- Berger-Briggs Real Estate & Insurance, Inc.
- Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center
- French Mortuary
- Tom Growney Equipment, Inc.
- Marie Hillerman
- MV Industries, Inc.
- Pulakos CPAs, P.C.
- RayLee Homes
- Roses Southwest Papers, Inc.
- Tony and Helena Strati
- U.S. Bank
- Zia Trust, Inc.
The Catholic Foundation Grants
“Blessed are you who are poor, who are hungry, who are weeping, who are hated and excluded and insulted . . . For the kingdom of God with all its joy and satisfaction and peace will be yours."
Sermon on the Mount
As a community of faith, of action, and of hope, the Catholic Church plays a vital role in serving the least of our people. The Catholic Foundation of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe supports the mission and ministries of the Catholic Church by providing grants to fund the good works that bring life to the gospel teachings.
Each spring, The Catholic Foundation solicits grant proposals for projects and programs that address social, economic, educational and spiritual needs throughout the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The Catholic Foundation’s Grant Committee reviews and evaluates grant proposals according to established guidelines and submits recommendations for funding to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Grants typically range in size from $2,000 to $7,000. Following are the grants awarded in 2011:
Archdiocese of Santa Fe - Office of Pastoral Outreach Ministry, Albuquerque
The Step Into Freedom prison ministry program trains volunteers to go to jails, prisons and juvenile centers in the Archdiocese to conduct communion services, bible study and prayer services, and to make pastoral care visits. Funds will be used for the volunteer training program. $7,000.
Archdiocese of Santa Fe - Office of Pastoral Outreach Ministry, Albuquerque
The grant is for Thresholds, a prison ministry program that helps inmates coming out of prison reintegrate into the community. The program supplies clothing, rent supplements, bus passes and bikes, apartment furnishings, scholarships for retreats and assistance with occasional emergency needs. The grant also covers volunteer training and group activities. $7,000.
Casa Angelica, Albuquerque
Casa Angelica's Day Program transitions their high school graduates into an adult-oriented program which provides opportunities for becoming productive members of the community. The Day Program provides vocational activities tailored to each individual's special needs. $2,500.
Catholic Charities, Albuquerque
The Center for Refugee Settlement and Support and the Center for Immigration and Citizenship Legal Assistance will utilize funds for a collaborative effort to help refugees and immigrants obtain the proper identification to stay permanently in the U.S. and obtain citizenship. $7,000.
Estancia Valley Catholic Parish, St. Vincent de Paul, Moriarty
The St. Vincent de Paul program at Estancia Valley Catholic Church continues to see an increase in the number of people needing help. The grant will allow many more people in the community to be served. $7,000.
Holy Child Catholic School, Tijeras
The grant will be used to start an after-school tutoring program and an afternoon art enrichment program for kindergarteners. $3,000.
Holy Family, Holy Rosary, Risen Savior & St. Therese Parishes, and Albq. Interfaith, Albuquerque
These parishes, in collaboration with Albuquerque Interfaith, will initiate a program to help families suffering from unemployment cope with their hardship and stress. Teams will be organized at each parish to identify families in need, facilitate discussions on critical issues and strategize solutions. $4,000.
Holy Family Parish, St. Vincent de Paul, Albuquerque
The number of individuals and families suffering economic hardship is on the rise, and St. Vincent de Paul will use the grant funds to increase its service through the Roadrunner Mobile Food Pantry Program. $5,000.
Holy Ghost Catholic School, Albuquerque
The grant will allow the school to provide gift certificates for school uniforms to unemployed or underemployed families. The school also will purchase textbooks with the grant. $3,500.
Immaculate Conception Parish, Albuquerque
Immaculate Conception Parish serves the only hot lunch available on Sundays to the homeless in downtown Albuquerque, and the number of clients continues to grow. Grant funds will be used to purchase food and supplies, and to rent a portable toilet. $7,000.
Little Poor One Fraternity of the Secular Franciscans, Taos
Operating a food distribution program from the kitchen in the old convent at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Taos, the brothers will use the grant to buy food and other supplies. $7,000.
Morada de San Rafael Archangel, Tierra Amarilla
The Morada de San Rafael leases electric heaters from the local power company which are inefficient and expensive. The grant will allow them to purchase three propane heaters at an estimated annual savings of $2,500. $3,000.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Santa Fe
The parish's lunch program for the day laborers who wait for work on the corner of Guadalupe and Agua Fria continues to grow, and funds will help to cover the costs of serving a hot lunch three times a week. $7,000.
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, St. Vincent de Paul, Bernalillo
Grant funds will be used to help those in need with utilities, medical expenses, prescriptions, rent and mortgage assistance; for the mobile food pantry and emergency food box programs; and for the Senior Wellness Clinic. $7,000.
Project Defending Life, Albuquerque
The Moms' Fund provides financial assistance to pregnant women in need. The grant will allow this ministry to help with rent, food, utility payments, car payments, gas and phone cards. The goal is to eliminate the financial need that is often at the root of a woman's decision to have an abortion. $7,000.
Risen Savior Catholic Community, with St. Martin's Hospitality Center, Albuquerque
For the last 25 years, members of Risen Savior have worked with St. Martin's to live the tenets of Catholic social teaching. The grant will support the efforts of volunteers to increase their service to the needy at St. Martin's. $5,000.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Religious Ed Program, Espanola
The religious education program at Sacred Heart Parish is in need of textbooks and related material, which will be purchased with grant funds. $4,000.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, St. Vincent de Paul, Espanola
St. Vincent de Paul at Sacred Heart Parish will apply the grant to help meet the increased demand for food, and to pay for vouchers that will enable the homeless to buy prepared foods at a local supermarket. $3,000.
San Clemente Parish, St. Vincent de Paul, Los Lunas
Funds will be used to serve the increased number of participants in their food, utilities, prescriptions, rent and emergency gas programs. $5,000.
San Diego Mission, Jemez Pueblo
Sr. Karen Kuta visits the homebound and brings communion to the sick in the villages of Jemez, Santa Ana, Zia, Ponderosa, Canon and San Ysidro. Financial support for the parish has decreased and the grant will allow Sister Karen to continue her ministry. $7,000.
San Miguel Parish, Socorro
Historic San Miguel Church is undergoing a major restoration which is expected to be completed in 2014. The grant will be applied to the construction of the pews. $7,000.
Santa Clara Parish, Wagon Mound
The doors of the parish hall, installed in the 1800's, are in dire need of replacement as they are a safety hazard and allow cold air inside, increasing heating costs. The grant will be used to purchase new doors. $3,345.
St. Alice Parish, Religious Ed Program, Mountainair
Grant funds will be used to purchase furniture, textbooks, resource books, and office equipment for the religious education program for 1st through 12th grades. $6,871.
St. Edwin Parish in collaboration with PB&J Family Services, Albuquerque
St. Edwin Parish refers parishioners to the Therapeutic Preschool program at PB&J Family Services, and participates in their "Holiday Wish Adopt-A-Family" program. The grant will be applied to the Therapeutic Preschool program for children ages 4-5, who are at risk of abuse and neglect or are in foster care. The program brings children and families together to develop healthy relationships, positive parenting and life skills. $5,000.
St. Felix Pantry, Inc., Rio Rancho
Funds will be used to buy nutritional food for the increasing number of families who come to St. Felix Pantry's food distribution program. $7,000.
St. Gertrude the Great Parish, Mora
The grant will be used by the St. Vincent de Paul Society to assist families with utility bills, i.e., propane and electric bills. $5,000.
St. Mary Magdalene Mission Church, Magdalena
St. Mary Magdalene, a mission of San Miguel Parish in Socorro, NM, is renovating the parish hall, which is used for a food program, youth and adult retreats and gatherings after masses. The grant will allow them to buy commercial appliances for the kitchen. $5,000.
St. Mary's School, Belen
The grant is needed for a subsidized before-and-after school program for families who work. Students are given breakfast, snacks, assistance with homework, and opportunities to participate in sports and social activities. $5,000.
St. Rose of Lima Parish, Santa Rosa
The parish hall is used for religious education for adults, teens and children, and for other parish functions. It also serves as a gathering place for teens' activities. The grant will be used to restore the deteriorating plaster and exposed wood. $7,000.
St. Therese Catholic School, Albuquerque
The grant will be applied to the acquisition of virtual desktop technology, which will allow the outmoded computers to be utilized with today's technology. $5,000.
St. Therese of the Infant Jesus Parish, Albuquerque
The parish will use the funds for its English as a Second Language Program for immigrants. $5,000.
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish - Gallina Parish Hall, Abiquiu
Las Guadalupanas of the Gallina mission church of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish is renovating the Guadalupe Parish Hall. The grant will buy windows, a wood heater, a refrigerator, a kitchen stove, lumber for kitchen floor, supplies for kitchen walls and storage cabinets. $7,000.
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, with Canones Early Childhood Center, Canones
This is a free pre-school program for 18 underprivileged, isolated children, most of them members of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. It is a literacy-enriched program where children learn social skills and early reading and writing skills. $5,000.
Villa Therese Catholic Clinic, Santa Fe
The grant will be applied to orthodontic treatment for uninsured and underserved adolescents, and to the distribution of gift cards to needy families for food, infant formula and prescription medications. $5,000.