Your Diocese

ROMEOVILLE—With the $10,000 grant that the Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living secured in September 2007 from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the Joliet-based outreach organization was able to acquire a part-time deaf advocate to work alongside individuals with hearing impairments.

This person works to connect deaf clients with a “variety of services” aimed at helping them grapple with obstacles and contribute to society, Pamela Heavens, executive director of the center, told the Catholic Explorer. Comprised of individuals with disabilities, the aim of the organization is equality for persons with disabilities. Advancing the center’s mission, the new deaf advocate helps clients obtain “whatever they need,” she added.

Helping those with hearing impairments secure amplified phone services and assisting them in enrolling in peer support groups are among the various tasks the advocate is performing at the center, Heavens explained. The idea is to assist clients in becoming “active participants” in their lives, she said. “They learn how to do things for themselves.” The advocate’s job is to equip them with ideas and resources, she added.

A social justice, anti-poverty initiative sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, CCHD offers grants to domestic organizations, such as the Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living, that are working to facilitate programs that help people improve their own lives, said Maribeth Meaux, CCHD coordinator for the Diocese of Joliet and ministry assistant for the diocesan Peace and Social Justice Ministry.

“It’s a wonderful program,” said Heavens, speaking about CCHD. “We have the same mission to empower people,” she added.

The CCHD grants help grassroots organizations address the basic causes of poverty and allow their clients to make necessary changes to their lives, said Meaux.

Funds for the grants are garnered though an annual collection, which is staged in the fall at Catholic faith communities throughout the nation. The November 2007 collection in the Joliet Diocese has netted about $300,000 to date, Andrea Pearson, accounting manager for the diocesan Finance Office, told the Explorer Feb. 4. Money is still coming in for CCHD projects, she said.

Seventy-five percent of the annual contributions are distributed nationally, said Meaux. The remainder stays in the diocese where the funds were collected. The activist was quick to point out that the Joliet diocesan CCHD committee is now accepting applications from self-help groups interested acquiring the 2008 CCHD grants.

The guidelines for applicants are available at www.paxjoliet.org/cchd, noted Meaux. Among other criteria, the organization’s efforts must directly benefit a large number of people rather than a few individuals, she said. Agencies that provide direct charitable service, including food, clothing and shelter, or perform advocacy without direct involvement from low-income individuals are not eligible for the grants, she added.

In the meantime, the grant applications are requested by March 1, according to Meaux. Organizations that complete the application process are expected to be notified about their status by June 1. And, the official announcement of grant recipients is slated in July, she added.

“It’s about empowering people,” said Meaux, speaking about CCHD. Groups that receive grants help others create strategies for bettering themselves, she stressed. “There are many different ways to address poverty,” she added.