Counting our blessings
Monday, March 4, 2019
*Peter Routsis-Arroyo
The upcoming Lenten season is a reminder to take stock of our lives. As I look back on this last year � my first as CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami � I see that it has been filled with blessings.
We are blessed with the leadership of Archbishop Thomas Wenski who so generously touches the lives of struggling families who look to Catholic Charities for help. The Archbishop’s Heart of Christmas included many Catholic Charities recipients and brought the joy of Christmas to their homes with food and gifts which they otherwise would not have had.
We are blessed with being recognized as one of the top social service agencies in the country as we were recently awarded $5 million from the Day One Families Fund to expand our work with homeless children and families.
We are blessed to help reconstruct lives and homes that were destroyed with the devastation of Hurricane Irma. Over the past year Catholic Charities has provided close to $2 million in assistance to those impacted by the storm. We are now in full construction of 37 new affordable workforce housing apartments in Monroe County which is so desperately needed. In addition, our counseling program opened new locations and is now offering free counseling sessions to Hurricane Irma disaster survivors throughout our tri-county area.
We are blessed to have an unaccompanied minor program which had its humble beginnings with the Cuban Pedro Pan Project in the 1960s and today helps to comfort so many children that have been separated from their loved ones due to circumstances beyond their control.
We are blessed to provide socialization and education to 1,275 economically disadvantaged young children through our Head Start child development programs as we provide them with the foundation for a better life. This year we implemented our weekend backpack feeding program (Weekend Meals 4 Kids) which ensures that no child goes hungry over the weekend.
I am truly blessed to have the honor and privilege to lead such a dynamic and vibrant organization. As we move forward this year, I ask that you please keep our clients, board, staff and volunteers in your prayers as we continue to help our brothers and sisters in need.
