Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon kicked off the 2014 Catholic Charities Annual Appeal on Thursday, February 20 at St. Augustine Towers on Cleveland?s Westside. The Bishop?s message is: ?One in Christ? as he appealed for continued support from Northeast Ohioans who remain among the most generous in the country supporting programs and services for their most vulnerable brothers and sisters. The Bishop also reported on the positive results of the 2013 appeal which exceeded its goal by $77,000 and challenged the Catholic community by increasing this year's goal by $500,000 to 11 million in 2014.
Click PLAY to watch a short video from the press conference.
Each year, Catholic Charities assists more than 399,000 people throughout the eight-county Catholic Diocese of Cleveland through more than 150 programs with services available at more than 60 sites. Services are given regardless of race, religion, or disability.
The Diocese includes Ashland, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit, and Wayne counties. Eighty-six cents of every dollar raised goes directly to services.
Joining Bishop Lennon at the news conference was Patrick Gareau, Catholic Charities? Secretary for Health and Human Services. Immediately following the news conference, Bishop Lennon met with the St. Augustine Towers residents and toured the facility.
St. Augustine Towers is one of the many sites funded through Catholic Charities in our eight-county region. St. Augustine Towers is located at West 79th Street and Detroit Avenue. Founded in 1969 by Catholic Charities, it provides quality long-term care to the area?s aging population. Since its origins, it has evolved into St. Augustine Health Ministries, a multifaceted organization serving people of all ages, backgrounds, and walks-of-life through skilled nursing, rehabilitation, assisted living, long term care, hospice care, and a child enrichment center.