Located across the parking lot from St. Agnes/Our Lady of Fatima Church, Fatima Family Center offers a variety of programs to serve residents in Cleveland?s Hough neighborhood.
Across town, Covenant Center operates in the transformed, century-old former McGuffey School in the city?s Ohio City neighborhood. It offers a spectrum of social services, including many to assist the area?s Hispanic population.
Bishop Nelson Perez got a look at both facilities on Aug. 14 during tours with Patrick Gareau, president and CEO of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland.
Established in 1973, Fatima Center is a Catholic Charities facility that provides activities for all ages, including its signature Silver Threads program for senior citizens. An after school program, kids? club, summer camp, teen leadership program, adult education classes, computer lab, weight room and access to family services take place in the center?s modern building that opened in 2000.
LaJean Ray, Fatima Center director, said ground was broken for the building in 1998. ?It was developed by the people who use it,? she said, as she gave Bishop Nelson Perez a tour of the facility on Aug. 14. She pointed out the red, black and green colors representing African heritage and the African symbols that are incorporated into the facility, including on the sign over the front door.
In the family room, Ray pointed out the comfortable seating and a wood-burning fireplace. She said the center?s weight room is a popular gathering spot and is well used. There are classrooms for GED, adult education and other enrichment programs, as well as a computer lab to help clients learn skills and an active music program. Fatima recently received 20 guitars and ukuleles to expand its music offerings.
There is a full kitchen and a gym that is used for gatherings and other programs, including the popular summer camp. Fatima Center also has a women?s boutique where women can obtain clothing.
?This is not a place for poor people,? Ray told the bishop. ?This is a safe place for all,? she said, adding that it helps to empower the community. ?We want to be sure we offer what the community needs and we?re trying to be strategic about what we do.?
After the tour, the Bishop and Gareau stopped in at the center?s staff retreat. They heard from several Silver Threads participants who spoke about how much they enjoy the program that offers socialization, Bible study, yoga, dominoes, food and other activities three days per week for senior citizens.
?Fatima is a wonderful place,? one Silver Threads participant said. ?I?m not sure what I?d do with my life without it.?
Another woman said she?d probably be a couch potato if not for Silver Threads.
The bishop told those gathered for the retreat that two words come to his mind when he thinks about Fatima Family Center: oasis and hope.
?This is a place you come to get refreshed from the ups and downs of life. You just got a glimpse of God?s love. What you see here is an expression of God?s love. Through the people here, God shows you how much he cares for you,? he said.
The bishop posed for photos with the staff and Silver Threads participants before he and Gareau headed to Catholic Charities? Covenant Center. A variety of services, including outpatient mental health, youth and young adult substance use disorder outpatient services and treatment are provided at La Providencia, the Hispanic services office, operated at Covenant Center.
Bishop Perez saw how the building was repurposed to provide offices and space for service providers to meet with clients. The bishop, who has a background in psychology, engaged in a lively discussion with staff representatives to learn about the services offered and how operations could be improved. He heard about new developments in substance abuse treatment, mental health services and the collaborative spirit that permeates Covenant Center.
One staffer expressed concern that youth referrals for substance abuse issues are skyrocketing, yet he worried that they were being minimized because ?they are just smoking marijuana, not using heroin.?
Staff members talked about how they work with the drug court and juvenile court to help offenders get their lives back on track. Maureen Dee, Catholic Charities? executive director of treatment, prevention and recovery services, said Covenant staff members work well with the courts but it requires a lot of effort to ensure clients continue with their treatment, meetings and other stipulations.
?One of the things Catholic Charities does best is collaborate,? she said, explaining how they work with other social service agencies to assist clients.
When the bishop asked what the primary substance issues are in the Hispanic community, staff members said heroin and alcohol.
?It?s a never-ending story, isn?t it?" He said.
The bishop also asked about the staff members? greatest joys. They said seeing clients continue with their education, take their medication and follow their treatment plans, finish school and experience success. They mentioned one client who has been successful in staying on his medication and is living a stable life, while another was able to get his life on track and is attending barber college.
They also talked about schizophrenia and how
