Lent 2012 (week 5, Mar 25) FORUM Cover by Herb Black

During Lent we are called to  Change our Hearts and use this graced time to be
renewed in God's spirit.   The FORUM Cover Articles during Lent this year are written by fellow St. Francis parishioners about how serving our neighbors in need, especially through Catholic Social Services (CSS) has caused a change of heart for the better.
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Lent 2012 (week 5, March 25) FORUM Cover by  Herb Black, member of St. Francis Parish

Lent 2012 Essay by Herb Black

In 1992, when I become interested in getting involved with Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County (CSSW), I contacted some of my friends who were already volunteers with the agency.  John Martin, the longtime Executive Director of CSSW, asked me to serve on the newly formed John and Marnee DeVine Foundation, which became the fundraising arm of CSSW.  I spent the next nine years on the Board, the last four as president.

The initial task for the Foundation was to raise the first $300,000 to start an endowment fund for the agency. Our success qualified us for a $100,000 match as part of the Van Dusen Challenge sponsored by the Kresge Foundation.

For the next several years, the DeVine Foundation sponsored the Fall Festival of Music (many of these events were held here at St. Francis) to raise additional funds for the endowment. By the time I left the Foundation, the endowment had reached the $1,000,000 mark!

I was drawn to CSSW because of its mission to assist those individuals at the lower end of the economic ladder. While there are many good causes to which we can contribute, it seems to me the most important is the one that helps our fellow man in need.

I believe CSSW is one of the best kept secrets in our community.  It flies under the radar despite more than two dozen programs and 150 employees, the largest non-profit human service agency in our community.  These programs cover the lifespan of needs from infants through the elderly, including the area’s largest food bank and the Father Pat Jackson House.

I have continued to stay involved with CSSW by spearheading an initiative to repay the mortgage loan with the Diocese of Lansing for the building the agency needed in 1996. If we can get this debt paid, it will free up $5000/month that the agency can directly use for programs and our neighbors in need.

Lent 2012 (week 5, March 25) FORUM Cover by  Herb Black, member of St. Francis Parish
Neighbors in Need:  Join us in support of our local neighbors who are struggling for food, housing, and care of poverty-stricken elderly.  Our direct service partnership is with Washtenaw Catholic Social Services."    Learn more at:  www.stfrancisa2.com/lent/