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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Coping With ‘Life Storms’

Catholic Charities begins its annual Christmas Appeal with a target of $550,000 C atholic Charities kicked off its annual Christmas Appeal on Monday, with hopes of raising $550,000 in a month.

The largest private charity in Eastern Washington, Catholic Charities serves more than 100,000 people each year through dozens of services.

“We just came through (an) ice storm for two weeks. What we do is deal with life storms 365 days of the year,” said Donna Hanson, social services director for the Catholic Diocese of Spokane. “And we also provide an opportunity for people to help other people.”

More than 100 employees direct 1,800 volunteers, Hanson said. Those volunteers serve as mentors to single parents and companions to the elderly, and provide support systems for refugees.

While the Christmas Appeal is only a portion of the charity’s $3 million budget, Hanson describes it as “the glue that holds the program together.”

Catholic Charities has three goals for 1997: helping families wean themselves from welfare; providing necessities for those unable to work; and providing a safety net for the working poor and others who fall through the cracks of government assistance programs.

For instance, food stamps don’t cover children’s fever medications, Hanson said. But when one of the 600 families enrolled in the Childbirth and Parenting Alone program has a sick child, or any other crisis, they can turn to the staff or volunteers for help.

Minimum-wage jobs don’t offer medical insurance. But Catholic Charities offers counseling based on ability to pay.

For Robert Smith, a paraplegic, Catholic Charities housing has meant the difference between struggling through life in a home designed for someone who can walk and living in a home designed for a wheelchair.

“All my friends who are in wheelchairs are totally envious of me,” he said. “But it’s more than just a physical experience, it’s spiritual. I feel God called Catholic Charities to move me into this building.”

While 90 percent of the annual donations come from local Catholics, fewer than 25 percent of the recipients are Catholics. Last year, the group raised $540,000, falling $10,000 short of the goal.

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