Loading

Catholic Charities 2022 Winter Newsletter

Graphic courtesy of Milwaukee Mom.

Dear Catholic Charities Staff,

"Thank you for your kindness, compassion, and willingness to serve those most in need in the Waukesha Community after the parade tragedy. In the midst of the evil and horror of November 21st, Catholic Charities has been a tremendous healing presence. Thank you for reaching out right away to help, and for your continued work in counseling those who experienced deep trauma and helping us direct resources to those in need. Thank you to Father Dave, for celebrating Mass at St. John Neumann after the tragedy, and Ricardo for being a source of support and guidance. I’m incredibly grateful for Catholic Charities presence in Waukesha."

-Fr. Matthew Widder

Pastor-Catholic Community of Waukesha

Catholic Charities Board Member

program highlight: ADC

Annual Holiday Party

Members and staff at the Adult Day Center enjoyed their Christmas celebration with presents and lots of piñata fun!

A Special Note of Thanks

Milwaukee magazine feature

#GiveBackMKE

Last month, Wisconsin Philanthropy Network partnered with Milwaukee Magazine to help spread the important work of organizations in the community. Catholic Charities was once again featured in their Give Back Milwaukee campaign! A special thank you to Tedricka, Annette, and Laura for your involvement with this project!

Laura Ramos on a Facebook livestream with Milwaukee Magazine.

Welcome to the team!

Tracey Denney, Outreach Case Manager-Beaver Dam

Tracey joined Catholic Charities in October with 16 years of health and care management experience! She obtained her BSW at Florida Atlantic University and her M.S. degree at Florida State University. Her favorite thing about working for Catholic Charities is how flexible the agency is because it allows her to assist those who might not have otherwise received essential help. Tracey says, “so far, everyone I have met at the agency has gone out of their way to be kind, patient, helpful and understanding; both professionally and personally.” In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, horseback riding, teaching riding lessons; and at this time, remembering her tenacious, kind-hearted and dear friend, Billy-Bob (horse), who recently passed away at a young-at-heart age of 36!

Andrew Ruesch, Afghan Project Coordinator-CAO

Andrew joined Catholic Charities in November as the Afghan Project Coordinator for Fort McCoy. Native to Milwaukee, he has a background in sales and earned a degree in Communication Studies from Marquette University. In his free time, he enjoys camping, reading, cooking, and rooting for the Packers and Bucks.

Bria Halama, Behavioral Health Professional-WAO

Bria is currently finishing up her Masters in Counseling from Divine Mercy University. She joined Catholic Charities this month, and although she just started, she is most excited to begin working with the community clients and getting to know her coworkers. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, friends and parish community, being active, and trying out new foods and experiences!

Ben Harville, Immigration Attorney-RIS

Ben recently relocated to Milwaukee from Los Angeles after his wife, Kelly, got a job at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He joined our agency in December as an Immigration Attorney. His professional background includes five years as a pro bono immigration attorney, two years in private practice, and one and a half years as the director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, spending time with his family, and listening to bluegrass music.

Sydney Grote, Human Resources Assistant-CAO

Sydney started with Catholic Charities in November as the Human Resources Assistant. She is from Holland, Michigan and graduated from Hope College in 2019. She got married in August and enjoys exploring local Milwaukee with her husband. As a coffee fanatic, she also welcomes any and all local recommendations! Her favorite thing about working with Catholic Charities is the employee culture and the shared passion to serve people. Some of her hobbies include reading, knitting, and watching Friends and the Dick Van Dyke Show.

all things fort mccoy

with Andrew Ruesch

"Since September of 2021, Catholic Charities has been sending volunteers to Fort McCoy to assist with the ongoing mission of providing support for Afghan refugees. Volunteers have worked weekly at the Sewing, Recreation, and Women and Children’s Centers to keep the effort running smoothly. Over two thousand hours have been logged by Catholic Charities of Milwaukee volunteers and countless carloads of donations have been shuttled to Fort McCoy. While many of the 13,000 refugees have been resettled across the country, the remaining 5,000 individuals hope to be resettled by mid-February. Until that time when all of our guests have found a home, Catholic Charities of Milwaukee will continue to organize volunteer efforts."

A drawing Andrew received from a little girl on base.

"Days after starting at Catholic Charities of Milwaukee, I was able to spend time at Fort McCoy and experience it from a volunteer’s perspective. The goal is to give our guests a bit of normalcy while on base by providing activities that enliven their day to day lives. I spent my time in one of the Children’s Centers, doing puzzles, making Thanksgiving themed crafts, and partaking in numerous outdoor activities."

"Though the verbal communication between the volunteers and guests is minimal, the smiles and laughter of the children quickly break down the language barrier. It was such a joy to witness what Catholic Charities has been able to set up and how meaningful it is to our Afghan guests. Despite their current circumstances, the men, women and children, whose lives were uprooted many months ago, are enthusiastic and optimistic about their new lives in the US."

with Barb Graham

"RIS, CC Green Bay, CC Lacrosse and Wisconsin’s two law schools are working on creating training materials and recruiting pro bono attorneys to represent Afghans in their asylum claims. The materials will consist of a detailed outline along with a series of TED-style talks that walk an attorney through the asylum process. These will be posted on a locked portion of our website or YouTube channel. In exchange for taking a case, the attorney will get access to the materials and the continuing legal education credits. Our online platforms mean that pro bono attorneys can access the materials at their convenience, whether they're on vacation or just sitting on the sofa at home."

"RIS will offer technical support to attorneys throughout the process and help attorneys with their initial intake appointments."

A Mirrored Journey

with Laura Martinez

"As soon as I saw the announcement to serve the Afghan refugees, I knew it was the right call for me. I am a survivor of a civil war in Nicaragua where thousands of people lost their lives, so I am very blessed to be alive and to tell you my story. Since we back home never received any external assistance, I promised myself that whenever I had the opportunity to work with war refugees, I would do it. I did not hesitate to volunteer and assist the Afghan families at Fort McCoy."

Afghan children's artwork.

"My job was very intense since I worked mainly with children but also with some women for two weeks in a row. I listened to disheartening stories about how some of them fled their country with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. I met a group of outstanding young women who are college students, and I had a bond with them since I also came to the United States as a college student myself and left my entire family back home. The only difference was when I left my family, we had already overcome the war but living in difficult circumstances due to the communist government at that time in the 1980’s in Nicaragua. These young Afghan students along with other refugees came here overnight traumatized and horrified after seeing the Taliban taking the reign of power in their country."

“I took the time to listen to their concerns about the safety of their families back home. I identified with their pain of being traumatized by the horrors of living in precarious conditions after a regime takes over.”
Afghan children's artwork.

"Working with children was so intense, but I learned that we still could communicate even though we did not speak the same language. Kids would grab my hand and showed me what they wanted when there wasn’t an interpreter handy. I understood right away that there are no barriers when one wants to help those in need. I received love and gratitude from those families. Some kids would hug me whenever they saw me or wrap their little arms around my neck. Others were naughty but kids can be naughty anyway no matter what culture we are dealing with. Those moments were teaching opportunities to let them know that they can be kids, but they can behave too. Those families and kids alone have gone through so much that we (volunteers) did our best to make them feel safe and forget for a while what they have gone through, and still are after being in a different culture. It is my hope they adapt to the American culture and feel welcome here."

"I would encourage anyone who is interested in volunteering. You won’t regret it. I plan to go back soon. I miss some of them with whom I had a closer contact."

Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee Event

Last November, some of our staff had the opportunity to attend the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee Gala! This night was in celebration of their 20-year anniversary of connecting and uniting Hispanic professionals, students, and the community with rich heritage, strong leadership, and impactful initiatives.

From left to right: Maria Rocha, Colleen Schmidt, Brandi Ellis, Michelle Villalobos, Maria Guerrero, & Laura Ramos

Collectively, our staff said they enjoyed spending time together outside of work while also representing Catholic Charities and the work we do in our community. They were all grateful to celebrate an organization that not only represents Hispanic professionals in Milwaukee, but also the Hispanic community.

Tiktok takeover!

RIS is officially on TikTok! In hopes of fulfilling a need and reaching a different demographic, the RIS team is creating videos on the following topics:

  • Afghan refugee updates
  • 100 question review for the U.S. citizenship interview
  • Updates on immigration law
  • Social & emotional learning for kids
  • and more!

Since their first video last week they have gained 4,155 followers, a collective of 6,805 likes, and almost 160,000 views! Congratulations to the RIS team on this social media success.

United Way Giving Campaign

Thank you again everyone for coming together for the United Way Giving Campaign last fall! As an agency we were able to raise more than $2,000 for our partners at United Way. We couldn't have done it without you!

For the health and safety of others, the congratulatory pizza parties will be postponed for the time being. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Have you read our LATEST AGENCY NEWSLETTER?

Wishing you all a happy and healthy new year!

Created By
Kaci Eisch
Appreciate

Credits:

Created with an image by katya-guseva0 - "viburnum red berries fruit"