VOLUNTEER HIGHLIGHT: Bishop Lynch Drill Team Stops By Brady Senior Center!

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

A group of about 25 Bishop Lynch Drill Team members stopped by the Brady Senior Center to surprise the seniors with a dance presentation! The seniors were happily surprised eager to get up to join in the dance celebration! Thank you to our friends at Bishop Lynch for this fun-filled surprise! We hope you can stop by again soon! Interested in visiting one of our service sites with your group or a few friends or family members? We would love to have you! Call or email us to set up a day and time to get started!

email: mdunlap@ccofdallas.org, phone: 214-520-6590 ext. 123

Check out our volunteer programs and needs available on our website at www.ccofdallas.org/Volunteer today!

Posted in Elderly and Family Services, Latest News, Program Events, Volunteering | Leave a comment

FOOD, FANS & FURNITURE: Assist Families in Need This Summer!

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

Help Catholic Charities of Dallas to assist families in need this summer by donating: FOOD to fill our food pantry shelves to provide clients throughout the summer months, FANS for our seniors and families with no air conditioning to stay cool in the summer heat, and FURNITURE to use for summer set-ups of apartments for incoming refugee families!

You can easily drop off your donations at any Catholic Charities of Dallas location! (Note: Please Tag/Label your Items as “Food, Fans & Furniture Drive” Donations)

- 9461 LB J Freeway, Suite 128 (Central Services Office), Suite 100 (Immigration & Legal Services), Suite 110 (Maternity & Adoption Services) Dallas, Texas 75243

- Refugee & Empowerment Services: 9451 LB J freeway, Suite 100, Dallas, Texas 75243

- World of Goods Resale Store: 10675 E. Northwest Hwy. Suite 240, Dallas, Texas 75238

- Mary R. Saner Child Development Center / Marillac Social Center: 2827 Lapsley Street, Dallas, Texas 75212

- Brady Senior Center: 4906 Bonnie View, Dallas, Texas 75241

Thanks for assisting in our need this summer and for impacting the lives of others!

For more information about our Food, Fans & Furniture Drive or our food pantries, visit our website at www.ccofdallas.org/food-pantries today!

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SAVE THE DATE: North Texas Giving Day is Set for September 13, 2012!

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

Get up and Give! North Texas Giving Day is set for September 13,2012! On that day, every gift of $25 or more is proportionally matched when given through DonorBridge, North Texas’ online resource that connects donors with nonprofit organizations. Catholic Charities of Dallas is excited to take part in this community giving day once again.

In 2011, thanks to our generous supporters and the matching funds received, Catholic Charities of Dallas grossed more than $8,200 in donations! DonorBridge distributed more than $1 million in matching funds to North Texas nonprofits last year thanks to generous gifts from the Communities Fondation of Texas, Hoblitzelle Foundation, The Meadows Foundation, Rees-Jones Foundation, and an anonymous donor.

Go SAVE THE DATE for North Texas Giving Day – September 13, 2012!

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DALLAS MORNING NEWS FEATURE: Young Illegal Immigrants Increasingly Seen in Dallas Immigration Courtroom

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

Young illegal immigrants increasingly seen in Dallas immigration courtroom
 Alexandre Meneghini/The Associated Press
Nicaraguan Krambilm Kennedy danced in front of other migrants in Lechería, Mexico, as they waited last week for a train going north to the U.S. About 100 gathered to demand shelter until they could continue their journey.

In a Dallas federal immigration courtroom, children as young as 12 are increasingly taking center stage. They are part of a troubling rise in unaccompanied minors charged with coming into Texas illegally — boys and girls in search of a childhood, fleeing violence or desperate to reunite with a mother or father.

Children and teenagers filled the first row of brown wooden benches in Judge Dietrich Sims’ immigration court recently. Heads of the two smallest — 12-year-old Francisco Villanueva and 13-year-old Luis Quiroga — barely bobbed above the backs of their seats.

In the last seven months, the number of children in refugee custody has nearly doubled to about 6,900, according to the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement. Many more minors under 18 are believed to have gotten through undetected, and Mexican authorities report they are seeing an increase in children in the first three months of this year.

The refugee agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took over the child welfare mission in the late 1980s when a Central American surge of soldier boys — ages 14 through 18 — entered the Rio Grande Valley, straining social services and inspiring solutions other than deportation back to violence… (Click here to read FULL ARTICLE)

Posted in Advocacy, CCD In the News, Immigration and Legal Services, Latest News | Leave a comment

ADVOCACY: Help the U.S. Bishops Fight Poverty

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

HELP THE U.S. BISHOPS FIGHT POVERTY: The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) needs YOU!  CCHD is the domestic anti-poverty program of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.  CCHD offers national and local grants to empower low-income community groups and organizations focused on addressing the root causes of poverty in America.  We need your help to work with the Dallas Diocesan Director in recruiting groups for funding, reviewing requests, and spreading the good work of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

CLICK HERE to view CCHD Member Information & Application to join the CCHD Local Dallas Advisory Committee.
CLICK HERE to view the CCHD Local Committee Job Description

Email ctorres@central.CatholicCharitiesofDallas with inquiries or questions.
Families are struggling; Faith is calling.  We need YOU!

Posted in Action Alerts, Advocacy | Leave a comment

World Refugee Day Celebration 2012: VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP NOW OPEN!

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

June celebrates World Refugee Awareness Month, and our annual event highlights just that! Save the date the our upcoming World Refugee Day Celebration 2012 on Saturday, June 23, 2012. This event is provided by the Refugee and Empowerment Services division of Catholic Charities of Dallas and will feature all the amazing culture around the world through vendor booths, food, music, dancing and much more! More details are to come, so be sure to visit our website at www.CCofDallas.org as we post more information!

Currently, we are in need of interested volunteers who can assist with pre-event volunteer projects as well as those interested in volunteering on the day of the event providing assistance in various categories. Interested in volunteering for our World Refugee Day Celebration 2012? Contact our Volunteer Coordinator to get started today by emailing mdunlap@ccofdallas.org or call (214)520-6590 ext. 123.

Or, simply submit our volunteer interest form on our website at www.CCofDallas.org/world-refugee-day-celebration to get started!

Posted in Latest News | Leave a comment

CLIENTS BECOME U.S. CITIZENS: CCD Programs Team Up to Tackle Obstacles to U.S. Citizenship

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

Many clients seeking assistance at Catholic Charities of Dallas are looking for a better life by becoming a U.S. citizen.  Many of these individuals struggle because they are unable to apply because they do not have basic English language skills. The Citizenship test is given in English, therefore many are unable to read or understand the questions in order to pass. Because of these circumstances, our Immigration and Legal Services division as well as the Refugee and Empowerment Services division of Catholic Charities of Dallas work together in order to provide our clients further assistance to successfully achieve U.S. citizenship through the Citizenship Program.

The Citizenship Program offers students and clients the necessary tools and education to learn how to speak basic English.  Intensive classes are also provided which delivers education about U.S. History and U.S. Civics to prepare them to take the citizenship test. Students are also encouraged to attend on-site ESL (English as a Second Language) Classes through our Refugee and Empowerment Services.  Our Immigration and Legal Services division provides each student/client with an added incentive of a free consultation and filing of their naturalization application free of charge if they attend the course.

This great helps the clients as they are mostly low income families that have been saving for months in order to pay the fee to USCIS to file their naturalization application. Obtaining U.S. citizenship will enable them to vote and become more involved in the community.  Furthermore, they will gain the possibly of being eligible to obtain better jobs as well as be able to sponsor family members for citizenship which further strengthens their family immigration status and well-being.

This most recent group to go through our Citizenship Program course produced 20 out of 21 enrolled students who successfully graduated. Our retention was nearly 100%! (The class was also featured prominently in the Dallas Morning News! Click here to read!)

In addition, we had one student get all of the 100 questions correct in the final exam. We had a total of 5 students that took advantage of both the on-site citizenship classes and the ESL classes. They religiously came to classes Monday through Thursday for a total of 48 hours of classroom instruction during the 6 week period. All this hard work paid off. One of our clients happily shared, ““I thank God and ask Him to bless everyone involved in making our dream come true. Thank you!”

To learn more about our Citizenship Program or view upcoming class courses and resources, please visit our website at www.CCofDallas.org.

Posted in CCD In the News, Immigration and Legal Services, Latest News, Program Events | Leave a comment