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!

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!

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!

Young illegal immigrants increasingly seen in Dallas immigration courtroom

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)

HELP THE U.S. BISHOPS FIGHT POVERTY:

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!

June celebrates World Refugee Awareness Month, and our annual event highlights just that

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!

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 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.

Is your family or group of friends looking for a meaningful project this summer? You can organize a food drive easily for our food pantries, and directly impact so many in need! Contact Maureen Dunlap to get started at mdunlap@ccofdallas.org or call (214)520-6590 ext. 123. Thanks for support our mission and impacting other families in need!

As guests crossed Flora street from the traditional Mass at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in downtown Dallas, the Meyerson began to fill up with laughter, chatter and smiling Angels thrilled for another opportunity to see their fellow Angel members as they wrap up another year of Angelic service supporting Catholic Charities of Dallas.

Before the lunch and featured presentation began, guests mingled and gathered around some of the featured vendor tables near check-in which included Margaret Palmer Jewelry, who was back by popular demand providing a fun opportunity to shop her esquisite designer pearl jewelry pieces just in time for Mother’s Day. Plus, each jewelry purchase provided a percentage of it’s sale as a donation from MP to Catholic Charities of Dallas!

Another table featured popular local author, Patricia Kagerer selling her “Wise Irish Women” book which was a HUGE hit as it features former Executive Director of CCD and fellow Angels Founding member, Sr. Mary Anne Owens, SSND! Each book sale also provided a percentage of the sale to be donated to CCD. Still wish you purchased a book for yourself or friend? You still can, through our website for $22, plus shipping at www.CCofDallas.org/wise-irish-women today! These books were a big hit, as many guests bought a couple to give to friends or family, including their moms for Mother’s Day! Get yours today!

Guests finally found their tables and were seated for a lovely lunch which began with a beautiful prayer from Sr. Margaret Ann Moser. The featured presentation of “Women in Leadership Roles Serving the Church” was thoroughly enjoyed as the Diocesan leaders, which included Sr. Gloria Cain, Mary Edlund, Annette Gonzales Taylor, Barbara Landregan & Sr. Theresa Khirallah, inspired all guests in attendance by providing motivational and moving words of their experiences as leaders in the Diocese serving the church.

The afternoon wrapped up with the Angel of the Year, Joanie Stephens, took the stage to accept her award in which she was most deserving. Stephens followed by passing the torch of Angels Board president to fellow Angel, Marie Hylden, as she begins her term as incoming Angels president 2012 – 2013!

Thank you again to all who attended this year’s luncheon.  With your support and attendance, Catholic Charities of Dallas is able to continue to support and provide assistance to families struggling in Dallas.

A special thank you to our incredible Luncheon co-chairs Carol Ann Davis, Marie Hylden & Mary Claire Dahlstrom along with their committee for their endless work and time dedicated toward this year’s event, which truly made it a complete success.

View all the photos from the big  event here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150878547067154.474776.67815557153&type=3

Stay tuned for more information about next year’s Angels Luncheon event, and find all of the latest information about the Angels at www.CCofDallas.org/Angels.

Thank you to our generous group of volunteers from All Saints Catholic School in Dallas who stopped by Catholic Charities of Dallas at Mary R. Saner Child Development Center for a group volunteer project!

About 15 – 20 volunteers assisted with some spring planting around the front of the center making it look fresh and fun for the Spring & Summer season! They planted shrubs and flowers by the CCD sign and then planted classroom pots full of different colors and textures. Each box came with a note to the children with instructions on caring for the plants. The kids LOVED it!

Thank you to these volunteers from the community for all of your generosity!

Looking for a group volunteer project for this summer? Want to spend a few weeks volunteering on a big project here at CCD?

Contact Maureen Dunlap at mdunlap@ccofdallas.org today and we will find you something impactful and is grateful beneficial to the staff and clients at CCD to do with a group of friends or family!