After several record-setting years and with increased demand for services, the 2019 Catholic Charities Annual Appeal has set a goal of $13.5 million, representing a $1 million annual increase. Bishop Nelson J. Perez will make the announcement at a 10 a.m. news conference on Friday, February 8, held at the Senior Hispanic Center, a Catholic Charities program located at St. Augustine Towers, 7800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland. This year’s Appeal , which assists people throughout all of Northeast Ohio, is themed, “Walk in Faith. Give in Joy.”
Bishop Nelson J. Perez expresses his appreciation to donors, priests and volunteers: “We approach the 2019 Catholic Charities Annual Appeal as a faith-filled community that walks in faith, serves in faith, and gives in joy. This is who we are – a community rooted in the Gospel message. Your gifts touch lives and transform families and individuals. Thank you for sharing in this vision for a better world.”
The Catholic Charities Annual Appeal, which is managed by the Catholic Community Foundation, supports Catholic Charities in Northeast Ohio, one of the region’s most significant health and human service providers. Catholic Charities assists over 400,000 people in need annually throughout the eight-county Catholic Diocese of Cleveland with more than 150 programs and services available at 60 sites. Last year’s follow-up Appeal, conducted in May, successfully raised over $750,000 to specifically respond to the opioid crisis by expanding Catholic Charities’ addiction treatment services throughout Northeast Ohio. A new Recovery Outreach Center in partnership with St. John the Baptist Parish in Akron is scheduled to open this April.
The 2019 Catholic Charities Annual Appeal begins in all parishes in the Diocese on the weekend of February 9-10 and will continue through the end of the year. Stories and videos of people whose lives have been transformed through the work of Catholic Charities can be viewed at www.catholiccommunity.org/2019Appeal. Donations can also be made through a secure online portal at www.catholiccommunity.org/Donate or by calling 216-696-6525 x1049.
For more information regarding the programs and services of Catholic Charities, visit www.ccdocle.org.