The new offices of the Sisters of Charity Foundation received a blessing and special dedication in November, 2015.
Below is the booklet that was published for that occasion, remembering the past and sharing a vision for the future.
Thank you for joining Felton Thomas Jr., Susanna H. Krey and our board of directors for the BLESSING of the new office of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland. Together, we ask for God’s blessing on this space, where the hearts of many come together to put HOPE INTO ACTION to generate positive and enduring change for people in need.
AGENDA
3:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.
4:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
Open house reception
Program:
• Reception and lobby
• Collaboration space
• Saint Ann Foundation conference room
• Blessing
Open house reception Departure
Reception and Lobby
TOGETHER, WE PRAY FOR VISION.
Felton Thomas Jr. LEAD Woodrow Whitlow Jr., Ph.D. SECOND READER
Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA PRAYER LEADER
LEAD:
• Loving God, we thank you for the gift of hospitality, which we ourselves receive and in turn extend to others.
• We pray for those who are greeted in this lobby and gathering space. May they always be warmly and compassionately received. May they find here a spirit of hopefulness and eagerness to serve those most in need. And may they hear and respond to your call for their lives.
• We pray in thanksgiving for the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, who have extended faith- filled hospitality to countless individuals through their hospitals, schools, orphanages and other social service ministries since 1851. May the sisters’ spirit of hospitality and compassion inspire our work today and always.
• We pray for the children and families of the Central Neighborhood, who have received our foundation with warm hospitality as we work together to ensure a more healthy and vibrant community. May we support, encourage and uplift each other in our efforts.
ALL: Amen.
COLLABORATION SPACE
TOGETHER, WE PRAY FOR PARTNERSHIP.
Patrick G. Bray, M.D. LEAD Robyn Gordon SECOND READER
Sister Evelyn Flowers, CSA PRAYER LEADER
LEAD:
ALL: God of shared vision, you desire that we work together for the sake of your people. Maintain in all of us present today a strong spirit of collaboration and sharing of resources so that we may more effectively meet the needs of the underserved.
SECOND READER:
• Collaboration has always been a hallmark of the foundation’s work, and we are grateful for the many partners who have shared their thought leadership, financial resources and promising ideas throughout the years.
ALL: God of all, we pray for those who benefit from collaborative efforts. Through partnership, may we meet the holistic needs of those we serve.
PRAYER LEADER:
In this collaboration space, we work in partnership with others to put hope into action to generate positive and enduring change for people in need. We offer this prayer of thanksgiving for this sacred space:
ALL: Amen.
CONFERENCE ROOM
TOGETHER, WE PRAY FOR COURAGE. LEAD:
Faith Mitchell, Ph.D. LEAD Susanna H. Krey SECOND READER
Sister Mary Denis Maher, CSA PRAYER LEADER
• Over its 32-year history, the Saint Ann Foundation invested $32 million to support a variety of health and human services for vulnerable families and children.
• In 2006, the legacy of the Saint Ann Foundation was bequeathed to the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, which carries forward its commitment to women and children and support for ministries of Catholic sisters.
ALL: God of courage, help us to be brave enough to take a stand as the sisters did, and to do what is right in response to the needs of today.
SECOND READER:
• The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland embraces the tremendous responsibility to effectively steward the legacy of the Saint Ann Foundation.
• From our efforts to develop collaborations among women religious to our Saint Ann Legacy grant program, we strengthen the vital ministries of Catholic women religious in our region.
• Across all of our program areas, we prioritize the unique needs of women and children through a focus on family and youth homelessness, education, and healthy eating and active living opportunities for children and families in the Central Neighborhood.
• Our mission led us to participate in the nation’s rst county-wide Pay for Success initiative to strengthen homeless families by providing stable housing and supportive services to create a safe and nurturing home.
• In the last year alone, our grants and program- related investments to support women and children and the ministries of Catholic women religious total nearly $1.3 million.
• Expanding upon these investments and in commemoration of the Saint Ann Foundation’s 40th anniversary, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland is announcing a $300,000 investment to address infant mortality in Northeast Ohio.
• This new focus on infant mortality affirms our commitment to vulnerable women and children and carries forward the legacy of the Saint Ann Hospital and Foundation.
ALL: God of compassion, we pray for the needs and intentions of vulnerable women and children, whose lives you hold in your hands. May they always be met with generosity, kindness and respect.
PRAYER LEADER:
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Saint Ann Foundation, we dedicate this Saint Ann Foundation conference room as a living testament to our ongoing support to women and children. We offer this prayer of thanksgiving for this sacred space:
• Loving God, we thank you for the gift of courage to blaze new trails in service to your people.
• You called the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine to create a new model of philanthropy to carry on their unwavering commitment to vulnerable women and children in our community.
• As we dedicate this Saint Ann Foundation conference room, we pray that the sisters’ spirit of courage and innovation will inspire all those who meet here.
• We pray for the women, children and Catholic women religious whose lives we seek to touch through our efforts.
ALL: Amen.
SPECIAL DEDICATION
As we bless this office, we also dedicate a conference room in honor of the Saint Ann Foundation, which bequeathed its legacy to the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland. As the two foundations merged in 2006, many inspiring words were shared from across the nation, including:
The creation of the Saint Ann Foundation in 1974 provided a model that would profoundly change the face of health philanthropy. The board of Saint Ann Hospital and the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine were seeking to preserve the legacy of the hospital and to continue to address health needs in the community of Cleveland, Ohio. Their decision to use the assets from a hospital sale to create a grantmaking foundation was truly visionary. The origins of Saint Ann Foundation provided a powerful model for others to follow. Today, more than 170 health care conversion foundations across the country are reinvesting millions of dollars in innovative health programs and services. Looking back, we can see that the impact of this first hospital conversion foundation extends well beyond Cleveland to the work of many foundations that followed in its path in improving the nation’s health.
Lauren LeRoy, Ph.D.
President and CEO (1998 to 2012) Grantmakers In Health, Washington, D.C.
A NOTE OF THANKS
Our foremost thanks are to the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, especially Congregational Leader Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA. Our founding sisters are the trailblazers who truly inspire every action of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland. We are humbled to carry forward their mission in the neighborhood where they first arrived from France in 1851.
We also extend special thanks to our board of directors for their vision and support to move the foundation’s office to the Central Neighborhood. We especially thank Woodrow Whitlow Jr., Ph.D.; Sister Kathleen Ryan, SND; Sister Marian Durkin, CSA; Latisha James and Leo M. Spellacy Jr., Esq. for their leadership in creating this blessing and special dedication event.
I share my personal thanks, as well, with the foundation staff for their leadership in planning this occasion.
Thanks also to J&M Development Group, Twist Creative, Vocon and PC Alternatives LLC,
all of whom provided great support in making this vision a reality. We extend appreciation
to Terrence Kessler, president and CEO, and the entire staff of the Sisters of Charity Health System for welcoming us to this building. And, we thank the construction team, Nick Bagnolo and Gail Whipkey, who played a critical role in achieving this successful relocation.
Gratefully,
Susanna H. Krey
President, Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
For nearly two decades, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland has partnered with residents, nonprofits and community leaders to change the trajectory of poverty in Cuyahoga County.
The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland works to improve the lives of those most in need with special attention to families, women and children living in poverty. The foundation works to end homelessness in Cuyahoga County, and to reduce health disparities and improve educational opportunities in Cleveland’s Central Neighborhood. As a Catholic organization, the foundation extends the values of Jesus Christ through the mission of our founders—the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine—and also works to sustain the ministries of women religious.