Caritas honorees surpass goal, challenge community to Be the Light

Surpassing their goal

The first-ever group of Caritas Society honorees surpassed their collective $100,000 goal, replacing about half of the funds that would have been raised had Cruise Night not been docked for 2021.

Now, the honorees are praying their work will inspire others in the community to donate an additional $100,000 to Catholic Charities during the Be the Light spring appeal.

“Having worked with Catholic Charities for many years, we’ve seen first-hand how its ministries positively impact the lives of those most in need in our community – no other organization does so much for so many,” say Jeff and Ronnie Leonard, members of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish.

The Leonards were selected as the 2021 Caritas Society Honorees of the Year for rallying their friends and family to contribute more than $14,000.

The other Caritas Society honorees were:

Raising dollars for Faithful Servant Fund

The Caritas Society honorees and the Be the Light campaign raise dollars for Catholic Charities’ Faithful Servant Fund, giving Catholic Charities the flexibility to address the most urgent needs within the community in the priority areas of hunger and homelessness, domestic violence and enrichment services.

“We may not be able to go out and feed the hungry, but Catholic Charities does every day. We may not be able to provide shelter to the homeless, but Catholic Charities does every day,” the Thengvall say. “We see that Catholic Charities provides for those in need on our behalf. As followers of Christ and His Church, we know that today we are called to give so Catholic Charities can serve Our Heavenly Father’s children, every day, on our behalf.”