Chicago, IL (November 18, 2013) – The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) works to help strengthen families and communities throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago. This important work is made possible by donations from Catholic parishioners who are being asked to be as generous as possible this Thanksgiving season with their financial gifts to the annual CCHD collection the weekend of November 23 and 24.
In a letter to Archdiocesan parishioners, Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago, said, “Committed to addressing the root causes of poverty, the CCHD has provided access to invaluable resources for those who struggle in poverty and has made positive impacts throughout Chicago and the United States.” The Cardinal also informed parishioners that fifty-percent of the collection’s proceeds stay in in the Archdiocese to fight poverty in Cook and Lake counties.
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development has been working to address the root causes of poverty for almost 44 years. Donations last year to the CCHD provided a record $710,000 in grants that funded 30 organizations working in Cook and Lake counties on projects that work for the poor, reclaiming their own dignity and helping them organize themselves to move out of poverty.
The CCHD recently awarded funds to the following local grantees:
OFFICE FOR IMMIGRATION AFFAIRS & IMMIGRATION EDUCATION – Immigrant Empowerment Project
$20,000 for expansion of the immigrant leadership development ministry, Pastoral Migratoria, in north and southwest Chicago suburbs
INTERFAITH LEADERSHIP PROJECT – Immigration Leadership Development Ministry
$20,000 for community development and community education.
PRECIOUS BLOOD MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION – St. John of God Community Garden $20,000 for development of an outdoor space for families and youth.
ST. PIUS V PARISH – Resourcing Domestic Violence Ministries
$20,000 to develop parish ministries and build a network of churches to assist women victims of domestic violence and their children.
UNITED POWER FOR ACTION AND JUSTICE – Organizing for Supportive Housing
$20,000 to help generate housing for people with disabilities in Cook County.
WAREHOUSE WORKERS FOR JUSTICE
$20,000 to support their mission to shape policies that improve the lives of low income people.
JANE ADDAMS SENIOR CAUCUS – Affordable Housing
$20,000 to support this membership organization that fights for social justice and is led by seniors.
MERCY HOUSING LAKEFRONT – Tenant Leadership Project
$15,000 for housing tenants to assist with community outreach to bring about change in the areas of transportation, food security, disability rights, affordable housing and employment.
ST. AGNES OF BOHEMIA – Imago Dei
$15,000 for arts intervention mentoring program focusing on youth violence prevention.
COMPANIES THAT CARE – AIM High
$20,000 for a non-competitive, college access, graduation and leadership program.
PARENTING FOR NONVIOLENCE
$15,000 for training parent educators for parents of children who live in at-risk communities
METROPOLITAN TENANTS ORGANIZATION – Healthy Homes Program Mandatory Inspection & Compliance Enforcement Project
$15,000 to educate, organize and empower tenants to have a voice in the decisions that affect the affordability and availability of safe, decent and accessible housing.
ONE Northside – Affordable Housing Preservation & Creation Project
$15,000 to continue organizing to preserve affordable housing in Chicago’s neighborhoods.
MOST BLESSED TRINITY – Faith & Public Life
$20,000 to assist ministry leaders to advocate for undocumented immigrants in their communities.
CATHOLIC CHARITIES – Refugee Women’s Art Group
$20,000 to help support this social enterprise for refugee women to create, market and sell their handmade products as an additional source of income for their families.
ALLIANCE OF THE SOUTHEAST – Development not Displacement $20,000 to assist the coalition of residents and neighborhood organizations to address the challenges facing the neighborhoods of SouthEast Chicago.
TARGET AREA DEVELOPMENT CORP. – Justice At Work
$20,000 for the Criminal Justice Awareness Campaign that will work to ensure that the State provides basic services and resources to citizens returning to their communities.
RESPECT LIFE OFFICE – Gospel of Life Project
$20,000 for this program to educate low-income youth on chastity, respect for life and leadership skills to help address the root causes of moral, spiritual and economic poverty in their communities.
LIFE DIRECTIONS – South Lawndale Neighborhood Discernment Community
Peaceable Gardens Project
$5,000 for the Peaceable Garden Project in South Lawndale and East Garfield Park that works to initiate peacebuilding through urban gardening.
ZACCHAEUS HOUSE
$10,000 for this residential facility, staffed and supported by Catholic Deacons, Deacon Candidates, their wives and by lay individuals and groups, that provides a faith-to-work home for homeless and needy men in transition.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF LOVE – The Unity Project
$5,000 to assist with the work of reconciliation between rival gangs by helping young people develop skills to resolve conflicts non-violently and basing playing basketball with scripture.
COMMUNITY & RELATIVES OF ILLINOIS INCARCERATED CHILDREN – Family Outreach & Legislative Action $10,000 to support the mission to mobilize and support families of juveniles who have received a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
The CCHD also named the following local organizations as national grantees:
● DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES PROJECT – Transit Equity Initiative.
$40,000
● LAKE COUNTY SPONSORS – Affordable Housing & Senior / Nursing
Care Issues, $35,000
● LAKE COUNTY CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING – Disability Rights &
Leadership Empowerment, $35,000
● LATINO UNION – Worker’s Rights & Leadership Development,
$65,000
● NORTHWEST SIDE HOUSING CENTER – Affordable Housing & Parent
Leadership Education, $25,000
● PROGRESS CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING – Disability Rights &
Leadership Empowerment, $70,000
● RESTAURANT OPPORTUNITIES CENTER – Worker’s Rights & Leadership
Development, $50,000
● WAUKEGAN TO COLLEGE – Parent Leadership Education Empowerment,
$25,000
More information about each of the above locally and nationally funded groups can be found in the 2013 Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s Annual Report at http://www.chicagopeaceandjustice.org/2013-cchd-grantees/
Online donations to the CCHD can be made at https://www.givecentral.org/new/core.php?do=event_signup_link&key=GC-527014a6df4e8
