Ending homelessness is admittedly complicated. There are many partners at the table, and all are focused on finding long-term and permanent housing for individuals and families. There are sometimes stories on TV and social media that don’t quite capture the big picture and progress. Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland Senior Program Officer Angela D'Orazio wrote a blog post to provide facts about homelessness in Cleveland and the many efforts in place to develop a coordinated Homeless Crisis Response System. [More]

Susanna Krey, president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, has been recognized as one of Crain's Notable Women in Nonprofits. Krey joins a distinguished group of nonprofit leaders who serve organizations that touch nearly every aspect of Northeast Ohio, from the arts to the workforce, from education to poverty, from elder care to tech innovation. Crain's stated, "Their energy, determination and devotion are helping to make our region a better place to live, work and grow." [More]

Jillian Doherty, a senior from John Carroll University, has been spending her summer interning at Regina Health Center as part of the 2019 Catholic Community Connection Summer Fellows Program. The program is a 10-week internship that offers students from Catholic colleges real-world, paid work experience at Catholic ministries throughout Northeast Ohio. [More]

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland introduced its latest strategic plan this year, which is designed to deepen its impact in its areas of expertise and challenge itself to continue pursuing innovative solutions and collaborations to fill gaps in the community. A new summary video highlights the foundation's goals and its latest publication, Hope in Action, provides more details. [More]

The Sisters of Charity Health System today announced Janice G. Murphy, RN, BSN, MSN, FACHE, as president & CEO of St. Vincent Charity Medical Center (SVCMC), effective immediately. Murphy succeeds Dr. David Perse, who stepped down from that role August 6. Moving forward, Dr. Perse will continue as an employed physician of St. Vincent Medical Group.

“We are grateful to welcome Jan to St. Vincent, a ministry whose foundering sisters served as Cleveland’s first public health nurses more than 150 years ago,” said Thomas J. Strauss, president & CEO of the Sister of Charity Health System, which is the corporate parent of SVCMC and 12 other Catholic health ministries in Ohio and South Carolina. “Jan’s career – from roots in Catholic ministry to extensive nursing expertise to executive leadership at the Cleveland Clinic – uniquely suits this important time of change at St. Vincent as we chart a new course for a bright future.” [More]

At 19, Tobias Engel has a longer resume than many individuals two or three times his age – and he is constantly adding more. The Catholic Community Connection summer fellow has spent the last eight weeks working at the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland (SOCF), where he has organized and supported the foundation’s largest-ever applicant pool for its annual Good Samaritan basic needs grant. [More]

Mercy Service League will hold its signature fundraising event for Mercy Medical Center, the Harvest Ball, on Saturday, October 19, at the Alex D. Krassas Center. With a French connection theme, the event promises to be an evening of excitement, elegance, music and dancing as the area’s only gala featuring no auction, no wallet and no program. [More]

Studies show children who read with a parent or caregiver before entering kindergarten have increased vocabulary and comprehend learning materials more quickly. SPARK, which stands for Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids, is a parent-focused intervention program that gets kids ready for kindergarten. The Canton Repository recently spotlighted the program in an article about reading to children before kindergarten to spur vocabulary and comprehension. [More]

Catholic Community Connection launched its 3rd annual Summer Fellows Program earlier this summer. The program is a 10-week internship that offers students from Catholic colleges real-world, paid work experience at Catholic ministries throughout Northeast Ohio. This competitive fellowship prepares students mentally, professionally and spiritually as they make decisions regarding their future careers and post-graduate work. Each student has been paired with a mentor associated with the organization to help the student learn more about the organization’s mission. [More]

Through The Innovation Mission, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland helped encourage and develop innovative ideas aimed at breaking down specific barriers faced by low-income families through five fellows. The initiative was officially completed in June, but the projects that came from the initiative are ongoing. The Global Sisters Report recently wrote about these new "poverty-disruption" programs. [More]