Posted April 11, 2022
On Friday, April 8, Catholic Charities held its annual Volunteer Appreciation celebration, honoring those who lend us their greatest gifts of time, talent, and resources to help us meet critical human service needs in the Diocese of Cleveland.
Each year, volunteers are nominated for consideration in seven award categories, with the winners being chosen by a committee.
This year's award recipients are as follows:
- Core Value Award for Concern of the Poor: Deborah Burton
- Core Value Award for Hope: Kenneth Frame
- Core Value Award for Dignity of the Person: Bernice Golphin
- Core Value Award for Justice: Luz Martinez
- Core Value Award for Stewardship: Joyce Arthur
- Volunteer Group of the Year: St. Ambrose Parish
- Volunteer Group of the Year: Sisters of Notre Dame
- Volunteer of the Year: Daniel Thiel
Deborah Burton volunteers at the Medina office and helps with the food shelf. She is known to help keep inventory, sorting, stocking, checking expiration dates, and more, but she doesn't stop there. The Director of Medina County, Michelle Kipfstuhl, had this to say about Deborah, "She treats every person with kindness and respect, and she listens carefully. She is quite literally a Godsend."
Kenneth Frame is a volunteer at the Bishop Cosgrove Center and helps wherever he is needed. Ms. Terrel Valentine, Program Coordinator, explained, "Ken Frame is the goat (greatest of all time). In my 10 years of being here, I've experienced no one like him. He's here even before we get here in the morning, and he's ready. We often bicker about who's going to get Ken's attention because he's so good."
Bernice Golphin has been volunteering with Catholic Charities for over 10 years. She volunteers with the Senior Program at St. Martin de Porres. Tina Smith said, "She is awesome, awesome, awesome! She is a wonderful Christian spirit and loves to serve and just wants everybody to be happy." One of the seniors that she serves said, "She even helps me off the bus in the morning. We really appreciate her attitude and caring."
Luz Martinez volunteers with the St. Ignatius Head Start program. Site Administrator Chanda Loper said, "Every parent I ever sent her with troubles, she can find a way to help them. She's helped our parents without us even asking and I appreciate it."
Joyce Arthur has been a volunteer with St. Philip Neri Family Center for 10 years. Director Autumn Winifield described Joyce as "a shining example of our core values. She's always lifting bags, carrying boxes, or lifting things around."
St. Ambrose Parish was one of two recipients awarded Volunteer Group of the Year. Volunteer Coordinator Andy Mathay explained, "They have helped out with over 4 dozen homes for us, saving time for workers and money for clients… They have saved families tens and thousands of dollars so they can put it towards other things."
The Sisters of Notre Dame were also awarded Volunteer Group of the Year. Volunteer Coordinator Andy Mathay had this to say, "They offered lodging for the stranger. Their home was home to families from all over the world and they didn't end the assisting there. They also checked in on the families and will continue to."
Daniel Theil is a lawyer with his own practice and still takes time to volunteer. Lisa Black, General Counsel for Catholic Charities, said, "He focuses on business and corporate litigation, personal injury, and other basic legal services to individuals. He leads and recruits volunteer lawyers from the Lawyer's Guild of the Diocese of Cleveland to staff monthly legal intake clinics at the Cosgrove Center. He makes sure that the guests who otherwise would not have access to the justice system or civil legal process are made aware of their rights in areas such as expungements, bankruptcy and collections, domestic relations, and evictions."
Congratulations to all of this year's award recipients. We thank you for your dedication to supporting Catholic Charities in achieving its mission.
A replay of Friday's presentation is available for view on our Youtube channel. Click the button below to be taken to the recording.
Part of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
