Lenten Pilgrimage – St. John’s Grotto
The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida was blessed to organize a Gathering in Gratitude Lenten Pilgrimage on March 22, 2024 on behalf of Bishop Noonan and The Foundation’s Board of Directors. This was a special gathering of those who have returned their blessings to the Lord as endowment fundholders and members of the Corpus Christi, Spes Christi, Vivos Christi, and St. Katharine Drexel Societies. Graciously hosted by St. John the Evangelist Catholic Community in Viera, Bishop Noonan led the 50 attendees through the Stations of the Cross followed by a Lenten lunch, program and visit to the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. Donors were recognized for their generosity which provides education, faith formation and shelter to the homeless, food for…
Are We Prepared for Retirement?
Understanding the relationship between financial literacy and asset levels is a basis for us to be prepared in retirement so that we can take care of ourselves, our loved ones and the causes on our hearts. Older Americans only scored 31% on the 2023 Retirement Income Literacy Study from the American College of Financial Services. With increased longevity, a decrease of pension plans and retirement saving being voluntary there is an increased interest in retirement planning to determine a guaranteed income stream for retirement portfolios. The necessities include a basic understanding about investing, taxes, insurance and finances. Increasing knowledge is required to properly prepare for retirement. The study found that advisors play an ‘essential role’ in helping clients be prepared….
St. Peter Catholic School Angel Fund
The St. Peter Catholic School Angel Fund Charlotte Funston, Principal of St. Peter Catholic School in DeLand, knows that angels are walking amongst us here on earth. “We were truly blessed when two very kind, benevolent, and philanthropic angels walked into the school and told our receptionist, Miss Cookie, that they wanted to financially help the school,” Principal Funston shared. “We sat together in the conference room and got to know each other. They shared their philanthropic goals and their devotion as Catholics to the church and to helping others.” Through conversation on their interests and the needs of the school community, the generous donors (who have requested to remain anonymous) decided to create an endowment for St. Peter which…
Resolutions for Good
New Year Resolutions are a tradition of beginning or continuing good practices or changing or ceasing an undesired trait or behavior. Resolutions focused on our practice of charity can improve life for ourselves, our loved ones and for our communities. Here are a few tips for some charitable resolutions for 2024: Take your charity to prayer – Giving is not only about our treasure; there are many ways we can give to others.O However we offer it, our charity is about what is on our hearts. Our words, our actions and where we do place our treasure reflect what we value most. Recognizing that all we have is a blessing from God and returning those blessings to God through stewardship…
Get to Know Jannah Szeibert
The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida is a group of interworking teams which come together to achieve success for parishes, schools and other Catholic entities throughout the Diocese of Orlando. Here Jannah Szeibert of our Community Services team discusses her work with The Foundation: My husband’s job relocated us to Florida from California. It took me a little time to find the right job when we got here, and I really wanted to work for a Catholic organization. I was incredibly happy when I was called in for an interview, and when I met the Community Services team, I knew I was in the right place. The Community Services team works with parishes, schools, and entities in our diocese to…
St. Nicholas: 3rd Century Philanthropist
On December 6th, our liturgical calendar remembered St. Nicholas. He was born in Asia Minor (the area was Greek and today is the southern coast of Turkey). From a Dutch tradition with ‘Sinterklaas’ the secular world knows him as Santa Claus. Regardless of how you know him, his reputation includes generosity, care for those in need and love for children. Today, we could describe Nicholas as a next generation inheritor. His parents died when he was young during an epidemic and their wealth passed to him. Obviously, even with a young person, his parents had also passed on their values to him so that he would be prepared to receive this wealth and do good with it. He was a third…
Planned Giving Advisory Council Social Event
Eastern Deanery PGAC Social Planned Giving Advisory Council members from the Eastern Deanery met for an Advisor Social on March 14th at Stonewood Grill & Tavern, Daytona Beach. Vice President of Donor Services, Madelyn Weed, and Board Members, Fr. Matt Mello and Lori Tolland, enjoyed time with PGAC members serving the people of God in Volusia County. It was a great opportunity to for members network with fellow Catholic advisors and learn about additional resources available to them through The Catholic Foundation. Rollins Museum of Art PGAC Social Members of the Planned Giving Advisory Council gathered for an Advisor Social on November 30th at the Rollins Museum of Art in Winter Park. The group enjoyed refreshments and networking followed with a tour by the museum’s…
Advent Retreat & Christmas Celebration
San Pedro Spiritual Development Center welcomed the chancery, Foundation, and St. James Cathedral team members this month for spiritual reflection for the Advent season and celebration of team member anniversaries. It’s a time for renewal and reflection on the past year together with our diocesan partners. The spiritual environment of San Pedro offers visitors a renewed sense of purpose, a deepening of faith and a stronger connection to our spiritual selves. Our thanks to the staff of San Pedro for hosting us, and Reverend Leo Hodges of St. Andrew’s Orlando for leading the retreat. Fr. Leo also concelebrated Mass with Bishop Noonan and Very Reverend Miguel González of St. James Cathedral. Some of our staff members were also honored with…
Don Quijote Awards
The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida proudly sponsored the Don Quijote Awards, December 9th at Epcot. These awards recognize successful businesses and individuals who have demonstrated qualities exemplified by literary character. Don Quijote: was a visionary and courageous dreamers who have taken risks to achieve their goals and improve Central Florida. The Don Quijote Awards are also the premier business and professional recognition for the Hispanic business community in Central Florida. Congratulations to all the award winners and honorees! Finalists and honorees for the 2023 Don Quijote Awards (in alphabetical order per category): HISPANIC BUSINESS OF THE YEAR, FIVE YEARS OR LESS: • BOLD Hispanic Marketing Agency, represented by its owner, Ana Carolina Salazar • Hispanic Insurance Specialists, LLC, represented by its…
Thank You and Farewell Charlie Van Patten, JD, CAP
We are grateful for Charlie’s service to our mission for two years and while we are sad for him to leave our team we are excited to partner with him at EWTN. Charlie Van Patten, JD joined us in 2021 as Director of Philanthropy and brought extensive experience to our team with planned giving and charitable gift annuities. While at The Catholic Foundation Charlie earned the designation of Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) and served our donors well helping them to maximize their impact with their charitable giving. It is bittersweet to have Charlie leave our team as we will miss him in our office but we are excited to see him support EWTN and to partner with him and…