Bishop Moore Catholic High School 2023 Legacy Gala
The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida was honored to be a sponsor for Bishop Moore Catholic (BMC) High School’s 2023 Legacy Gala. Named after our first bishop in Florida BMC has a rich legacy of faith from its founding in 1954 and has endeavored to serve the families of our community with excellence and compassion.The Legacy Gala is an annual event that celebrates the legacy of BMC’s mission while honoring individuals who have established a legacy of service and philanthropy for our community and BMC over the years. The leadership of these individuals has helped achieve Catholic education excellence and ensure its future in Central Florida. This year Mrs. Ann Polasek and Father Leo Hodges were honored. Legacy Gala proceeds…
Matthew 25 Fund
Immediately following the pandemic The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida established the Matthew 25 Fund to address increased need in our communities. Donations to this fund benefit the ministries of Catholic Charities of Central Florida, providing aid to the indigent, homeless, hungry, jobless, sick, and dying in our community. This a Gospel mission laid out explicitly in Matthew 25: 35-36. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” The Catholic Foundation has made distributions totaling over $35,000 in support of Catholic Charities of Central Florida as its team…
Sister Diocese Collection
We are called to return our blessing to God and your generosity impacts lives. We are a global family, and when the one body of Christ is injured by sickness, poverty and injustice, we must act together to heal the wounds. In the Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana, located in the Dominican Republic, our Mission Office has built a sister relationship based on love, faith, trust, hope, and respect. Here in this deeply impoverished region, staff and volunteers work alongside local families to meet educational, medical and spiritual needs that might otherwise have gone unfulfilled. Your gift supports the people of the Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana. They are able to benefit from water filtration systems,…
ICSC Conference
The ICSC faith family traveled from different countries to gather in Orlando to reflect and learn more about how we can be good stewards of God’s blessings. The theme this year, Responding with Grateful Hearts, rang true in the hearts of those who gathered for networking and educational opportunities. International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC) – Responding with Grateful Hearts Our own diocesan faith family had 98 of the more than 700 attendees. Ten of the Orlando-area attendees were grant recipients from The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida (Foundation). Each year the Foundation, through funding from its endowment, provides grants for clergy, parish staff and lay leaders to participate in the ICSC conference. Applications are received and a committee selects awardees…
St. Joseph 125th Gala
Funded by The Catholic Foundation Endowment, we were blessed to provide an event sponsorship grant to support St. Joseph Catholic Church, Lakeland’s 125th Anniversary Gala at Lake Mirror Auditorium on October 6, 2023. All funds raised from the event will support the cost of the recent renovation to their historic church. The parish is also currently home to the first Multi-Ministry Service Center; a strategic partnership with Catholic Charities to provide outreach services to those in the Downtown Lakeland community. The Catholic Foundation’s event sponsorship grants support diocesan organizations as they spread the good news of their ministry, strengthen donor relationships and raise funds to continue their impactful work.
Soup Bowl Supper
St. Mary Magdalen’s Parish Life Center Soup Bowl Supper Funded by The Catholic Foundation Endowment, we were blessed to provide an event sponsorship grant to support Catholic Charities’ Soup Bowl Supper held at St. Mary Magdalen’s Parish Life Center on September 20, 2023. The event raised funds to care for homeless men and women, many of whom are veterans, as they recuperate from an injury or illness at Pathways to Care. The Catholic Foundation’s event sponsorship grants support diocesan organizations as they spread the good news of their ministry, strengthen donor relationships and raise funds to continue their impactful work.
WPGC Grants Awarded
Through the collective philanthropy of its 32 founding members, the Women’s Philanthropic Giving Circle (WPGC) was blessed to distribute grants of $15,250 to four organizations doing extraordinary work in our community at their inaugural Grant Awardee Celebration hosted by Certified Financial Group. WPGC chair, Lori Tolland, announced this year’s grant awardees: Samaritan Village received a $5,000 grant for their Hope and Healing in the Village Program. Samaritan Village exists to provide a safe place where sexually trafficked women can heal from trauma, recover from addiction, and reclaim their lives to become catalysts for change in their communities. Samaritan Village offers a long-term, trauma-informed, and holistic care model of rehabilitation for survivors. Their vision is to see communities where women live…
Donor Stories: Mark Peoples
A Variety of Gifts Mark Peoples grew up in Miami and was raised Catholic. When he turned 18, his parents shared with him that they were going to move to Europe. As he was an adult legally at that time, he stayed in the country and found a way to take care of himself. Mr. Peoples began working in the hospitality industry and became a manager and made his way on his own. Later in life he moved to North Carolina and married and started a family. During this time of his life, he was falling away from practicing his Catholic faith. When Mr. Peoples first met Father Emmanual Akalue, he believed he exemplified the love that Jesus Christ has…
Magnifying God Given Gifts
Sr. Elizabeth Marie Stoup, SSJ spent her religious life advocating for the sacred dignity of all God’s children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She envisioned a ministry to magnify the abilities of those we serve and return to God what we have received from Him. This became Bishop Grady Villas in 2004; a residential community where adults with intellectual disabilities could live as independently as possible while receiving support to be safe and healthy. The programs have grown through the years to include Employment, Project SEARCH youth transition, and Life Skills Development programs for individuals who reside throughout Central Florida. To reflect this expansion while honoring the legacy and history started by Sr. Elizabeth, the organization is now called Magnify…
Central Florida Professional Advisors Network 2023
Our public/private partnership with F4 Wealth Advisors and ShuffieldLowman, hosted the first Central Florida Professional Advisor Networking event this month. The partnerships goal is to engage multi-sector and multi-discipline professionals in the legal, financial, and nonprofit industries for collaboration to enhance philanthropic services to clients and donors in Central Florida. Dr. Russell James III, J.D., Ph.D., CFP, Professor and CH Foundation Chair in Personal Financial Planning and Director of Graduate Studies at Texas Tech University was the keynote speaker and shared how advisors can incorporate charitable planning into their work to benefit their clients and the community. Dr. Jennifer Lehman J.D., Ph.D., CFP, Program Director of CAP and William B Wallace Chair of Philanthropy for The American College of Financial…