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…

Stewardship of Administration and Dignity in Work

“We do not get dignity from power or money or culture. We get dignity from work. Work is fundamental to the dignity of the person. Work, to use an image, ‘anoints’ with dignity, fills us with dignity, makes us similar to God who has worked and still works, who always acts.”-Pope Francis This month we recognized the dignity we gain in work through our national celebration of Labor Day. We are grateful for the opportunity to work and pray for all of God’s children to have access to this form of dignity. In the Catholic Church, liturgy is defined as public worship. This public worship is the work of Christ and our Church, and work which we are called to…

Magnify Bishop Grady Villas

Originally established in 2015 by the Board of then Bishop Grady Villas to honor its founder, Sister Elizabeth Marie Stoup SSJ – the endowment fund provides scholarship assistance for individuals with disabilities to be granted based on greatest need. Bishop Grady Villas, a residential facility and community where adults with disabilities can live as independently as possible, was the vision of Sister Elizabeth Marie Stoup – sacred dignity for all of God’s children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through the years the nonprofit has grown significantly to include employment and life skills development for residents and others in Central Florida. To reflect this expansion and honor the legacy established by Sister Elizabeth Marie Stoup, the nonprofit rebranded in 2021 to…

Discipleship Day at Our Lady of Grace

Our Community Services team was honored to conduct a Discipleship Day for Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Palm Bay. The full day event took place on August 19th, and focused on stewardship as a way of life. We were blessed to have about 60 parishioners join, including the parish’s pastor, Father Villaire Philius. This faith-filled day consisted of five fifty-minute sessions highlighting the following areas of stewardship: Each of the five sessions were followed with a stewardship reflection exercise for the participants. The day was filled with inspirational testimony and discussion. For more information please contact Marta Sweeney at 407-246-4840

WPGC Pitch Party

Representatives from four area nonprofits presented their proposals to the Women’s Philanthropic Giving Circle this month as recipients of WPGC grant funding. Central Florida Diaper Bank, Harbor House of Central Florida, The Pregnancy Center of Sanford, and Samaritan’s Village are finalists to receive these grants to aid mothers and future mothers in need, victims of domestic abuse, and human trafficking. Our thanks to The Ordoñez Family Donor Advised Fund for sponsoring the event, and to the staff of Bishop Moore High School for hosting us. Central Florida Diaper Bank -Strengthens the parenting abilities of families from low-income and/or rural households to ensure the health and wellbeing of their infants and toddlers. They help increase economic stability, reduce caregiver stress of…

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