FROM the
President
Dear Vincentians,
Did you know that the
Society now exists in 149
countries? Some 770,000
Vincentians just like you make home
visits each day ? bringing hope, comfort and a
brighter future. This growth is possible because
four years ago you – and the National Councils of
15 other countries ? made an investment in the
International Council General. Until this
investment, International was barely able to meet
payroll and couldn’t move ahead. Today, they have
a stable foundation, are able to provide formation
and can assure accountability for the Society
around the world. International is now looking at
ways to secure its future so that it will not be so
dependent on its national councils (though we
will all continue to contribute in solidarity, of
course).
A Stable Foundation? this is what we try to
create for those we serve locally. That means
assistance so that persons in crisis can feel solid
ground under them and begin to move out of the
situations which trap and hold them in poverty.
Vincentian conferences and councils invest in the
people we serve, we invest in our communities so
that resources and opportunities are available,
and we invest in our conferences, councils and
national organization so that the formation,
training and resources needed for the future will
be available when they’re needed.
This issue of the Ozanam News features
articles about poverty: what it’s like to live every
day without the resources… a home, food,
clothes, education, healthcare, transportation,
that create the stable foundation needed to move
forward. Most of all, what is it like to live without
hope? Hope is what the Vincentian brings. Hope
and the assurance that God does care.
Systemic change is the vehicle the Society has
chosen so that we can all move forward together
out of the degrading and dehumanizing poverty
that grips individuals, communities and our
country. We are learning about the reality of
poverty, its underlying or root causes, and, most
important, effective tools to intervene and create
change. Systemic change is not a program, it is a
journey ? a journey of hope that we, as
Vincentians, will walk with those in poverty
toward a brighter future.
Yours in Vincent, Louise, Frédéric and Rosalie,
2
Sheila K. Gilbert
President
FROM the
Corner Office
I am both thrilled and humbled to
serve as the new Chief Executive
Officer of the National Council of the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
I am thrilled because while I have not
been a Vincentian, I know of the Society and its great
work from my career in serving those in poverty with
Goodwill Industries and the American Red Cross, and
through volunteer work with other organizations. This
new responsibility allows me the amazing blessing to
intersect my Catholic faith with my career skills and
experience. I am proud to lead and to serve in an
organization that means so much, and does so much, for
so many. And with our evolution to systemic change
initiatives, we are only beginning to realize the potential
of our impact in serving God’s most needy.
I am humbled as one whose family may not have
been in poverty as we define it, but was certainly on its
“edge.” The oldest of four children in a family of divorce
and limited income, I didn’t know our family was
financially insecure until my teen years. Education, and
life guidance in life and career from several adults
outside of my family, helped me to see the situation
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