Urges volunteer service to respond to growing human needs

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rev. Larry Snyder, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, the national social service network celebrating its Centennial this year, called for a greater commitment of volunteer and financial resources today at the Corporation for National and Community Service Gulf Coast Convening in New Orleans, LA. The meeting brought together national, state, and local leaders from nonprofit, government and private sectors to coordinate a national service response to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill and to raise public attention on the human service needs of gulf residents affected by the disaster.

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"Volunteers are the backbone of the Catholic Charities Network," said Fr. Snyder. "There is a dire need for both volunteer and financial resources in the Gulf region to support the long-term needs of the growing vulnerable population."

Gordon Wadge, co-president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, also participated in the event, leading a breakout session focused on ways to help individuals affected by the oil spill establish pathways to employment and educational opportunities. 

Also present at the convening was Patrick Corvington, Chief Executive Officer, Corporation for National and Community Service, who announced that CNCS will double the number of AmeriCorps VISTA members available to assist gulf coast nonprofits; and a representative of New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu shared the mayor's goal to designate the next year as the "Year of Service" for New Orleans.

Since the Oil Spill Disaster in April 2010, Catholic Charities USA's disaster response team has been on the ground conducting needs assessments, setting up community distribution sites, and coordinating regional response plans.  In July, Fr. Snyder testified before a Congressional Committee on the need for charitable giving in response to the disaster and asked for a national disaster declaration.

Catholic Charities USA's members provide help and create hope for more than 9 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. For almost 300 years, Catholic Charities agencies have worked to reduce poverty by providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from health care and job training to food and housing. In 2010, Catholic Charities USA celebrates its centennial anniversary.

SOURCE Catholic Charities USA

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