Agencies awarded inaugural Catholic Women’s Giving Circle grants
Representatives of the inaugural Catholic Women’s Giving Circle (CWGC) grant-winning archdiocesan agencies and CWGC members pose on Oct. 30 during an awards dinner at the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis. They are, from left, Deacon John Cord, coordinator of the archdiocese’s Corrections Ministry; Kathy Laudick of CWGC; Lora Prange and Kacy Naab of Mother Theodore Catholic Academies; Elisabeth Williams of CWGC; and Emily Cook and Dennis Craig of Catholic Charities in Bloomington. (Photo by Jennifer Lindberg)
By Jennifer Lindberg
Gifts of hope were received at the Catholic Women’s Giving Circle Grant Awards Dinner that exceeded the dreams and expectations of many. In a short six months, $75,000 was raised to give away to three very deserving Catholic ministries.
“I thought we’d have only enough money for one [$25,000] grant,” said Kimberly Pohovey, archdiocesan director of major and planned gifts, at the Catholic Women’s Giving Circle’s (CWGC) inaugural awards dinner on Oct. 30 at the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis. “I never dreamed we’d raise $75,000 in our first year.”
The CWGC launched at a gathering held on April 25. Since then, 71 women have joined, pooling their contributions to benefit one or more archdiocesan ministry through $25,000 grants.
Five ministries applied. After watching videos from each ministry explaining their needs and proposed uses for the grant money, the women voted. The inaugural winners selected were Catholic Charities Self-Pay Mental Health Counseling Services of Bloomington; Mother Theodore Catholic Academies (MTCA) in Indianapolis for field trips, speakers and community partnerships; and the archdiocesan Corrections Ministry to provide clothing and other necessary items to those recently released from prison as they enter the work force.
The grants mean more than money on paper. They’re also about changing lives for the better.
Like those released from prison. In a partnership with the Indiana Department of Corrections, the archdiocesan Corrections Ministry helps provide these people with clothing and tools needed to re-enter the work force.
At a cost of about $160 per person, the ministry was only able to help 300 people this year, according to information shared during the event. The $25,000 grant will help the ministry better serve the 500 men and women expected to apply for help next year.
It will also help provide Catholic Bibles and religious items to prison chaplains, tuition for vocational school for juveniles being released, and addiction recovery services.
The grant money will also change the lives of those in need of counseling services from Catholic Charities in Bloomington who struggle to pay the roughly $10 income-based sliding fee per session. In information shared during the gathering, it was noted that the agency wrote off $150,000 to provide needed therapy to the 312 clients it served in 2024, 40% of whom were children.
“Our whole goal is to make therapy affordable,” said Dennis Craig, clinic director.
The therapy provided goes beyond traditional talk therapy to include specialized services like play therapy, eye-movement desensitization and innovative trauma-treatment techniques. The grant will also allow more community outreach about mental health.
Then there are the low-income, Indianapolis students served by MTCA, a consortium of Central Catholic, Holy Angels and St. Philip Neri schools.
The schools serve more than 600 students. The grant will allow MTCA to bring classroom lessons to life for them through taking field trips to museums, science centers or historical sites; hearing speakers, including community leaders, scientists, artists and entrepreneurs to inspire students on the many pathways to success; and enabling collaboration with businesses to help students gain practical experience in work force skills and with local nonprofits for community service projects to teach students the importance of giving back to their community.
“We are really going to dream now,” said MTCA executive director Ronda Swartz. “This is just amazing, this beautiful group of women.”
The two non-winning ministries still gained from the process—many of the CWGC members plan to donate to them individually.
“This [group] shows me organizations that have needs that I did not know about,” said Christine Fogel, a member of St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis. “This group educates us on what is available to people.”
Benedictine Sister Mary Luke Jones, who was the guest speaker for the evening, said women do more together than alone.
“Humility is your strong suit,” she said. “You didn’t join this group except to help someone, and you get the good feeling that comes from doing good to others.”
Sister Mary Luke said Christians have always taken care of each other because it is a spiritual responsibility.
“Women hold up half the sky,” she said. “And you are doing something close to home, but the ripples of your charity will be felt across the world.”
The Catholic Women’s Giving Circle hopes to continue giving and raising awareness of needs in the archdiocese. The group will start a new year of grants and encourages any Catholic woman in central and southern Indiana to join.
Kathleen Smith of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis said being part of the giving circle and listening to the needs of the various ministries show what is possible.
“It is time for women to be proud of our role in the Church,” Smith said. “We are a positive influence on our community through our faith.”
(Membership to the Catholic Women’s Giving Circle is open to all Catholic women of central and southern Indiana. Membership requires a $1,000 contribution for a full vote or $250 for a quarter of a vote in selecting grant winners. For more information about membership or the grant application process, go to www.archindy.org/womensgiving or contact Kim Pohovey at 317-236-1568 or kpohovey@archindy.org.) †
