Member News

FADICA member The Assisi Foundation of Memphis awarded one million dollars to a new initiative to help health care “super-utilizers” in Memphis’ Region One Health system access appropriate care and improve health outcomes. Super-utilizers are defined as people who most frequently use the emergency room – in this case 25 patients who visited an average of 85 times a year, or 20 times more than the average visitor. The initiative will also reduce costs for the system, the primary healthcare provider for the poor in the area, which has one of the highest poverty rates in the U.S. “The Assisi Foundation invests only in projects that reflect the values of the Church, which teaches us that serving the poor and marginalized is essential to achieving true social justice,” says Assisi Foundation Vice Chair Charlie Schaffler, who also serves on the FADICA Board. “This investment will not only improve the health outcomes for the ‘super utilizers,’ but it will enable Region One to serve more of those people who truly need their services.”

Maria Rosario recently joined FADICA as the Executive Assistant to the President and Office Manager. Maria is responsible for providing all aspects of administrative and office management support. Additionally, Maria serves as the “first contact” for members and the public. Maria earned her bachelor’s degree in International Business with a minor in Hispanic Studies from The Catholic University of America. She looks forward to meeting you!

Listen to FADICA’s Alicia Bondanella Simon (Director of Membership) talk with Tim Uhl, producer of Catholic School Matters. LISTEN NOW Alicia discusses the genesis of the FADICA’s Catholic Schools Governance Research, how Catholic foundations and Catholic schools can (and do) work together, and the importance of the recently completed CSPWG Market Research on Parent Perceptions of Catholic Schools. The market research full report will be available this summer, and will be shared with FADICA members, and Catholic school and diocesan leaders across the country.

Three FADICA members participated in a panel on Catholic education held last month hosted by the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (also a FADICA member). Christine Healey (Healey Education Foundation), Meg Gehlen Nodzon (GHR Foundation), and Karen Rauenhorst (Mark and Karen Rauenhorst Foundation, also representing the AIM Higher Foundation) were among panelists who engaged around the question, “Can urban Catholic elementary schools close the achievement gap and be self-sustaining?”

Chair of FADICA member Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation Kathleen McCarthy made the first major gift to a recently opened mixed use space at USC. Chair of FADICA member Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation Kathleen McCarthy made the first major gift to a recently opened mixed use space for the Kathleen L. McCarthy Honors College. The updated residential areas of the USC Village bring together the campus and local community with shared learning spaces and initiatives to bring affordable housing for South Los Angeles.

Mark your calendars for FADICA’s Annual Membership Meeting & Symposium to be held in Clearwater Beach, FL from Thursday, February 8 through Saturday, February 10. Members can look for registration soon!

FADICA held its Fall Symposium and Member Retreat in Washington DC, October 11 – 12, 2017. Leading and Learning: Catholic Philanthropy and Public-Private Partnerships examined the impact of public-private partnerships in Catholic philanthropy as it relates to diverse topics such as Catholic education, international relief, human trafficking, poverty, economic development, and more.

Poet Katie Donovan received FADICA member I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation’s 21st annual Award for Poetry, an internationally noted award presented to a contemporary Irish poet by the Center for Irish Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. The award is named for Lawrence O’Shaughnessy, who taught English at St. Thomas from 1948 to 1950, served on the university’s board of trustees, and led the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation. Learn more about Katie Donovan at her website.

FADICA member Catholic Medical Mission Board, in partnership with Mercy Health and the local Haitian community, opened a hospital in the isolated southern coastal community of Cotes-de-Fer in Haiti that will serve more than 50,000 people who previously did not have access to decent care.

FADICA members were among the women and men who gathered from around the world to celebrate International Women’s Day at the Vatican with the fourth annual story-telling event, Voices of Faith. Opening remarks by Jesuit Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal were featured in L’Osservatore Romano.