CWL members exemplify the faith, Bishop Wester says

Intermountain Catholic

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A fashion show highlights the annual Catholic Woman's League Fall Tapestry annual benefit luncheon that this year raised funds for the Gabriel Project and the St. Joseph Villa Foundation for Charity Care, which has been renamed; it now is known as the Senior Charity Care Foundation. IC photo/Marie Mischel

SALT LAKE CITY —With food, fellowship and the traditional fashion show, the Catholic Woman’s League Annual Benefit Luncheon on Oct. 19 offered an afternoon of fun with a serious purpose: raising funds for two charitable organizations.

CWL is a Utah nonprofit that "works for the interest of Christ, promotes spirituality based on the principles of our Catholic faith, advances literary and educational interests and assists in philanthropic efforts for the welfare of our community," according to the organization’s mission statement.

Before the luncheon began, the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, thanked the CWL members for bringing "the hope of the risen Christ, and this sense of faith, and the reality of Christ’s body and blood to our world. You women are wonderful and a tremendous advertisement for the faith in our Diocese of Salt Lake City. Keep doing what you’re doing, and doing it as well as you do."

Proceeds from the annual Fall Tapestry luncheon are distributed to charities that apply to be recipients. This year, the luncheon benefited Saint Mary Parish’s Gabriel Project, which ministers to pregnant women in need; and the Senior Charity Care Foundation, formerly known as the Saint Joseph Villa Charity Care Fund, which provides financial assistance to those in senior care settings who are in need.

The Gabriel Project provides food and clothing, and helps needy mothers financially with rent, educational and medical expenses, said Amy Kersey, a project volunteer.

"We see the life of every unborn child as sacred, as an unrepeatable gift of God," Kersey said, explaining that the project serves women regardless of their faith or marital status. "We mentor, be a friend, provide emotional and spiritual support, and help women set goals. …"

Members of St. Mary Parish contribute to the project in many ways, including knitting baby clothes, taking photos of the mothers with their babies, "and this past summer one 10-year-old girl celebrated her birthday with a party, but asked for presents for our Gabriel Project babies instead of herself," Kersey said.

The project volunteers commit to praying daily for the mothers who are served by the project, said Arlene Helfand, the Gabriel Project coordinator, while the Confirmation class is asked to be messengers of hope and joy to the mothers, and the vacation Bible school students bring gifts for them as well.

"We try to involve all ages; we’re trying to be a community that really cares about life," Helfand said.

In thanking the CWL for choosing the Senior Charity Care Foundation as a recipient for funding, Beth Ehrhardt, the organization’s president, told of an elderly woman who was waiting for dental treatment until she could pay for it.

"By the time she found out about the foundation and saving her money with her small income … she needed to have 11 teeth pulled, two crowns, a cavity filled, a partial denture and a full top denture," Ehrhardt said. "Her story is not unusual of the seniors that we serve."

The foundation serves seniors in care settings in Salt Lake and Davis counties, and plans to cover additional counties as resources permit, she said.

"Our goal is to improve the dignity and quality of life for our elders in care settings by fulfilling unmet essential needs," she said; assistance with dental care expenses is the most frequent request, although they also are asked to help with other items not covered by Medicare and Medicaid, such as hearing aids, eyeglasses, rent, and room and board.

"The seniors that I’ve served that have needed assistance with dental care have come to us and have said, ‘I couldn’t afford dental care. I chose food and paying rent so I could have a place to live, over taking care of my teeth,’" Ehrhardt said.