Farewell to Sister Maria Nguyen, D.C.

Friday, Sep. 23, 2016

OGDEN — Seven years after founding a nonprofit organization in Ogden to help women become self-sufficient by learning sewing skills, Daughter of Charity Maria Nguyen is saying goodbye. 

“The life of a Daughter of Charity is a journey,” she said at a Sept. 16 charity event for Give Me A Chance, Inc. held at Hub 801 Events in Ogden. “We move on to a new project, to a new mission. So I will go on to the next mission.”

While Give Me A Chance started in 2010 with sewing classes, by the end of that year it had expanded to include a retail store that featured merchandise produced by the women in the classes; that store since has become the DeMarillac Formal Attire bridal salon, which is run by women in the program. The nonprofit opened a new headquarters at a different location in 2013. The new building offers after-school programs for children, as well as various classes for adults. The Guadalupe Garden adjacent to the building will be dedicated on Oct. 1.

Sr. Maria “has had the inspiration, the vision, to put women and children in need … into a position of empowerment, and it’s so exciting to see these women who have learned to sew, and then they have learned to have a business – they’ve gotten the entrepreneurial information so that they can do the things that they need to do in a business. We have several who have now started their own [business],” said Diana Hanebrink, a Give Me A Chance advisory board member.

Although Hanebrink said she hates to see Sr. Maria leave, Give Me A Chance will continue her vision of helping those in need. 

After leaving Ogden, Sr. Maria will work on a special project with the homeless through her order’s house in Santa Barbara, Calif. before taking a six-month sabbatical for spiritual renewal, she said in an interview. 

Give Me A Chance is an ongoing project, she said. “I don’t see this as accomplished, I see it as ongoing. Whatever small step I was able to make, I am grateful for that, but I don’t see the thing already done.”

Nevertheless, she believes that she accomplished some things with the women who have been involved with Give Me A Chance.

“Some of them are able to help themselves, and they grew in self-esteem and confidence. That part – I’m happy about that. … I want to see more of that,” she said, adding that she is confident that Daughter of Charity Sister Arthur Gordon, who will take her place, will take the agency to the next step.

At the dinner, Sr. Maria thanked those present and said she would miss them all, and she wished them and their families good health and happiness.

Craig Bielik, who was the event’s master of ceremonies, thanked Sr. Maria “for making a difference right here in our community with your dedication and your vision.”

The Stitch in Time charity event included a fashion show featuring clothing that was designed and sewn by Give Me A Chance clients as well as apparel from DeMarillac Formal Attire; special recognition at the event was given to volunteers in the Give Me A Chance after-school program.