CCS' annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner

Courtesy photo/CCS

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Spencer F. and Cleone P. Eccles were taught by their parents to give back not only because they could but because ?the ongoing needs of the community will always be far greater than the available dollars,? Spencer Eccles said after accepting the Humanitarians of the Year Award during Catholic Community Services' 2012 Humanitarian Awards Dinner.

SALT LAKE CITY — Those who have served Catholic Community Services on the national stage and in the local soup kitchen were honored Nov. 7 during CCS’ annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner.

CCS offers 10 distinct programs that provide food, shelter, treatment and other support to those in need along the Wasatch Front and in northern Utah. The non-profit organization operates with 6.3 percent administrative costs; all other donations go directly to the people being served.

Those who support CCS "are generous, you’re giving, you care about people, you see the big picture, and you also have a deep foundation in your faith," said the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City. In particular, Bishop Wester singled out President Thomas S. Monson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "who has been a stalwart supporter of Catholic Community Services.... You honor us with your presence here tonight, you with your First Presidency," Bishop Wester said.

Honored as Humanitarians of the Year were Dieter F. and Harriet R. Uchtdorf. The Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the LDS Church, Uchtdorf and his wife were refugees and displaced persons after World War II and immigrated to the United States.

"We are well aware that, in our case, it is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its humanitarian services that is honored here," Uchtdorf said, adding that he and his wife are impressed with CCS’ work, which can "even make miracles happen in the lives of the poor and the needy and all this in the true Christian spirit of love.... Obviously, your impact reaches across all walks of life. Just look at the two of us, Harriet and I. Two former Germans, former Lutherans, now committed Mormons, honoring and being honored by Catholics in the United States of America.... That is a bright sign of hope and great reason for optimism and in our often-polarized and divided world. There is a lot of hope on the horizon."

Also recognized as Humanitarians of the Year were Spencer F. and Cleone P. Eccles. Spencer Eccles is chairman and CEO of the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation and director of four other Eccles foundations; Cleone Eccles has been a board member for many organizations, including Neighborhood House and Red Butte Gardens.

In the video presentation about the Eccles, community activist Pamela J. Atkinson praised the couple for supporting a wide array of issues. "The money is given so judiciously to agencies like Catholic Community Services, and what Spence wants to know is, ‘How is the money being used? Are they using volunteers? What are the quantifiable outcomes?’" Atkinson said. "He thinks like a businessman, but he also thinks and cares like a true humanitarian."

CCS’ 2012 Community Partner is Mark Franken, the former executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services. Before retiring in 2007, he worked through the Catholic Church for 32 years on behalf of immigrants and refugees.

"Mark was always a great leader, always testifying in front of Congress, always advocating for better services for refugees and additional funding," said Aden Batar, CCS’s director of Immigration & Refugee Resettlement. "He was always fighting for the rights of refugees and immigrants."

In his remarks, Franken said his collaboration with CCS was a gratifying aspect of his work. "The staff and volunteers and parishes associated with Catholic Community Services over the many years that I’ve been involved are truly heroes, day in and day out, being a welcoming presence for those who have lost so much, leaving their own countries," he said. "They have saved lives, literally."

Honored as Humanitarians were the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, the Catholic Woman’s League and Robert C. and Wendy R. Steiner.

Also recognized at the awards dinner were Florence Holtshouser as the Unsung Hero, and Raul Yumul as the CCS Employee of the Year.

Holtshouser has volunteered for more than 50 years in the Saint Vincent de Paul dining hall in Salt Lake City; Yumul coordinates CCS’ Parish Refugee Resettlement program.