SUCCESS STORIES

You Walk with Immigrants and Refugees on Their Journeys

Rosa was exhausted — the dark circles under her eyes made that obvious. She was working all night, then going to school during the day. At just 17 years old, she’d already been through a lifetime of challenges and trauma.

She’d come to the United States from Guatemala with her father, seeking the chance to get an education. At home, she’d helped her mother manage a coffee plantation and wasn’t able to go to school regularly. Living in the U.S. would move her closer to her dream of becoming a lawyer.

Then the unthinkable happened. Rosa’s father abandoned her. She was left with no friends or family, very little money and only limited English. Yet…

Thanks to Catholic Charities supporters like you, Rosa wasn’t alone.

Su Casa Hispanic Center’s Bilingual Case Manager has stayed by Rosa’s side ever since. She checks in with her every few weeks to make sure she sticks with her schooling, pays her rent and has access to the information and resources she needs to achieve her goals.

Now 19, Rosa is close to graduating high school. She wants to go to college. To pay for it, she plans to open her own artisanal popsicle business.

“My help has been guidance,” her case manager states. “She’s been very self-sufficient. A lot of people get stuck, but she keeps trying.”

Your support allows Catholic Charities to walk with immigrants and refugees on their journeys to rebuilding their lives and creating the futures they’ve always dreamed of. Thank you for making sure people like Rosa don’t have to walk alone!

A Su Casa Success Story: ‘You Helped Me Achieve a Better Quality of Life’

Because of caring neighbors like you, a single mom like Gabriela can now say, “You helped me
achieve a better quality of life!”

Your support of Catholic Charities allows us to provide wraparound services that empower individuals and families in our community to create better lives for themselves.

Gabriela is the mother of a young man with cerebral palsy. When her husband left them five years ago, Gabriela struggled to provide for her son, who has complicated medical needs. As his sole caregiver, she couldn’t work outside the home. When she needed surgery in 2018, she was referred to Su Casa Hispanic Center, a program of Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio, for
case management. That’s when everything began to change for Gabriela.

Su Casa connected her to Hamilton County Developmental Disability Services so she could get daycare services for her son, allowing her to work. She also learned self-care skills through Catholic Charities’ Powerful Tools for Caregivers program.

Gabriela now has the resources to care for herself, to care for her son and to create a brighter future for them both.

Thank you for helping to give people like Gabriela the tools they need to succeed!

As the Community Changes, Su Casa Continues to Meet the Need

More than 750 people received life changing health services and education at Su Casa Hispanic Center’s spring health fair. This event wouldn’t have been possible without Su Casa’s community partners, volunteers — and caring friends like you!

The health fair, held April 30 at St. Julie Billiart Parish in Hamilton, offered vision and
mammography screenings, CPR demonstrations, tuberculosis testing, medical consultations, as well as distributions of cleaning supplies and hygiene items.

Community partners like UC Health, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, ProScan Imaging, Prevent Blindness Ohio, and Procter & Gamble generously provided the services and
products that made the health fair so beneficial for all who attended.

“We are so grateful to our community partners and all our volunteers,” says Sara Obando, Su Casa Health Promotions Supervisor. “Without them, this would not be possible.”

Most of those who attended the health fair are immigrants seeking help for a variety of needs. The fair provided attendees with education so they can make informed choices about their health and their children’s care.

“Knowledge is power, and our community needs a lot of education,” Sara says. “We make a huge impact on people’s lives.”

Su Casa explores areas where the most vulnerable members of the Hispanic/Latino community are growing, and makes an effort to provide health outreach services in those areas.

Though Su Casa focuses on serving the Hispanic/Latino community, the health fairs are open to anyone in need.

The health fair is accessible to the general public offering comprehensive health services at no cost, with some services available on sliding scale based on income.

“Vacaciones Útiles, Su Casa’s summer enrichment program, was a great experience for our son, Julián. Our desire was for Julián to enhance his speech and communication skills with his classmates and teachers. This program did so. Julián’s progress in six weeks exceeded our expectations. He learned more during this time than in the previous school year.

We are super grateful to Su Casa’s staff and volunteers for their dedication to this program. It was a great experience and we hope to repeat it next year. Thank you!”