Students from Star of the Sea School look at the ornaments on their “Giving Tree,” which have written on them Christmas wish items for Catholic Charities Hawaii clients and others in the community. Students and parishioners have given generous donations to fulfill these holiday needs. A new Catholic Charities program geared toward Volunteer Services and Community Engagement has helped Star of the Sea expand the reach of their Giving Tree project. (Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities Hawaii)
More than 1,500 individual gifts this Christmas are expected to be collected and distributed by Catholic Charities Hawaii. Parishioners, students, businesses and community groups who generously provide these donations will light up the holidays for about 20 families, 450 seniors and 950 children served by the agency.
Handling many of the Catholic Charities holiday giving projects is a new program called Volunteer Services and Community Engagement, or VSCE. Joy Bulosan, the program’s director, has been busy working with parishes, schools and others on innovative ways to share gifts.
VSCE was created earlier this year to establish “an efficient and effective agency-wide volunteer program statewide,” said Bulosan, who was previously the secretary of Bishop Larry Silva.
The VSCE program coordinates efforts among Catholic Charities’ four divisions: Community and Senior Services, Family and Therapeutic Services, Housing Assistance and Referral Program, and Youth Enrichment Services.
According to Bulosan, holiday gifts and goods donated by parishioners and community members will be distributed to clients in all four Catholic Charities service areas. Most of the recipients are seniors and those in housing or counseling programs.
Bulosan and Erin White, the VSCE community engagement coordinator, organized this season their first major initiatives as a team. At Thanksgiving, they worked with Mid-Pacific Institute, Maryknoll and Star of the Sea schools to collect canned food and household items for Catholic Charities’ annual basket project for needy families.
They also helped families from the Maili Land transitional housing program participate in a special Thanksgiving luncheon hosted by Koolina Resort and local business partners.
Their biggest seasonal VSCE endeavor is the “Holidays from the Heart” giving project — a combination of dozens of service initiatives by companies, schools and parishes. Bulosan and White serve as the points of contact connecting volunteers and donors with Catholic Charities caseworkers and their clients’ needs.
As part of Holidays from the Heart, Starwood Properties and Hawaii Western Management Group donated dozens of toys for children in Catholic Charities’ foster care programs on Oahu and the Big Island.
Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus invited 80 children and their parents and guardians to a private Christmas brunch at its famed Mariposa restaurant. The party included photos with Santa and gifts from Neiman Marcus employees.
One little girl at the brunch, Bulosan said, fell in love with the teddy bear she received.
“It just made her day,” Bulosan said. “Those stories I think (remind us) that we just take for granted that we can buy these kinds of things and go to those fancy restaurants.”
The VSCE team also has been overseeing the Catholic Charities “Giving Tree” at the Ward Center Entertainment Complex. A popular tradition for Catholics and non-Catholics, this Giving Tree is decorated with ornaments on which are written Christmas wish items for Catholic Charities seniors. Participants are invited to take an ornament and return it later with the requested gift.
Parish participation
Catholic schools and parishes are also active participants in “Holidays from the Heart,” hanging the wishes of Catholic Charities clients on their Giving Trees (also called “Angel Trees”).
Sue Ann Moniz of Holy Trinity Church in Kuliouou said their tree included about 100 ornaments with requests of Catholic Charities seniors. Some of the seniors, Moniz said, asked for things as modest as Vienna sausage and rice.
Parishioners were extremely gracious in donating to the project.
“We were overwhelmed,” Moniz said.
Peggy Leong of St. John Vianney Church and School in Kailua said more than 150 of their ornaments provided gifts for children in the Maili Land program and general Catholic Charities services.
Parishioners and students “just love it,” Leong said of the project. “Their generosity is just amazing. We have more people who want to give than recipients.”
Barbara McInerny of Star of the Sea School said they set up their Giving Tree at the church right after Thanksgiving. They expect to have dozens of donations for Catholic Charities.
“It’s just a wonderful thing for us,” she said.
Lloree Gamiao of St. Theresa Co-Cathedral said their Christmas tree project is “our way of giving back to the community and those in need.” She considers it a “part of faith formation” for parishioners.
Bulosan said donations have been so overwhelming that “our halls are filled with gifts.”
“The parishes have been very supportive,” she said. “They’re proud of what they do and the families they adopt. Different ministries within the parish get involved.”
During the third week of Advent, she said, Catholic Charities gets some help from the Notre Dame Club and Lions Club to wrap and label the presents. Caseworkers will deliver them before Christmas Day.
The St. Patrick Church Chinese Catholic Club of Kaimuki does a different take on their Holidays from the Heart contribution. Larry Lum of the group said that each year, they host a Christmas luncheon for a Catholic Charities family, with lots of food, fellowship and gifts for the children.
“It’s a blessing for us to see this,” he said.
With the success of Holidays from the Heart, Bulosan said she hopes her work with the VSCE program will expand throughout the next calendar year. There are about 30,000 clients being assisted by Catholic Charities, she said, and while holiday gift-giving aids hundreds of them, there are many more at the agency with needs to be met.
“This is just a touch of it,” Bulosan said.
