Donate to help meet our match!
December 6, 2019
Recently, Sr. Barbara Kennedy and Sr. Sarah Deeby returned to the Motherhouse of the Order of the Servants of Mary in Omaha to assume leadership roles in their religious order. Sadly, for us here, that meant they had to leave their counseling work and their many friends, colleagues, and supporters. Through their ministry, they touched and improved thousands of lives over the last 33 years. Their care and commitment to those struggling with mental health issues, no matter what their financial or social situation, stand as examples of selfless giving – a way of living and being we can all strive to emulate.
When Sr. Barbara and Sr. Sarah came to Portland in 1986, they had nothing but an enduring belief in compassionate service and a faith that everything would work out. Working originally from borrowed rooms – with sheer force of will, unlimited tenacity, and an occasional sprinkling of irreverent humor – they built a welcoming refuge for those struggling with the dual burdens of poverty and mental health issues. Sr. Lisa Sheridan joined them in this calling, and 33 years later, The Northwest Catholic Counseling Center (NCC) continues to build on that early vision, with a devoted and caring staff providing compassionate, exceptional counseling to 1,200 people each year. No one is ever turned away for the inability to pay.
To ensure this legacy of committed service and social justice lives on into the future and to honor Sr. Barbara, Sr. Sarah, and Sr. Lisa, we are launching the “Founders’ Fund”.
We invite you to help us in honoring our Founders by making an inaugural gift. Every donation to the Founders’ Fund goes directly to people in need of mental health care, but who don’t have access due to financial hardship. It is in keeping with the earliest days of NCC, when one client had no money to pay his fee, so he gave what he had – firewood. That same firewood was then given to another client in need, a single mother, to provide winter heat for her and her children. It is the foundation of NCC: everyone does what they can to help others in need, and no gift is too small.
Because of the special nature of this fund, several generous donors have stepped forward to match every dollar given, up to $10,000.
Inaugural gifts to the Founders’ Fund will be recognized in our newsletter. Thank you for making our Founders’ original vision a reality over the last 33 years, and for your help ensuring that NCC continues to flourish and provide services to anyone in need, regardless of faith or finances.
