Catholic Financial Life: Partnership provides second year of support for the society of St. Vincent de Paul

Contact: Amy Erato, Communications Specialist

Phone: 414-278-6606

Milwaukee, Wis…In its second year of a three-year national partnership with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Financial Life has donated $192,959 to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) in 2010. Catholic Financial Life employees and members also clocked over 12,000 hours of volunteer time in support of SVdP through local projects. Additionally, Catholic Financial Life is a national corporate sponsor of the annual SVdP Friends of the Poor Walk, designed to build awareness of and financial support for the needs of the poor.

“We are very grateful for the support, both donations and in-kind, that Catholic Financial Life has provided to the Society,” says Roger Playwin, SVdP’s national executive director. “The demands on the services we provide to the needy and those living in poverty has increased tremendously in the last several years, and having a partner like Catholic Financial Life that shares our values has been a welcome supplement to the work we do.”

Since the start of the partnership, Catholic Financial Life has donated over $286,000 to SVdP and members have volunteered 24,000 hours of service, valued at $500,000 based on a calculation by the Independent Sector.

“Our Catholic faith calls us to reach out to individuals in need, especially those lacking in the most basic necessities of life. By assisting the poor, particularly through our partnership with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we are answering the call to put our Catholic values in action.” says Bill O’Toole, President and CEO of Catholic Financial Life.

Catholic Financial Life associates have taken this cause to heart. In 2010:

* Associates organized a Fraternal Day of Service for the Milwaukee District Council. Fifty-three associates worked 122 hours emptying storage rooms, washing walls and windows, spackling and painting, sorting clothes and serving dinner at the site.

* Associates formed a 24-member team and participated in the walk sponsored by the Milwaukee District Council, raising $1,725.

* Associates and members of Catholic Financial Life’s board of directors served meals on three separate evenings at a Milwaukee meal site.

As a part of the partnership, Catholic Financial Life encourages local branches and chapters to get involved by raising funds for a local conference or council of SVdP, or participating in service projects that directly benefit SVdP or are organized by a local conference or council of the Society. Funds raised for SVdP are eligible to receive matching funds (up to $500) from the home office of Catholic Financial Life. From community-wide Friends of the Poor Walks to parish-based pancake breakfasts and food drives, the money raised and matched from these various activities stays in the branch/chapter’s local community so there is a tangible reason to give back.

Information on Catholic Financial Life, its products and services can be found on the Web at http://www.catholicfinanciallife.org. For more information on the Society of St. Vincent de Paul visit their national Web site http://www.svdpusa.org.

ABOUT THE SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

One of the oldest charitable organizations in the world, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (http://www.svdpusa.org) is a Catholic lay organization of more than 690,000 men and women throughout the world who voluntarily join together to grow spiritually and offer person-to-person service to the needy and suffering in 142 countries on five continents. With the U.S. headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., membership in the United States totals more than 146,000 in 4,600 communities. Programs include home visits, housing assistance, disaster relief, job training and placement, food pantries, dining halls, clothing, transportation and utility costs, care for the elderly and medicine. SVdP serves more than 14 million people in need each year, performs more than 644,000 visits to people in their homes, and delivers more than 7 million service hours to those in need.

ABOUT CATHOLIC FINANCIAL LIFE

Catholic Financial Life, a faith-based membership organization puts Catholic values in action by serving God through serving others, providing financial security, and by enhancing quality of life for our member families and their communities. For more than 140 years, Catholic Financial Life has helped members take control of their future by providing real solutions to everyday challenges. Formed by the merger of Catholic Knights and Catholic Family Life Insurance in 2010, Catholic Financial Life is the second largest Catholic fraternal in the United States. More information on Catholic Financial Life, its products and services can be found at http://www.catholicfinanciallife.org.