It occurred to me recently that I could use this platform and my walk to raise awareness for a favored charity. There are so many organizations that need and deserve our help in these fraught times but after a little thought, I have decided to ask you to support McAuley Ministries in Providence, Rhode Island.
Let me explain why.
McAuley Ministries got its start 50 years ago when a small group of nuns from the Religious Sisters of Mercy perceived a need to feed the hungry residents of the Elmwood and South Providence neighborhoods of Providence. These sections of the city had deteriorated significantly in recent years following the migration of the original population to the suburbs. The homes and tenements that were left behind were filled by an influx of migrant and refugee groups from far and near. The nuns opened McAuley House as a place where those most in need could find comfort and a hot meal.
Since its founding, the organization has greatly expanded the services offered to the community and now includes three vibrant ministries. The original McAuley House is still a place to find nourishment and community. McAuley Village provides safe, affordable, supportive housing and other services for single, homeless mothers and their children. The Warde-Robe is where the needy can be outfitted with quality clothing and household goods.
This is a deeply personal cause for me. I grew up and went to school only a few blocks from the original McAuley House. As a child growing up in Elmwood I knew every street, nook and cranny of the community that these women later came to serve. This was the neighborhood where my immediate and extended family flourished and where we went to school and to church together. Elmwood was and remains an important part of the fabric of who I am. To make it more personal, members of my own family, my sister and my dearest aunt, were members of the very same order of nuns that still sponsors the organization.
The blessings that were imparted to me by my own church and civic community as a child provided the foundation for what has been a very satisfying personal and professional journey and in no small way are what enable me today to pick up and take a grand adventure in the English countryside. I feel a need to express gratitude for my own good fortune by supporting the good people who stepped up to help those left behind.
Go here to learn more about McAuley Ministries and please consider making a gift to support their good work. https://mcauleyri.org/
To make a donation, simply scan the QR code below or use the “Make a Donation” link on the website. When you get to the donation page there is a place to enter a “Tribute name:” where you can enter “Dennis McCarten’s Walk.” And then there is a drop down menu for “Tribute type:” where you can select “in celebration of”. I want to be able to acknowledge donors responding to this plea.
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