Catholic Charities Beat Agape Project Fundraising Goal

Effingham Catholic Charities announced today that its special capital campaign, the Agape Project, has achieved its fundraising goal of raising $600,000 to address the facility needs of the local charity. All donations to the campaign will remain local and exclusively benefit Effingham Catholic Charities.

In Christianity, agape is the highest form of love, a transcendent sacrificial love that persists regardless of circumstances. “We have been overwhelmed by the response to our campaign. The incredible generosity and support of so many people reinforces the fact that we are all blessed to live in such a loving and compassionate community,” stated Beth Lindvahl, the campaign committee chair. “I am also so grateful to all of the campaign committee members who dedicated themselves to this effort and remained determined to see it succeed.”

Proceeds from the Agape Project will be used to replace the aging HVAC systems, repair the parking lot and walkways and renovate the onsite food pantry at the Catholic Charities facility located at 1502 E. Fayette Ave. In fact, enough funds were raised early enough in the campaign to allow the HVAC systems work to be completed in time to provide relief from the summer heat. “I know the clients, staff and volunteers are very happy to have the air conditioning back on!” said Lindvahl.

The next work to be done, that is funded by the Agape Project, will be the renovation of the onsite food pantry at Catholic Charities. The goal is to complete this work over the next couple of months. A community open house will be held this Fall to invite the public in to show off the new renovations and to celebrate the successful campaign with donors and committee members.

Sister Carol Beckermann, Area Director for Effingham Catholic Charities, said that the new food pantry will provide families with a more dignified environment when seeking assistance. Hundreds of families are served at the food pantry every year. “The renovation design will provide more open space to allow people an opportunity to “shop” for food items as opposed to the more impersonal “assembly line” type of process,” stated Sr. Carol. “It will create a more interactive space where people can feel relaxed and dignified and where we can connect with our families on a deeper, more personal level.”

While the success of the Agape Project will address the identified critical facility needs, ongoing traditional special events will continue in order to fund the daily program operations of Effingham Catholic Charities. The next Effingham Catholic Charities fundraiser is the Austin Luckett Memorial Golf Tournament to be held on Friday, August 4, 2023, at the Cardinal Golf Course in Effingham. Golfers can register online at cc.dio.org or contact Maria Kingery at 217.857.1458, ext. 118.

Since 1981, Effingham Catholic Charities has been faithfully serving the people of Clark, Crawford, Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, and a portion of Shelby counties through a broad range of programs and services. Currently, Effingham Catholic Charities offers help to people of all faiths through its Crisis Assistance, Food Pantry, Dental Voucher, MedAssist, Legal Services, Second Hand Rose Resale Shoppe, Ramblin’ Rose and Mobile Food Pantry programs. Effingham Catholic Charities is nationally accredited through the Council On Accreditation (C.O.A) in New York, NY which certifies its programs and management meet the highest best practice standards for social service agencies.