Beverly Coffey is a 47-year-old single mom who lives on Jacksonville’s Northside with her son, Gordon, 12. Coffey is a good example of what the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is all about. She’s one of those who, diocesan CCHD Director Father Edward Rooney says, “have discovered the power to make improvements in their lives and their neighborhoods. They learn organizational skills and how to deal with issues. They learn how to open avenues for self-improvement and empowerment.” That’s Coffey. She has testified passionately before local school board officials and state leaders in Tallahassee about teaching young children to read and making their neighborhoods safe for play and improving their overall quality of life. It began four years ago, when her son got 11 referrals that he and his mother needed to meet in the school principal’s office — all during one six-week period. Coffey says, “I didn’t know what I was going to do.” But ICARE brought Direct Instruction, a method of teaching reading, into the schools and it wasn’t long before she saw the results. “It helped change Gordon’s whole outlook,” Coffey says. “His reading skyrocketed, his vocabulary became broader and he was able to stay focused. He also went from making Cs and Ds to As and Bs.” What is ICARE? Behind the acronym, which stands for Interchurch Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment, there are 35 churches representing 12 different denominations, and racially diverse congregations. All told, there are at least 1,300 people involved in ICARE which is supported by CCHD and others. Last November, the executive director of national CCHD Father Robert J. Vitillo spoke at a CCHD luncheon in the diocese and thanked the people of the diocese for having contributed $546,714 since the campaign began. Since then some $348,000 in national funds has been allocated to projects in the Diocese of Saint Augustine. Nationally, CCHD has just approved a $550,00 grant for a nationwide immigrant empowerment project. Jeff Chenoweth, director of the national consortia projects division of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., says, “There’s been a growing sentiment within the church that immigrants are not faring as well as we thought. They are at a crossroad. The rhetoric is hotter and meaner.” Almost simultaneously with the grant to help immigrants, the CCHD approved the allocation of $1 million to fund educational and community-based organizing efforts related to crime and the criminal justice system. This emphasis recognizes that people living in poverty are more often the victims of crime and, when they are the perpetrators of crimes, they often receive more severe penalties. CCHD has given ICARE $125,000 in national grants since 1997. And the diocesan CCHD office awarded the church-based group $5,000 five years ago to help launch their efforts. Another national grant of $30,000 was awarded to Gainesville’s NCFISC (North Central Florida Interdenominational Sponsoring Committee) for a project that is in its start-up phase and similar to ICARE. What does the money do for ICARE and NCFISC? It helps show the “invisible poor” how they can make themselves seen and heard. Kate Luby is a 23-year-old college graduate who is working for ICARE. It’s work she calls exciting. “It’s people from really diverse neighborhoods coming together for a common purpose. Parents have been testifying. To see them tell their story in their words and that it really matters, has been a real leap for these people. They say, ‘This is what happened to my child and my child deserves the best that the school system can offer.’” Thanks to ICARE, 15 inner-city schools are now teaching by Direct Instruction, a straightforward method in which teachers explain directly what students need to learn and then teach and demonstrate those skills. Kate Luby says, “The Direct Instruction program was introduced at ICARE’s urging. It’s had some really amazing success.” As Beverly Coffey knows. Luby adds, “ICARE’s mission is not just helping get things done but also striving for the Kingdom of God.” And that’s what CCHD has been working on for the past 30 years, ever since it was founded by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) in 1969. In all its activities, the CCHD has a double purpose. First, to give the poor the power to lift themselves out of poverty. And second, to recruit all Catholics in the campaign to change unjust conditions. In other words, CCHD is working to get us to realize that the poor, the minorities, the immigrants, the undocumented aliens, and we, are all God’s children. In January, to make us all aware that poverty still exists, CCHD released a survey showing that, in 1999, some 11.8 percent of the total U.S. population, or 32.3 million people, found themselves living in poverty – defined as those whose annual cash income is less than the federal government has defined as essential for minimal nutritional subsistence and basic living costs. For a family of four, the poverty threshold in 1999 was $17,184. Who are the poor? Just 11 percent of the total population, but: • 23 percent of African-American families. • 20 percent of non-naturalized immigrants. • And almost 17 percent of all children. By the way, Beverly Coffey’s son Gordon is now a sixth-grader at the LaVilla School of the Arts, where he’s not only an exemplary student but knows how to play six instruments and is in several musical groups. Like his mother, Gordon is making himself heard. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) Multi-Media Arts Contest is open to students in grades 7-12. Contestants can win prizes of $500, $250 and $100 and win matching grants for their parish programs. Students can work individually or in a group to tell the story of what CCHD is doing to help low income people join together to reverse the root causes of poverty. The artwork can be in any of three categories: visual arts, literature, or audio-visual. Teachers are encouraged to help their students explore Catholic social teaching and the root causes of economic poverty. Entries must be submitted by April 30, 2001. Entries should be mailed to CCHD, Providence Center, 134 East Church Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202. For further information go to: www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/index.htm and visit “Multi-Media Youth Arts Contest.” Or, call (904) 358-7409 or (904) 282-0439.