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San Francisco, CA – It was announced today that Archbishop George H. Niederauer will present the 2007 Loaves & Fishes Awards for Outstanding Philanthropic Works to B.J. and Bebe Cassin and the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation; for Outstanding Corporate Philanthropy to the Nibbi Family and Nibbi Brothers Construction; for Outstanding Service to the Community to the life and works of Leo T. McCarthy; and for Outstanding Community Organization to the Auxiliaries of Little Children’s Aid. The presentation will take place at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco on Saturday, April 21, 2007 at the 10th Annual Loaves & Fishes Awards Dinner, benefiting the 33 programs of Catholic Charities CYO.
Archbishop Niederauer explained, ”This year’s honorees have been absolutely dedicated to transforming the lives of families and children in need through direct aid and as advocates. Their unwavering commitment to help the ‘least among us’ is an inspiration and an example of philanthropy and public service at its most generous.”
The 2007 honorees are especially focused on assisting families and children in need, from providing educational opportunities for inner-city youth, to building affordable housing for low income families, to advocating on behalf of poor families and foster children and spearheading public policy changes to protect them, to providing direct aid to abused, troubled and homeless children.
The Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation (CEIF) is dedicated to ‘transforming urban America one student at a time’. Concerned that many young people living in under-resourced urban areas are not receiving the education they need and deserve, founders B.J. and Bebe Cassin have invested several years and significant financial support in the Cristo Rey and Nativity/Miguel educational models, which provide private innovative, comprehensive and accessible Catholic education to underserved children in at-risk communities. Since 2000, CEIF has supported the opening of over forty schools nationwide based upon this model. These opportunities not only provide thousands of low-income youth with a quality education but also give them the tools and skills they need to ultimately break the cycle of poverty. Locally, the De Marillac Academy in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district is a Nativity/Miguel school.
For over 50 years, the Nibbi Family and Nibbi Brothers Construction have been building structures to meet the challenges of San Francisco’s unique landscape, and have been doing so with a philanthropic mindset. In 2005, Nibbi Brothers opened the doors to the largest new structure dedicated entirely to supportive housing in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. In addition to affordable housing for low income families, they have donated their services to various Bay Area non-profit organizations and continue to be one of the most generous supporters in Bay Area education, having constructed student housing facilities and several schools.
Former three-term California Lieutenant Governor Leo. T. McCarthy dedicated his life to the service of others. As a fixture in San Francisco city politics and California state politics for more than 30 years, McCarthy tirelessly advocated on behalf of those in need and accomplished major policy reform for poor families, foster children, seniors, farm workers and the environment. Prior to his death earlier this year, he compassionately and faithfully gave his time, expertise and financial resources to various organizations dedicated to helping our neediest neighbors, and went on to establish The Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good at the University of San Francisco, which inspires and equips students for lives and careers of ethical public service.
Although the social landscape and needs of the Bay Area have changed since the volunteer group known as Auxiliaries of Little Children’s Aid (LCA) was founded 100 years ago, one aspect has remained constant: children need shelter and love. With this in mind, LCA has consistently and generously responded to Bay Area children when their needs have been threatened by natural disaster, illness, abuse or economic hardship. LCA was founded to protect and care for the orphans of the 1906 earthquake and became the founding organization of Catholic Charities CYO. LCA’s initial focus was on arranging foster care placement and medical care for children orphaned by the earthquake and devastating fire that followed. Today, the organization provides aid and support for children in CCCYO’s programs through financial assistance and a variety of service activities that include ongoing collections of vital supplies, tutoring assistance, and organizing holiday and birthday parties. Specific CCCYO programs supported by LCA include Rita da Cascia, Mission Day Care, St. Joseph’s Family Shelter, Richmond Hills Family Center, Children’s Village Child Development Center and Guerrero House.
The Loaves & Fishes Awards Dinner launches Catholic Charities
CYO’s Centennial celebration, which honors 100 years of the agency’s work
as a critical safety net for families, children and those in need.
Created by Cardinal William Levada, Archbishop Emeritus
of San Francisco, and Clint Reilly, former President of
the Catholic Charities CYO Board of Directors, the Loaves & Fishes
Award honors extraordinary charitable works in our communities and
raises vital funds for the 33 programs of Catholic Charities CYO.
More than 6 million
has been raised in support of Catholic Charities CYO through the
Loaves & Fishes Awards and Dinner.
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[Photos available]
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Catholic Charities CYO is one of the largest non-profit providers of social services in the Bay Area.
Our mission is to serve and advocate for the poor, the sick, the distressed, children, youth, families,
immigrants and seniors, regardless of their faith. All money contributed to Catholic Charities CYO
directly supports our programs in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo Counties.
Founded in 1907 to care for the orphans of the San Francisco earthquake, Catholic Charities is an
agency of the San Francisco Archdiocese, yet operates as an independent non-profit organization,
and does not in any way contribute to or receive funds from the church.
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