Four grants totaling nearly $120,000 were recently awarded by the SSJ Mission and Ministries Foundation to sponsored ministries of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania. Specifically, the 2018 grant dollars will be used to support Erie DAWN’s “Housing and Hope” project; the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network’s “Career Education Awareness” program at McKinley Elementary and Woodrow Wilson Middle School; operating support and fencing at St. Patrick’s Haven; and operating support and a new driveway at St. James Haven.
Requests for grant applications were sent in January. Applications were then reviewed and approved by the SSJ Mission & Ministries Foundation Board in April.
The SSJ Mission & Ministries Foundation was established in 2015 to advance the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph by sharing the sisters’ vision, inviting community members to join in ministry, and ultimately raising, stewarding and granting funds to support the Congregation, its sponsored ministries and, eventually, other organizations with missions that align with the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania.
The mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, its agregees and associates, is to unite all people with one another and with God by responding to the ever changing needs of the world and serving the neighbor without distinction.
Pictured (from left to right): Samantha Stump, site supervisor for St. James Haven; Betsy Wiest, site supervisor for St. Patrick’s Haven; Sister Phyllis Hilbert, of the SSJ Neighborhood Network; and Maureen Dunn, executive director at Erie DAWN.