May 9, 2024 // Diocese

Around the Diocese: May 12, 2024

Todays Catholic

Catholic Charities Seeks Help After Box Truck Destroyed

Officials with Catholic Charities of Fort Wayne-South Bend announced on Wednesday, May 1, that a piece of vital equipment used to help refugees resettle in the area was destroyed in mid-April. The Catholic nonprofit, which helps thousands of northeast Indiana residents, is now asking for help.

On April 19, Catholic Charities’ box truck was totaled after a truck veered off Jefferson Boulevard in downtown Fort Wayne and into a parking lot where the box truck was parked. No Catholic Charities employees were present during the accident and the driver of the truck walked away with minor injuries.

Primarily used to transport household items for newly resettled refugees, the 2005 box truck had been in service since 2009. This year, 300 refugees are expected to be welcomed into the city by Catholic Charities, which equates to 80-90 moves. As the only refugee resettlement agency in the region, more than 600 refugee families have been able to create a new life since acquiring the box truck, and numerous other Catholic Charities programs have benefitted from the donation drives frequently facilitated by the box truck.

Because of the age of the truck, insurance will not cover the cost of a new one, leaving the agency with questions on how new clients will be served.

“Our yellow box truck has rebuilt countless lives and ensured basic needs were met through the generosity of our community,” said Dan Florin, CEO of Catholic Charities. “To guarantee the future of our refugee program, we are calling upon the generosity of our community once more.”

Catholic Charities has set up a fundraising page with the goal of $30,000 to purchase a gently used box truck and support the Refugee Program. The new box truck will help a broad spectrum of Catholic Charities clients who need material assistance. To help Catholic Charities get back on the road, consider donating at ccfwsb.org/boxtruck.

Saints Alive! Raises More Than $700,000

Provided by Bishop Dwenger High School
On Thursday, May 2, officials with Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne announced that Saints Alive! – the school’s annual gala fundraiser – raised $711,089. Organizers of the event, including this year’s event chairs – Jason Fabini, John Tippmann Jr., and Joe Wharton – presented a check to Bishop Dwenger Principal Jason Schiffli during an all-school rally. According to the Bishop Dwenger website, “Saints Alive! is an organization of parents, grandparents, alumni, and other benefactors collectively working together to champion Catholic education at Bishop Dwenger High School by providing financial assistance with scholarship needs, annual operational budget needs, and various capital requirements.”

Knights Claim Two State Titles in Academic Super Bowl

On Saturday, May 4, three Academic Super Bowl teams from Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne competed at the state competition at Purdue University in West Lafayette. Two teams, competing in the English and Interdisciplinary categories, earned state championships, while the team competing in Social Studies earned a fourth-place finish. The students comprising the state-champion English team were Cordelia Richert, Ella Funk, Tommy McComb, and Lily Dippold.  Members of the Interdisciplinary team were Dipplod, McComb, Gerber Blanco, and Brandon Busch. The Social Studies team was made up of Busch and Rosemary Burnard. Four members of the Bishop Luers faculty accompanied the teams. They are Kathy Schall, Kate Sturm, Justin Ebbeskotte, and Alicia Baumgartner.