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Carol Simler spoke on February 22, 2004 at our Justice and Peace Service
Justice and Peace Focus: Homelessness One of the most important services in our church is the "Just Peace" Service. In 1989, we adopted a Just Peace Covenant, which calls us to action on social issues - promising to make a difference in the lives of others who experience injustice and violence. If you'd like to read a little more about it, you can go to our Social Justice page. In this service we examined the facts about homelessness and affordable housing in a very personal way. Homelessness is only a symptom of bigger problems, like affordable housing, and we want you to find concrete suggestions within the framework of our four "journeys" (spiritual nurture, education, community outreach, political action) so that we can take positive steps. In 2003, for the eighteenth year, our church served as a PADS site on Wednesday nights from January to May and October to December, catering to the needs of homeless individuals in DuPage County. Volunteers from our church staffed the site on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, while others donated the food for dinner and breakfast, and supplies for the site, under the leadership of Lynne Latorre. Here are some overall statistics for DuPage PADS. You can also visit their website.
Carol Simler’s commitment to families has been shaped by the example of her own parents, grandparents and extended family. Carol’s roots in social work were nurtured by her involvement in the 70’s and 80’s with the Cursillo Movement, a lay movement within the Catholic Church that works to Christianize environments. There she facilitated and coordinated retreat weekends, follow-up workshops, and monthly support groups. In 1984, Carol instituted a service ministry office that served over 1,800 families at St. Alexander Church in Villa Park. She developed a multi-faceted parish volunteer program to the needs of church members and community residents. Programs included efforts to assist families who were dealing with an illness or death of a family member, as well as people who were unemployed, economically and physically disadvantaged. In 1986 Carol took a position with Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet, and for the next eleven years assisted refugee families, helped to establish transitional housing for homeless families, and provide support to homeless or at-risk individuals and families. She facilitated the Transitional Housing network and coordinated the Mentor Training for volunteers. Carol created the award winning Back to School Fair to help low-income families in DuPage, Will, and Kankakee Counties to access school supplies, brought together over 150 agencies and organizations in the three county areas, and utilized over 400 volunteers to provides a one stop shop approach for families with school age children. It was during that time that she co-authored The Empowerment Process published by Paulist Press to assist congregations in assessing their social needs and provided a process to design programs to meet those needs. Carol was the Catholic Charities Director of the Daybreak Family Support Center for homeless and at-risk families in Joliet, Illinois. During that time Carol gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from National-Louis University, and a Master of Social Work from Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Carol jointed the staff of DuPage P.A.D.S. in 1997 and has been Executive Director since 1999. DuPage P.A.D.S. works to enhance the quality of life for homeless or at-risk individuals and families by providing shelter, support, hope and possibility. Carol provided strong leadership, integrity, clear vision, and innovative services. She is a recognized speaker and advocate for vulnerable individuals and families who struggle to support themselves and who are in need of help from our community. In 2001, Carol was honored as the recipient of the Community Service Professional Gold Leaf Award sponsored by the Metropolitan Family Service for demonstrating outstanding leadership, and commitment to provide and mobilize the services needed to strengthen families and communities. DuPage P.A.D.S. was named not-for-profit of the year in 2002 by the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce for leadership and service to the community and ongoing mission of dignity, self-sufficiency, and inclusion. Carol has been married to Dan for 36 years, and is the mother of Shelly and Christopher. When not working, Carol turns to her garden for peace and quiet, and enjoys being with family and friends. She is an avid reader and movie fan. Carol continues to look at Life to be her teacher and believes that together we can make a difference! |
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