by Cathy Qori
I came to work at Catholic Charities after working my whole career in the for-profit world. Like me, my colleagues came to work each day to contribute to the bottom line. Our focus was on maximizing shareholder value, and increasing revenue and profits. That is so different from an organization like Catholic Charities, where the focus is truly on recognizing the value of people, and maximizing their potential.
Working at Catholic Charities opened my eyes. One of the first days I was here, I served a meal at My Sister’s Place Women’s Center. I was expecting a soup kitchen, but that’s not what I found. The facility was clean, bright, and thoughtfully decorated. Each guest was welcomed warmly, many by name. They were seated at clean tables, decorated with centerpieces, and meals were served to. The guests, in turn, were lovely. They cleared their dishes and thanked us. Some stopped to chat. They recognized that they were being treated as equals who are worthy of respect.
I understand why people come to work here. Sometimes we talk about it, but more often I see our motivation in action. We help to change lives. Small miracles happen at Catholic Charities every day. You see it most easily in our programs because we help men, women, and children in great need. I work in central services and the people I work with most days are other professionals. Still, I see lives changed.
So many of the employees at Catholic Charities embody the spirit of “cherishing the divine with all.” I notice this in the little things, the way every person is greeted and treated with equal respect and kindness. I see it in big things, too. Not only are we expected to work with honesty and integrity, we are expected to esteem and respect our colleagues as well as our clients. Our work, our outcomes, and the good of our clients remain foremost in our minds.
Now, I have many reasons to come to work each day. Most importantly, I’m proud to say I work at Catholic Charities.