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This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
We have a lot of need in our state, and we're fortunate to be named No. 1 for volunteerism in the U.S. As a community in Utah, we're taught to reach out and lift our fellow citizens.
Brad Drake understands this more than most because of the day-to-day work directing Catholic Community Services, which started in Utah in 1945. The overall focus for this non-profit group is to serve all faiths with an organized effort.
One of the programs is the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall where they serve up to 2,000 meals a day for the homeless, including veterans. They do this with only three full-time dining hall employees, while the rest are volunteers. The Catholic Community Services food distribution for those in need is second only to Utah Food Bank.
The refugee resettlement program in Utah is headed up by Batar, who works with up to 600 people seeking asylum from around the world, every year. These people have been in refugee camps, staying alive and waiting to come to the U.S. Utah is one of a number of states with an active refugee program. In someone's first six months here, Batar and his Catholic Community Services volunteers assist with basic needs so they can achieve self-sufficiency within the shortest time period after arriving in the U.S.
As part of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program, Utah is one of 15 states offering Refugee Youth Foster Care, currently with a 95 percent success rate. This is where they work with the youth from their arrival day in the U.S. through college.
Support for Catholic Community Services comes from many directions, like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who Brad says have been a major support.
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
Catholic Community Services 745 East 300 South Salt Lake City, UT 84102 801-977-9119 www.ccsutah.org
