National Nutrition Month is Here!

Heidi Gereighty, LDN,RD is the dietician for both Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) and Padua House which provides comprehensive 24 hour care for those with disabilities.

“As we age, we may be eating less and losing weight because we simply forget to eat,” explains Gereighty. “There could also be dental issues that cause pain when eating. If so, we try to address this issue by suggesting dental appointments or adding softer foods to the diet.” An individual’s nutritional health can also be impacted by a decline in their cognitive health, particularly if they are suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

High quality protein, not just a starch meal is essential for all of our participants. Also including high fiber in the diet is vitally important. It is important to read labels when grocery shopping and make sure to note the dietary fiber content along with the sodium content. Many canned and processed foods include a considerable amount of unexpected salt. Being aware of this and making adjustments such as cooking a bag of beans rather than using a can of beans can make a big difference in salt content.

For reference here is a list dietary choices that Heidi recommends to help maintain good nutritional health as you age.

                Adequate fiber-whole grains, oatmeal, brown rice

Zinc and vitamins B and D levels-eat green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, along with carrots, broccoli and peas.

Brightly colored fruits-blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, apples

Added supplements- people over 50 often need vitamin D supplements; check with your doctor

Reduced red meat consumption-less beef and more chicken, fish or seafood

Variety of proteins-eggs, lean meats, nuts, beans or soy products

Hydration-to maintain digestive and overall health, drink plenty of water; 2% milk, juice, tea or decaffeinated coffee can help with hydration but avoid soft drinks.

Heidi along with the PACE and Padua Services team carefully watch for signs of grief, depression and anxiety that affect nutrition habits. The loss of a spouse or being isolated friends and family can affect diets. “Eating is a very social habit, particularly here in New Orleans. That’s why we like to see our PACE  and Padua clients in the center dining and socializing with others,” she adds.

She encourages family members and friends to monitor their loved one’s dietary habits but without being obtrusive and judgmental. They can pack individual meal servings for their peers, offer to take them grocery shopping and include them in plans for dining out.

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“A Miracle on Dante Street”

“It really was a miracle when Brittany called me,” said Barbara during our interview at Ciara Independent Living office on Dante St. “I had nowhere to go. I was homeless and had serious health issues. The timing was perfect, and she was so sweet and understanding.”

Barbara has been with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, Ciara Independent Living Program since June 2021. At this time, she had completely run out of options. After a difficult divorce and having no source of income, Barbara was living in a friend’s garage. “I fell due to a very serious infection in my face. I was in her garage and was rushed to the hospital. It was tough because I was so ill and needed surgeries. The friend was concerned that I shouldn’t stay in the garage as it was not a safe environment. I needed a place to stay and of my five children, only one still lives in the New Orleans area.”

“I am so happy to see the progress Barbara has made. After three surgeries and much recuperation she looks great. She is now able to move forward with her life and goals.” Brittany Simmons, Program Coordinator at Ciara Independent Living continued, “Our goal is to move the client into a stable situation so they can become fully independent again. We assisted Barbara in navigating the healthcare system by setting up medical appointments, transportation, and medication management. We also provide a food pantry once a month, case management, along with therapeutic services through our Counseling Solutions Program at CCANO. The community and friendships Barbara has made at Ciara has also played a huge role in her healing process.”

Ciara Independent Living program provides safe, stable, and stigma-free housing to the chronically homeless and mentally ill by giving them a sense of community and a path to self-sufficiency. Residents pay a modest rent and are able to live relatively independently. The community of residents support each other and are able to attend support groups to work toward their goals.

“Thank you! Thank you so much for helping me. I don’t know that I would be alive without this program.” says Barbara.

For more information on this program go to: www.ccano.org/ciara

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Courtney and Michael share their adoption story of Graham.

Michael and I met in 2012 and married in 2014. We both live and work in Thibodaux. Michael is the Operations Manager for a beverage distributor, and I work as an Optometric Technician in an eye clinic. When we’re not busy with work, we love spending time with our friends and family watching sports, cooking, and traveling. We look forward to weekends and time off even more since becoming parents.

Ever since Michael and I met we both talked about wanting a family. Soon after we were married, we found out that we would not be able to naturally conceive a child. For a short time, we felt our dreams of having a family were shattered. But we soon realized we still wanted to extend our love to include a child and we didn’t want to give up on our dreams. After researching and considering all our options, it didn’t take us long to decide that adoption was the best choice for us. The more we discussed plans for parenthood the more we realized our calling was for us to adopt.

We have a friend whose mom placed a baby for adoption many years ago through CCANO. Right before we started the process, they were reunited after over 40 yrs. Hearing their story touched our hearts and led us to contact CCANO.

We started the process mid-2019. Before the end of that year, we had completed our adoption home study and were anxiously awaiting to hear when we would be chosen by a birthmother. We had always heard that the waiting would be the longest and hardest part of the process. We took Danna and Cindy’s advice and held off on preparing our home for a baby. Instead, we took the time to prepare our hearts and truly embrace the home study. Through the process we learned so much about adoption, we grew closer as a couple, and we got more and more validation that we were on the right path. We can’t say enough about the counseling and support we received from Cindy and Danna. They were always available when we had questions or just needed our minds at ease. The personal guidance we received was exceptional.

You ever heard the saying “nothing happens, then everything happens”? Well, 2021 everything happened! We were in the middle of a pandemic; Hurricane Ida was on our doorstep, and we were finally chosen by an expectant mother considering adoption! After meeting our birth mom and confirming the baby’s due date, we were thrilled! It was during that time that I started journaling and writing to Graham —documenting all our emotions.

 We couldn’t exactly celebrate just yet. Ida forced us to evacuate our home. We stayed in Texas and with limited communication and our baby’s upcoming due date fast approaching all we could do was pray that everything would go smoothly and that we would have a home to return to. As the stormed passed and we were able to return home to begin the cleanup process, we soon learned of Graham’s birth.

 His birth mom had also evacuated. Graham was born in Vicksburg, MS. We received pictures from his birth mom and excitedly packed up and headed to MS. We were ready to meet our son. We booked a hotel in Vicksburg for a few nights where we planned to have our first nights together as a family—- back home we were still without power.

The day we met Graham was surreal. We couldn’t believe we were finally parents. We didn’t sleep much at all that first night because all we could do was stare at this perfect baby. We FaceTime our families and introduced them to Graham and everyone was so happy to see him. Our dream of having a family had finally come true. I remember journaling about our first night and how happy we were.

We had no idea just 24 hrs. later everything would change when we got a call from Danna. Graham’s birth mom had changed her mind and decided to parent. She had not yet signed the legal paperwork for the adoption and we had to say goodbye to our beautiful baby boy. We understood things like this can happen with adoption situations, but we never imagined at that point it would happen to us. I think during that time we felt all the stages of grief—shock, anger, and sadness. It was a horrible feeling to be so in love with our baby boy and then have to say goodbye knowing we would never see him again. I remember telling him to “be strong”. All the while trying to convince myself to do the same. It was the longest ride back home. I don’t think Michael and I spoke much at all. The pain and grief we felt was all too much for words. I couldn’t speak but felt some comfort in continuing to journal and write to Graham, even if he’d never read it.

We went home to a hot dark house, but it didn’t matter because what we were feeling inside was ten times worse. During this time, we prayed and continued to question everything. The weeks passed. Our power was restored and little by little so was our faith. We started to pick ourselves up and fall back into our normal routines. We found comfort in thinking how blessed we were to have had one amazing night as parents and how good it was that when Graham needed us, we were there. On Sept 9th, I wrote my last journal entry to Graham or so I thought …

Fast forward 2 months later. We get a call from Danna. There’s a baby ready for immediate placement but not another baby! It’s Graham! After parenting Graham for 2 months, his birth mother came back to the decision of adoption and wanted us to be his parents. Once again there were no words for the feelings we felt. Our prayers were answered. We got to the office as fast as we could and there he was! Our baby boy just as beautiful as we remembered. We were reunited and together we finally headed home, all as “strong” as ever.

We hope Graham always knows how much he is loved. His full name includes two middle names. The name Thomas chosen by us and the name Kai chosen by his birth mom. Our hope is that he sees his unique name as a representation of his amazing birth story.

It’s so unbelievable to think that it’s been a year since we brought Graham home. We are absolutely enjoying every bit of being parents. We get excited when we think about our future and all the experiences we will get to have with Graham. Although this adoption process was such a huge part of our journey as a couple, it’s only a small part of the even bigger journey that’s ahead for Graham. His story is just beginning. Thanks CCANO for being a part of our story!

Today we can’t imagine life without Graham. It’s hard to remember what we even did before we were parents. He just fits perfectly into our family. There are times when it still feels surreal. Although the journey wasn’t always easy it was so worth it.

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Susan Fendlason, MSW, LCSW-BACS has been with Catholic Charities for 17 years. As director, administrator and a counselor for our School Based Counseling Program she along with 3 other counselors serve 17 St. Charles Parish Schools. Susan’s experience throughout her career has primarily been working with children, which feels right to her. Growing up in Bogalusa, Susan’s mother was a school social worker. Although she moved to Texas for college and then worked in New Mexico, Susan came back to New Orleans where she graduated with her Masters degree from Tulane University.

When asked how does a counselor handle a student that expresses feelings of depression and possibly not wanting to live, Susan shared “I would say that it is in learning the reasons why a child wants to die are the reasons a child wants to live and then helping them connect to those things again.”  Susan will often work with students throughout their grammar school years and feels a deep connection to the health and well-being of her students.

In this new school year, our students are facing many of the same challenges that we as adults face.  Counseling programs are an important and integral part of improving the mental health of our children. Catholic Charities is grateful for our school based counselors for all they do to improve our community by being a part of the success of these children.

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Jayme Scharfenstein and Matthew McDaniel both have always wanted to raise a family and here is their story.

We started “trying” soon after we got married. After a year of no results, we sought medical advice and learned that having a biological child was unlikely. This was tough for both of us at first. We discussed the different options of how to have a family and decided to grow our family through adoption. We began the adoption process with Catholic Charities in January of 2020 and were blessed to be selected by expectant parents of twins (with about three weeks notice)! We were terrified, thrilled and completely unaware of what to expect. We so deeply wanted to be parents and felt beyond blessed to be able to adopt even one child, much less two.

The weeks leading up to the babies’ birth were a whirlwind. Thanks to family, friends and very generous co-workers, we were showered with anything and everything we could possibly need. Having the Adoption Services staff, Cindy and Danna, prepare and support us every step of the journey was extremely helpful. Most of our worries faded away when we met our sweet babies for the first time.

The first few weeks of parenting the twins were definitely challenging, but we slowly developed our own routine. The number one piece of advice we received from other parents of twins was to “keep them on the same schedule!” So we did our best to follow that plan. Although it wasn’t easy to feed two babies at once or put two babies to sleep at once, it was wonderful advice and helped us tremendously.

We were never able to get too comfortable with a schedule for long because something would always change. Once the babies could sit up on their own, it was time for solid food and a new routine. It has been so much fun to watch Charles and Murphy grow and learn to do new things like crawling, standing, taking steps and feeding themselves. Also our dog has enjoyed how much food ends up on the floor.

This first year of raising twins has truly been the best year of our lives. We know there have been very difficult moments but we seem to forget about them anytime one of the twins laugh at the other or clap for one another when they learn to do something new. Whenever people tell us, “I don’t know how you do it with twins,” we always respond with, “We don’t know any different!” It’s true, this is all we know and we will never forget how blessed we are to have been chosen to be their parents.

For more information on Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans Adoption Services go to: adoptnola.com

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Doug and Rhonda started by focusing on what strengths and resources Rhonda already possessed. One of the biggest challenges in maintaining work is transportation. After Rhonda’s grandmother passed, she inherited the family car. Additionally, Doug was instantly impressed with Rhonda’s parenting skills. He says, “Her discipline struck me. She’s a conscientious and respectful person. Her personality and mindset showed she could take on challenges with determination.”

The first priority was finding Rhonda and her children a safer living arrangement. Her landlord found another property for her, and Rhonda moved her family six blocks to a more secure environment while maintaining community ties. The apartment did not have a refrigerator, but PCM was able to provide the family with a new one so they could keep fresh food in the house.

Next, Doug and Rhonda worked together to assess her employment situation. With the booming tourist industry, Rhonda was picking up jobs cleaning bed and breakfasts. Through her demeanor and work ethic, Rhonda was able to find more work by word of mouth. However, several of her regular properties did not keep a vacuum on site. To expand her capacity and efficiency, PCM funded the purchase of a vacuum for Rhonda’s business.

Doug is now a part of Rhonda’s extended family, visiting the children for holidays or sending a thoughtful card for Mother’s Day. Doug is hopeful for Rhonda’s future, and their continued relationship is a sign of the power of connection through community. Learn more about Parish Community Ministry here.

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The family moved from North Louisiana to New Orleans to be closer to Children’s Hospital for Ace’s ongoing chemo treatments, but after living in six hotels for seven months, they no longer were able to afford the bill. A traditional family shelter was not an option because of Ace’s fragile health condition, and they had exhausted all other options.

When Bethlehem Housing staff met Jalessa, she did not have plans for housing, but she knew she could no longer sustain the $400 per week hotel stay. Jalessa describes that time as hell. “My whole life was stress. I couldn’t think. We were always hiding the kids from the hotel staff because they only allowed four kids in the room, not seven.”

With the guidance of Bethlehem Housing, Jalessa explored several options and found a house that was large enough for her family and close to the hospital. Earlier this month, Jalessa and her children moved into their own home. The children finally have their own toys again with room to play, and Jalessa has peace of mind about the stability of her family.

Jalessa explains, “It’s so peaceful to be in our own home after living in hotels for so long. I can relax now. I don’t have to worry about where we are going to be next. It’s the best thing that has ever happened in my life.” She shared that when Ace first saw the house, he cried walking from room to room and could not believe the house was theirs. She reports there is a difference in the children’s behavior, saying, “In the hotels, the kids were all over the place. Now they are more respectful. They are happy.”

The flexible funding of the Day One Families Fund allowed CCANO to serve this family in the unique ways they needed and prevented the additional trauma of a shelter stay for a very sick little boy and his siblings. CCANO was able to finance car seats for the safety of the youngest children, assist with utilities so the family could have electricity and water, and transfer the family’s belongings from storage.

Now, Jalessa’s family has a place to call home and a stable base for dealing with the emotions and logistics involved in caring for a child with a serious illness. CCANO will continue to work with Jalessa to address the many obstacles ahead, and she now has a team to support her on this journey to family well-being.

Ms. Jalessa affirms, “Now that I see Ace is happy, I can be happy. God made a way.” Learn more about Bethlehem Housing here.

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After retiring in 2008, Wilma found herself sitting at home bored and looking to fill her free time with purpose and meaning. A friend from St. Jude told her about the Foster Grandparents program, and she thought it would be a great fit, saying, “I’ve always loved kids, and I just had to get out of the house. Now, I look forward to coming to school, and the students are always on my mind.”

Priscilla Mantilla, Foster Grandparents Program Director, explains, “Each Foster Grandparent assists with two students. They have work performance goals set at the beginning of the year to prepare their students for school. There are regular evaluations to determine if the students have good attendance and academic growth.”

Wilma goes above and beyond to ensure her students feel included and have a joyous childhood. She is valued for knowing the students’ personalities and preferences, making her a trusted member of the Head Start community by staff and students alike. If Lea is having a rough morning, Wilma knows what calms her down versus what would work best for Zoe. For instance, when the Breakfast with Dad event ended, Zoe started crying because her dad was leaving. After finding Ms. Wilma, Zoe stopped crying, reassured that Ms. Wilma was there for support.

Priscilla is proud to have Wilma on the team, sharing, “Wilma is always up to the task and willing to get things done. She’s got a positive attitude and doesn’t let anything stop her. She’s very compassionate and sympathetic. She goes shopping for special clothes for the students whose families don’t have room in the budget for presents and holiday treats.”

Thank you, Wilma, for all that you do for our Head Start students! Learn more about Foster Grandparents here.

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Over 100 clients, staff members, volunteers, allies, and advocates came together in community to celebrate and honor the immigrants and refugees in New Orleans and throughout the world.

Once bellies were full, participants were invited to share or perform something special from their culture on stage. We enjoyed an Honduran rap/singing performance from our immigrant youth leaders, Haitian song and dance, traditional American tunes from our friends at St. Joes, and some free style dancing on stage from the kids! We were joined by the New Orleans Mayors Office to share some closing words. In the spirit of language justice, the entire event was translated into Spanish, English, Haitian Creole, and Arabic!

The success of the event is in part due to an overwhelming display of support and solidarity from the community. Nearly a dozen restaurants donated food from all over the world, local institutions such as NOMA and Audubon Nature Institute donated tickets for our raffle, local artists Josh Vine and Monica Kelley donated their time taking photos and face painting, The Red Beans Mardi Gras Krewe sponsored catering from local Trinidadian chef Lisa Nelson, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church prepared and brought hundreds of hot dogs and empanadas, gift baskets for our raffle, and volunteered the day of the event.

In a time when the immigrant community hears messages of exclusion, this day felt all the more important. This celebration was about building community together-by just having fun with one another and letting loose, sharing our cultural heritage, building relationships, and celebrating diversity.

Learn more about our Immigration and Refugee Services here.

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“The time I spent at Louise Head Start helped to build a strong foundation of education that I have since built upon. The supportive, loving environment at Head Start allowed me to be creative, inquisitive, and independent. This environment gave me the confidence to be myself and explore the things I loved, such as dance and theatre. These interests have lead me to New Orleans Creative Arts High School where I will be an incoming freshman next year.

I say to all of the graduates today to continue to build on the education and personal interests you have gained at Head Start. Continue to explore the world around you, continue to have fun with learning, and continue to work hard. This will be the first graduation of many to come. You will gain so much new knowledge with each new school year and each graduation. With the love of family, the support of teachers old and new, and a belief in yourself, there is no limit to the places you will go.”

We are excited for our Head Start alumni and current students to excel in their futures and for this recent ceremony to be the first of many graduations in their lives. Learn more about Catholic Charities Head Start centers here.

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