Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington is a faith-based, social services organization, delivering critical direct care human services to over 83,000 individuals and families residing in Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore. No one is excluded from service because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin, or ability to pay.
PREAMBLE
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington exists to help fulfill the Christian duty to love and serve God’s people. Our mission is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The universal and local Church proclaims the Gospel and teaches the recognition of the dignity and sacredness of each human life and the belief that we are called to share our resources with the most vulnerable among us.
MISSION
It is the mission of Catholic Charities to address human suffering and to promote and restore the well-being of people and society by:
• Providing, as a primary focus, caring service to families and persons in need;
• Coming together with members of the community to become informed about and to take action on critical social issues; and,
• Advocating publicly for social policies which enhance human dignity and safeguard basic human rights.
Officers of the Board
Xavier DeCaire
Board Chair
Partner, George J. Weiner & Associates
Anthony Albence
Vice Chair, Outreach
Director, Delaware Department of Elections/New Castle County
James Burke
Vice Chair, Finance
Retired
Steve Endres
Vice Chair, Facilities/Services
Chief Financial Officer, Emory Hill
Anna Magat
Co-Vice Chair, Development
Physician
Melanie Penna
Co-Vice Chair, Development
Sr. Vice President, Human Resources, Comcast
Samantha Wallace
Vice Chair, CQI
Global Talent Optimization Director, Decisive Edge
Fr. Roger DiBuo
Chaplain
Pastor, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church
General Board Members
Rachael Casey
Saint Mark’s High School
Director of Academic Partnerships
Keith Delaney
CPA, Santora Group
Mark A. Oller
Group Vice President, Wilmington Trust Company
Jean Desmond
Retired
Kim Newell
Marketing Manager, CSC Global
Ex Officio
Fritz Jones
Executive Director, Catholic Charities
Fritz Jones
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Lisa Schieffert
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM OPERATIONS
Andrea Rotsch
DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Jane Chickadel
CONTROLLER
Program Leadership
Kimberly Ellis
SR. PROGRAM MANAGER
BASIC NEEDS SERVICES
Darius Humphries
PROGRAM MANAGER
CASA SAN FRANCISCO AND SUSSEX COUNTY SERVICES
Donna Forrest (Interim)
PROGRAM MANAGER
LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Lisa Ritchie
PROGRAM MANAGER
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES
Sandra Stephenson
PROGRAM SUPPORT MANAGER
Jennifer Trager
PROGRAM MANAGER
SETON CENTER AND MARYLAND SERVICES
Joanne Varnes
PROGRAM MANAGER
CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM, FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
Cathy Weaver
PROGRAM MANAGER
MARYDALE RETIREMENT VILLAGE
Aaron Prince
PROGRAM MANAGER
BAYARD HOUSE
Q. Do I have to be Catholic to receive services?
A. Catholic Charities provides services to all in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland without regard to religious affiliation.
Q. Does Catholic Charities charge a fee for its services?
A. Fees are charged for certain services, others are provided without charge. Thanks to the generosity of donors and contributors to the United Way and the annual Catholic Appeal, no one is refused service due to an inability to pay for them. Fees are charged for professional services such as counseling, substance abuse recovery support, and immigration services. Registration fees are charged for conferences. Catholic Charities accepts third party insurance payments. Some services are made available through public contracts.
Q. Does anyone have to know I am coming for help to Catholic Charities?
A. Confidentiality is a living principle at Catholic Charities and all services are provided in the strictest of confidence. No one will know you are receiving assistance of any kind unless you give us permission to share that information.
Q. Is Catholic Charities qualified to provide the services it delivers?
A. Catholic Charities employs staff who are licensed and certified in their respective professions to provide professional services. Catholic Charities holds all necessary state licenses to operate in Delaware and Maryland. In addition, Catholic Charities is a full member of the United Way of Delaware and the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore and meets the standards for membership established by those organizations.
Click here to download our latest Annual Report.
PHILOSOPHY
Catholic Charities’ Performance and Quality Improvement (PQI) Program Philosophy
Since Catholic Charities is a ministry and apostolic activity of the Catholic Church, it is imperative that we incorporate the Catholic Faith into our activities and approach. This requires active participation in the life of the Church, a witness to Christ in all circumstances and remaining at the very heart of the community of others. (Gaudium et Spes #30 and #43)
A result of this Catholic identity is a commitment to meet not only the minimum commitments of its programs and professions, but to strive to true proficiency and excellence.
As a result, Catholic Charities operates an organization-wide performance and quality improvement program (PQI) to improve quality and the pursuit of excellence in its services by monitoring activities, and identifying and pursuing opportunities for improvement. The PQI program addresses both organizational performance and program and client outcomes.
In all of its programs and services, Catholic Charities strives to improve the quality of care and services it provides to children, families, immigrants, refugees, the imprisoned, those seeking pro-life pregnancy services, the working poor, the homeless and seniors. The PQI process generates recommendations to the board of directors and president.
