Editor’s note: During Catholic Charities’ centennial celebration this year, the Catholic Sun will be featuring each of the six areas that together make up the diocesan organization leading up to the official celebration this fall.
By Fran Perritano
Contributing writer
When Jack Callaghan joined Catholic Charities of Oneida / Madison County in the mid-1990s, he was awestruck by the work being accomplished by the caring people in the organization.
“I started with the agency in 1994 working as a residence counselor in a program for young adults with significant mental health needs,” he said. “I was immediately struck by how compassionate and committed the staff were to the residents in the programs. Staff were genuinely committed to the mission and not just with us for a paycheck.”
He was so impressed that 33 years later he’s still there — and now is in his second year as executive director.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Syracuse is celebrating its centennial. In addition to Oneida-Madison counties, it also serves the counties of Broome, Cortland, Chenango, Onondaga and Oswego.
Callaghan said his agency has been a leader in providing behavioral health housing services for adults with mental health and addiction issues.
“We currently operate a total of 300 beds in both community residence and supported apartment settings, and serve a significant population of homeless individuals,” he said. “We offer a variety of community assistance programs in Oneida and Madison counties with an emergency food pantry in Rome that provides services for half the city. Lastly, we offer youth services in the form of summer camping opportunities at Camp Nazareth and a winter CYO Basketball League.”
Callaghan said the Oneida-Madison branch employs about 125, including residential support staff and seasonal staff who work at Camp Nazareth and in the CYO basketball program.
The agency also provides monthly social recreation and transportation assistance for adults with disabilities, individual and family counseling in its Madison County office in Oneida, and Health Home Care Management Services for adults who need help navigating the healthcare services system.
Callaghan said volunteers play a major role with the work the agency offers.
“Catholic Charities has been blessed over the years by the generosity of individuals and community groups who have supported our mission through fundraising events and direct support delivering services to the individuals and families whom we serve,” he said. “This past year we were fortunate to have volunteers from both Notre Dame High School and Utica University volunteer their time with beautification projects at our community residence. A major goal for the agency moving forward is to develop a more formalized volunteer program with a large pool of committed volunteers who can share their individual gifts and talents with our clients and maximize our community impact.”
Callaghan and the organization are not sitting on their laurels, and plan to accomplish more in the coming years.
“I would like to dramatically increase the impact of our community services programs, particularly in Madison County, by developing relationships with people of goodwill who believe in and support our mission,” he said. “I would like to develop and nurture a workplace culture that is supportive and enriching for staff so that they can build meaningful relationships with the people we serve and have a truly meaningful impact on helping them lead more fulfilling lives. And I would like to build closer relationships with the parishes in our Catholic family so we can share resources and support each other. I would also like to find ways to better support people who live in more rural areas of our community and seniors who often struggle with economic insecurity, transportation challenges and isolation.”
