Gather4Good® is sponsored by Catholic United Financial
Based in St. Paul, Minn., Catholic United Financial is a life insurance and financial products cooperative serving 80,000 Catholics in the Upper Midwest since 1878. As a not-for-profit, Catholic United transforms its profits into purpose, bringing together members, employees and community volunteers to pursue its mission through local grants, post-secondary education scholarships, service opportunities and more. For more information about Catholic United Financial, its Foundation or Credit Union, call 651-490-0170, 1-888-568-6670 or visit us online at www.catholicunitedfinancial.org.
Member Engagement Advisor Kaitlin Groeneweg, Sales Representative Jim Suek and Bahama native and college student Kistacia Thompson at the Sept. 15th Gather4Good® event in Columbia Heights.
For Immediate Release: Sept. 19, 2019
Columbia Heights, Minn. – Volunteers at Immaculate Conception Parish of Columbia Heights, MN started planning a Gather4Good® event with Catholic United staff in 2018, long before anyone knew what kind of devastation Hurricane Dorian would wreak on the Bahamas in September. As the date of the event neared and the storm struck, incorporating a relief effort at the Columbia Heights event made sense.
Catholic United staff connected to students from the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University who were leading a relief effort, many of whom were natives of the Bahamas. Eager to help, Catholic United staff agreed that a portion of the assembled kits would be sent to the Bahamas, and that a fund to accept donations would be set up through the Catholic United Financial Foundation. A matching grant was established through that fund, which would match donations up to $1,000.
Member Engagement Director Nate Lamusga declared the event on Sept. 15 a great success. Over 170 people attended and the goal of packing 2,000 kits was achieved on that sunny afternoon on the Immaculate Conception campus.
“Each kit is a message of hope and really does have a significant impact for people,” Lamusga said.
Student Kistacia Thompson, a senior at the College of St. Benedict in Collegeville, MN and Bahama native, attend the event and spoke to the gathered volunteers in support of the relief efforts. She is one of 60 Bahaman students who currently attend College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University.
Lamusga reported that donations to the disaster fund had reached $1,000 which will be matched for a total donation of $2,000 to Hurricane Dorian relief efforts in the Bahamas.
Thanks to everyone who made this event such a success, and which will have an impact both here in Minnesota and for the residents of the Bahamas.
Photos of the event can be viewed on the project’s website: www.gather4good.org.
More information about Gather4Good® is available at www.gather4good.org. More information about sponsor Catholic United Financial can be found at www.catholicunitedfinancial.org
