Client stories prove St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities offers ‘hope of a better tomorrow’
A photo of the Cochran family—Alyssa, left, Oliver, Hazel May, Cory and Atticus—is displayed during a gala for St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities in New Albany on April 10. Alyssa and Cory, who adopted Atticus through the agency’s Adoption Bridges of Kentuckiana, spoke at the event. (Photo by Natalie Hoefer)
By Natalie Hoefer
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—With the Ohio River more than 23 feet above normal in Louisville on April 10, the bottom level of The Galt House Hotel’s two parking garages were nearly submerged.
That evening, safe and dry two floors higher in the hotel, people shared stories of challenge, of hope, of lives changed.
But the stories had nothing to do with the flood.
Rather, they were the successful journeys of those helped by St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities (SECC) in New Albany. They were shared during the agency’s annual Giving Hope-Changing Lives gala—which fortunately did not have to be canceled despite the flood.
“Now we can really say The Galt House sits on the Ohio River,” agency director Mark Casper joked in his opening comments to 684 attendees—114 more than last year’s gala.
The annual event serves several purposes. It is the SECC’s largest fundraiser to ensure the continued support and growth of the agency’s nine life-changing programs. (Related: Services provided by St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities in New Albany in fiscal year 2023-24)
The event is also an opportunity to honor one or more individuals with the Spirit of Hope Award for outstanding, selfless service to the agency. Archbishop Charles C. Thompson assisted Casper in presenting the awards to this year’s winners, Karen Schueler and Phil Kruer. (Read more about them in The Criterion’s March 14 issue at tinyurl.com/SchuelerKruer.)
Perhaps the most impactful part of the annual event is the sharing of witness stories by those whose lives were made better by SECC and its compassionate cadre of volunteers, donors, supporters and staff.
This year’s three client stories “tell you a lot about who and what St. Elizabeth [Catholic Charities] is and how we help the vulnerable,” said Casper.
‘They’re good. They’re helpful.’
David Franklin has intellectual and developmental challenges. But that doesn’t stop him from living his best life—with the help of Rebecca Crum, his direct support professional through SECC’s Supported Living Program.
“She takes me out all the time,” Franklin said in a pre-recorded video displayed on large screens. “She is a good friend, a good listener and a good talker.”
The Supported Living Program provides services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Floyd and Clark counties with a Medicaid program waiver. The goal is to empower them to lead more independent lives.
Direct support professionals like Crum work with each client to develop and achieve personal goals, manage various day-to-day responsibilities and foster their interests.
In the video, Franklin spoke enthusiastically of his interests, especially bowling and competing in walking races. The video included a photo of him proudly displaying a medal he won for a walking race at the state level through Special Olympics.
It also showed photos of Franklin enjoying events and outings hosted by SECC for its Supported Living Program clients. At this point in the video, he mentioned breakfast—a lot.
“It may have been the Christmas breakfast we had,” Supported Living Program director Emily Trinkle told
The Criterion by e-mail after the event. “Or when we stopped at IHOP on the way to the aquarium, or Cracker Barrel on the way to the outlet malls.
“Or he may have been talking about when Rebecca and he and I go to breakfast monthly to rate biscuits and gravy at different restaurants. For David, every breakfast is a party,” Trinkle wrote, followed by “lol”—laughing out loud.
“We have a bunch of nice people at St. Elizabeth,” he said. “They’re nice. They’re good. They’re helpful.”
When the video finished, Franklin was invited to the podium on a platform at the front of the banquet hall.
“Thank you,” he said before tears of gratitude prevented him from saying more.
As he walked away from the podium, the crowd rose to give Franklin a standing ovation.
‘They helped me make a plan’
Behind the podium, Sarah Williams’ short stature belied her depth of strength and courage.
“Back in 2019, I had to make a choice about where me and my kids were living,” the single mother began. “We were going from couch to couch and family to friends.”
There came a time when the couches ran out “and we had nowhere else to go.
I tried a few shelters, but they all turned us down. That was when I called St. Elizabeth’s.”
The family of four was welcomed into SECC’s women and children emergency shelter with open arms. The 90-day program provides housing for pregnant and single mothers and their children facing homelessness, and case management to help these women achieve self-sufficiency and housing goals.
“They helped me get food and clothes and diapers,” said Williams. “They helped me make a plan. They made sure I knew everything was going to be OK.”
She and her three boys were also given a room with beds for each—no more couch surfing.
A case worker helped Williams apply for benefits for her children and for housing. Within two months, she was approved for an apartment.
Through a point-earning program for shelter residents, Williams was able to select new, donated items to help her get started, like “a bigger car seat for my son, [and] a Crock-Pot and pots and pans so I can cook for my family,” she said.
She also received two mattresses through SECC’s Marie’s Blessings Distribution Program “so my kids and I wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor.”
Williams took classes to be credentialed as a Child Development Associate (CDA). This nationally approved recognition “demonstrates competency in early childhood education for those working with children from birth to 5 years old,” Casper later explained to The Criterion. “The CDA credential is a valuable step in early childhood education careers.”
With her CDA, Williams now teaches at Floyd County Head Start, a federal school-readiness program for children up to age 4 from low-income families.
She is also working on earning a commercial driver’s license so she can “drive a little school bus to help the kids get to Head Start that can’t get there” while also adding to her income.
“I have a car to get around in and a nice apartment,” Williams said in closing. “I can provide for my kids and myself without worry.
“St. Elizabeth helped me get a start, and I would not be where I’m at today. They taught me to never give up no matter how hard life gets.”
Williams received the second standing ovation of the evening.
‘Placed in our arms forever’
Alyssa and Cory Cochran are the proud parents of three young children.
But there was a time when such a reality seemed impossible to believe.
“From the beginning, we knew that we wanted to adopt,” Cory told the crowd of nearly 700, with Alyssa by his side. “We knew that we could love any child.”
The couple had also tried to conceive, “but starting a family did not come easy,” he said.
So, the couple sought fertility treatment while seeking to adopt a child through SECC’s Adoption Bridges of Kentuckiana, the only non-profit, licensed adoption agency serving both Kentucky and Indiana.
In March of 2021, one year after completing the necessary home study, the couple received a call from Adoption Bridges saying the couple had a match. The baby was due in June.
In the meantime, they learned that Alyssa was pregnant.
Soon to be the parents of two children, the couple was “ecstatic,” said Cory.
Then came two shocks: the birth mother decided to parent her child, and in August the Cochrans learned that there was a “high chance” their baby would be born with Down syndrome.
Overwhelmed, the Cochrans took a step back from the adoption process.
Oliver was born in December of 2021. He did have Down syndrome—but he “was perfect,” said Alyssa. “He still is. Our hearts were exploding with love we had never imagined.”
Realizing that “having a child with Down syndrome would not change anything about wanting more children or about wanting to adopt,” the couple re-engaged with Adoption Bridges.
In August of 2022, they were matched again, this time with a baby girl a few months older than Oliver.
A few weeks after receiving the call, their excitement once again turned to agony: the birth father had been identified, and he decided to raise his daughter.
Distraught, the Cochrans met with Adoption Bridges’ program director Stephanie Lowery.
“Stephanie acknowledged how difficult and emotionally devastating our adoption journey had been,” Cory said. “But she challenged us to remember why we were there, why we wanted to start this journey in the first place.
“And that reason had never changed. We could love any child, and there was still a child out there somewhere that we would have the chance to love.”
Still, months passed with no potential matches. And the continued fertility treatments had not been successful.
“Oliver had just turned 1, and we started to think he was going to be our only child,” said Cory.
Then, in the spring of 2023, he received a call from Stephanie.
“She explained there was a match—and that’s all I can remember,” he said.
The couple met the birth parents in May.
“We loved them, and we loved this baby,” said Alyssa—despite the couple’s decision to not get their hopes up this time.
On July 3, Atticus Cochran “was placed in our arms forever,” said Cory.
Nearly two years later, the birth parents “continue to be an important part of our lives,” he added.
By “our lives,” Cory was including Hazel May, the daughter the couple learned Alyssa was carrying just six weeks after Atticus was born.
“Watching our three children together, we will stop and stare, remembering when we believed this would never happen, remembering when it all felt impossible,” said Alyssa.
“Remembering that St. Elizabeth’s was with us every step of the way and never stopped believing in what our story could look like if we just kept going.
“Our entire family is here tonight, and they’re better because of Atticus.”
Chairs slid back, and the crowd offered a third standing ovation.
‘Opportunities for hope of a better tomorrow’
During the event, Casper announced that SECC once again “successfully passed our re-accreditation audit that certifies we are following best practices and meeting all of the standards of a quality social service agency.”
He noted that re-accreditation “is not only a box we have to check, but we see it as an opportunity to drive continuous improvement, to improve our quality, efficiency and client satisfaction.”
Funds raised by the gala will help accomplish those goals. Through an advance online auction, live—and lively—bidding at the gala and donations made that evening, the event raised nearly $419,350.
“We remain very proud that 92.1 cents of every dollar from our donors goes directly to services for those in need,” Casper told the crowd.
But, he added, “Non-profit does not mean that we can lose money. Costs of providing services are growing. Costs are rising for utilities, operating supplies, maintenance materials and employee costs.”
In response, said Casper, the agency “successfully worked last year on cost reduction initiatives. Our staff and [advisory] council looked under every rock to save money that will allow us to provide more services.”
Then there is the matter of a decrease in federal funding.
“No matter which side of the political divide you stand on, we all have to acknowledge there is and will be more people in need of help—and certainly less government funds to provide this help,” said Casper.
“Yet I can tell you now, St. Elizabeth will not walk away from this challenge, and we will figure it out with our supporters’ help how we do more with less to meet these growing needs.
“As I often say, St. Elizabeth has always [offered], and continues today to offer, opportunities for hope of a better tomorrow.”
(To learn more about the programs offered by St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities or to donate, go to stecharities.org.) †
