Community Chest Recipient Thanks SCA for ‘Miracles’
Thursday, March 22, 2018
by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer
“You are a part of every miracle,” Blue Monarch Development Coordinator Kate Cataldo told Sewanee Civic Association members at the March 14 meeting. “Thank you for saying, ‘yes.’”
A residential addiction recovery program for mothers and their children, Blue Monarch is among the 30 groups and organizations slated to receive Community Chest funding in the 2017–18 grant cycle. The Community Chest provides financial support for projects and programs that improve the quality of life in Sewanee and the surrounding vicinity.
The Blue Monarch addiction recovery program is “very niche because we recover the entire family,” Cataldo said.
With a goal of breaking and destroying the cycle of poverty, abuse and addiction “for not just moms, but their children as well,” the Blue Monarch program recognizes that most women come to them from “generations of abuse and addiction.” Many were sexually abused as children and taught to use drugs by age 11.
The mothers participate in hands-on parenting classes, a job readiness course, and other life-skill activities as well as academic course work. “Education is very important to us,” Cataldo said. “We help them accomplish their goal, whatever it is.” Some women receive their GED, while others study to become LPNs or pursue a bachelor’s degree.
The daughter of one Blue Monarch mother remembers learning to play the piano there. The birthday wish of an eight-year-old boy now living in Memphis was to visit Blue Monarch, his home when he was three.
“Because of the family dynamic, Blue Monarch feels like a home, not a hospital,” Cataldo stressed. The program has served more than 700 women and children with a waiting list of 80 applicants. At the present, Blue Monarch can serve 16 families, but they hope to expand to 24. They recently added four resident cottages so women who have completed the program can continue to live on the Blue Monarch campus as they transition back into independent living.
Blue Monarch is among a long list of Community Chest recipients who receive funding every year. “We wouldn’t exist without you,” Cataldo said.
SCA secretary Megan Roberts encouraged community residents who haven’t yet donated this year to make a contribution. The organization has raised 61 percent of this year’s goal. “In the past, we’ve been very close to reaching our goal by now,” Roberts said.
Make a donation with Pay Pal by visiting sewaneecivic.wordpress.com or mail donations to P.O. Box 99, Sewanee, TN 37375.
The SCA has also been a leader in maintaining and refurbishing community parks, Elliott Park a recent success story, with the Sewanee Ballpark the focus of current efforts. SCA Parks Committee Chair Stephen Burnett said negotiations are underway with the University to establish a Parks Commission to oversee upkeep and maintenance of community parks.
The SCA is seeking nominations for the offices of president and vice president. Those interested in serving or who want to make a nomination should contact Roberts at mgrobert@sewanee.edu. At the final meeting of the year on April 18, the SCA will elect officers and present the Community Service Award.