Members of a national society are walking this fall to raise funds for the less fortunate. WNIJ’s Yvonne Boose talks with representatives from the Rockford area.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has about 800,000 members across hundreds of countries. This organization is dedicated to helping those in need. Each year it does a “Friends of the Poor Walk.”
Laura Ortiz is the Rockford Diocesan Council president. She said the organization can help in a lot of ways that most social service agencies can’t.
“We're not restricted by income guidelines, or they can only help with certain situations,” Ortiz said. “So, you know, if someone needs to pay for a license and car registration, or maybe they need some tires for their vehicle so they can get to work.”
Ortiz said the five conferences in Rockford are coming together for the walk.
"A conference is a local parish-based group, but we are all part of the same St Vincent de Paul organization," she said. "So, we have our St. Rita Rockford Conference, our Cathedral of St. Peter Conference, Holy Family conference, St. James Conference and St. Bridget Conference that come together to host this event."
Stanley Owens is a member of the Holy Family Rockford conference affiliated with the organization. He said an effective way to increase funds is for people to get their friends involved.
“That's one of many,” he added, “others just, maybe can't walk, but they become what we call a ‘spirit walker,’ where they will donate money to the to the cause, and we acknowledge their efforts on a poster board at the walk.”
Ortiz said one purpose of the walk is to increase awareness about poverty issues and to get other community organizations to think about what they can do to assist.
“I think really together,” she said, “we can make miracles happen for someone who realizes that their best efforts are really not going to be enough to provide for their family and they need a miracle, and we can be that miracle for them.”
Ortiz said last year the conferences in Winnebago County gave out $300,000 last year. This money came from other fundraising campaigns within the parishes, including the walk.
"But throughout our Rockford Diocesan Council, which encompasses 11 counties in Illinois, we gave under just $3 million of assistance last year. So, and we helped over 15,000 individuals."
Walks will also take place in other northern Illinois cities. Some include DeKalb, Batavia, and Oswego.
This Rockford area stroll takes place September 21st at the Rock River Recreational Path. It also includes a celebration mass at the YMCA of Rock River Valley. Money raised will be used to support those in Winnebago County. To register or find out more information visit ssvpusa.org. Participants can also sign-up at the walk.
