Join the Good Shepherd Legacy Society

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Good Shepherd Legacy Society

The Good Shepherd Legacy Society recognizes individuals who have included a gift to Catholic Social Services in their estate plans. You can impact future generations and inspire others in our community by leaving your own legacy gift. Legacy giving is commonly provided through a bequest in a will. Some society members may make charitable trust or gift annuity arrangements. Others have qualified for membership by listing CSSMV as a beneficiary of a portion of a life insurance policy.

In addition to receiving ongoing communications from Catholic Social Services, members of the Good Shepherd Legacy Society are invited to an exclusive dinner each year, where they learn about the agency’s recent challenges and successes, as well as our plans for the future.

For more information about joining the Good Shepherd Legacy Society, please contact Marlena Gantz, Director of Marketing & Development, at 937.223.7217 ext.1167.

Support the Generations Campaign

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Generations Campaign

Our Next Century of Service

We’ve been changing lives for GENERATIONS.


The reason Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley has been a respected and effective service provider for more than 100 years is that we refuse to stand still. We persist in asking what services are most needed and how we can make the most profound impact on those we serve.

With a strategic eye toward our next century of service, our GENERATIONS CAMPAIGN is focused on expanding or improving four significant aspects of our organization.

Our total campaign goal is to raise $10,000,000 over five years, 2021-2025. With your support, we have no doubt that we can meet or exceed that goal.



Featured Testimonial:



See More Testimonials


This five-year comprehensive campaign is inspired by the desire to broaden and enhance our impact as we enter our second century of serving the Miami Valley region.

Our focus is on four key priorities:


Each year from 2021 through 2025, we will increase individual and organizational annual gifts by $100,000. By 2025, our Annual Fund baseline will have grown by $500,000. This increase will have a substantial impact on our day-to-day operations and will provide us with more flexibility to respond to community needs as they arise.

Financial Goal: $1,000,000

Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley (CSSMV) is prioritizing significant investments in three program areas that address unmet needs in the communities they serve.

NEXT STEPS is a partnership between CSSMV and Sinclair Community College, providing case management and emergency financial assistance to students who are most at risk of dropping out of school, enabling them to complete certifications and degree programs to enhance their earning capacity and help the economy of the region. The goal is to serve 120 students per year by 2025.

ECHO (Empowering Children with Hope and Opportunity) is a comprehensive counseling and social emotional learning program designed to remove non-academic barriers to learning for students in grades K-12. CSSMV partners with the University of Dayton to provide this proven model, and funding will enable expansion to additional rural schools in our Northern Counties service area.

LIFE ESSENTIALS provides guardianship for adults whom the Probate Court has deemed mentally incompetent and who don’t have family willing or capable of making sound decisions for them. Campaign funding will expand court-appointed guardianship services into our Northern Counties region.

Financial Goal: $3,700,000

For nearly 50 years, staff and volunteers working at CSSMV’s food pantry and offices at 922 W. Riverview Avenue in Dayton have made the most of a facility that once was the convent of the Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor. Campaign funding will add a loading dock for food delivery, a community space, and a ground floor welcome center, as well as increased accessibility to all three floors of the building via a new elevator.

Artist’s rendering of proposed improvements at 922 W. Riverview Avenue

Financial Goal: $3,300,000

Investing in our greatest asset – our staff – is a key priority of the campaign. CSSMV will invest up to $2,000,000 of realized estate gifts to ensure that funds are available to staff who wish to pursue an undergraduate or advanced degree in their field. An estimated 3% annual interest rate on this investment will provide up to $60,000 per year available for this purpose, helping ensure that our staff can maintain and expand their professional expertise. The fund will also give us a competitive resource for attracting and retaining talented employees.

Financial Goal: $2,000,000



SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN

For more information about the Generations Campaign or to make a gift or pledge, please contact:

Iris Juergens
Director of Development & Marketing
937.223.7217 ext.1142

Donate Needed Items

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Donate Needed Items

Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley accepts donations of certain items needed by our various programs throughout the year. Because we have limited storage space, we do ask that you refer to the lists of items we’re currently accepting as well as following the instructions for where and when to drop off your donations.

If you have other items that you think might be of use to us, please give us a call at 937.223.7217 x2100 or email cssmv@cssmv.org to see if we can accept them.

We appreciate your support!

OUR CURRENT NEEDS


CLOTHING & SEASONAL OUTERWEAR DONATIONS

For clothing and seasonal outerwear, we are fortunate to have a partnership with Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley (GEMV). We need roughly 1,200 outfits each year to meet the needs of our clients, and your donations can earn us Goodwill gift cards. This allows our refugee clients to get clothing items that fit their needs and preferences.

  • You can drop off items at a Goodwill store and then send us your receipt. We submit these to GEMV to be converted to gift cards for our clients to use at a Goodwill store. You can locate a donation site (and a list of items they will accept) on the GEMV website. You can mail your receipt(s) to us at Attn: GEMV Donations, Catholic Social Services, 922 W. Riverview Avenue, Dayton OH 45402.
  • If you believe that your parish could host a clothing drive that would have significant participation, it may be possible for us to coordinate a Sunday drive at your location with a Goodwill donation truck. For more information about this option, please contact our Parish Relations Coordinator at 937.223.7217 ext.1168.

Donations can be dropped off Monday through Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. or Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at Catholic Social Services’ Center for Families, 1046 Brown Street in Dayton.

  • Individually wrapped snacks such as microwave popcorn, goldfish crackers, cookies, raisins, fruit snacks, pretzels and chips
  • Juice boxes
  • Craft supplies such as play-doh, paint, dry erase markers, drawing paper, coloring books, markers, crayons, glue sticks and poster board
  • Board games
  • Card games
  • Puzzles
  • Holiday-themed children’s books
  • Paper towels
  • Clorox wipes
  • Liquid hand soap

Our pantry is currently seeking donations of the following personal hygiene items. We will accept full-size or sample-sized items.

  • Toilet paper
  • Toothpaste
  • Soap (bars or liquid body wash)
  • Lotion
  • Laundry detergent

Donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the pantry, located at 922 W. Riverview Avenue. If you are unable to come during those hours, please call 937.223.7217 ext.1144 to schedule an alternate time.

DIRECTIONS: The pantry entrance faces Orth Avenue, and there is a doorbell/buzzer for you to ring. If you wish to pull your vehicle up in front of the pantry, please note that Orth Avenue is now a one-way street that cannot be accessed directly from Riverview, so you’ll have to go around the block. Turn south onto Middle Street from Riverview, then turn left on Negley, and left on Orth.

We ask that donations NOT be dropped off in the morning while our pantry is in operation, as this diverts the pantry staff from their focus on the clients being served.

If your group would like to host a drive to collect food and/or personal hygiene items for our pantry, we would love to work with you! We do encourage you to contact our pantry floor coordinator in advance at 937.223.7217 ext.1144 to find out if there are specific types of items that would be particularly helpful.

Donate Funds

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Donate Funds

Support our Annual Fund

The Annual Fund is the most convenient and impactful way you can support Catholic Social Services each year. As the primary source of operating funding for programs, services and direct client support, the dollars raised by the Annual Fund allow CSSMV to perform its mission each year.

Thanks to broad community support for the Annual Fund, we were able to serve more than 20,000 of our most vulnerable neighbors last year. With your support, we’ll be just as impactful this year.

There are several ways you can make your gift:


Cash, check or credit card gifts can be made easily through the mail or in person. Our administrative office is located at 922 W. Riverview Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45402. If your preference is to bring your gift in person, our Welcome Center is staffed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays.

We also encourage you to visit our secure online giving portal HERE, where you can make a one-time gift or set up monthly or recurring gifts with a credit card or EFT.

Many employers offer the opportunity to make gifts to CSSMV through payroll or matching gift opportunities. We invite you to ask your employer if there are opportunities for you to support CSSMV in this way.

Are you over 70 1/2 years young? If so, did you know that you can avoid having your IRA distribution count as taxable income by donating it directly to CSSMV? We invite you to consult your financial advisor to learn more about this great opportunity.

In addition to IRA opportunities, CSSMV also accepts gifts of securities, bequests, trusts, retirement plans and life insurance policies.

Donors may make contributions in honor of or in memory of special people in their lives. Gifts will be recognized in writing to both the donor and the recipient or family of the honoree or memorialized individual.

Join the 1921 Society

The 1921 Society was established to honor the generations of leadership supporters who have helped Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley serve our most vulnerable neighbors each year. Named for the year CSSMV was founded, the society recognizes annual contributors who support our work with gifts of $1,000 or more each year.

Most gifts at this level are designated toward our Annual Fund. As the primary source of operating funds for agency programs, services and direct client support, the dollars raised by the Annual Fund significantly impact the agency’s capacity to serve more than 20,000 people each year.

For more information, please contact Marlena Gantz, marketing & development operations manager, at 937.223.7217 ext.1167.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW

Apply for an Internship

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Apply for an Internship

Volunteer

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Volunteer

Looking for a way to put your faith into practice by serving our clients or assisting our staff? Recently retired and have skills to offer? Are you in high school or college and looking for ways to enhance your skills and experience?

We have one-time and group volunteer opportunities, roles that need volunteers on an ongoing basis, and even programs that need volunteers who can commit to helping out every week.


Questions about our volunteer program and opportunities? Call our volunteer coordinator at 937.223.7217 ext.1130.


There are so many people in this community who need help, and when you see the variety of challenges that people are faced with it can be a little overwhelming. But it’s also rewarding to know that you can welcome them in, and you know that they are going to get the help they need.

The beautiful thing about volunteering for Catholic Social Services is that it gives you a chance to live your faith. I have seen how the agency touches people. I feel lucky that I get to share that message with the community.


Prospective volunteers are asked to complete our online application form.

CLICK HERE for the application.

To learn more about how you can help, we invite you to attend a volunteer orientation session. Upcoming dates include:

  • December 12 at 10:00 am
  • December 17 at 4:00 pm

Please contact Aliesha Caldwell at caldwella@cssmv.org for location and registration details, or for additional dates if we’ve passed the listed dates but haven’t yet updated this page.

These materials are part of the orientation process, but you’re welcome to review them in advance. Just click the name of the document to view it as a PDF.



Our Most Urgent Needs


The Volunteer Front Door Admin position at our Center for Families on Brown Street involves managing the entry process for visitors, assisting with check-ins, answering general questions, and ensuring smooth operations at the front desk. Normal building hours are 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday through Thursday and 8:30am to 4:00pm on Fridays, so we’re looking for volunteers who will commit to a regular schedule (a few hours every week) in coordination with our team to ensure that we can maintain coverage. If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, please contact Shay Augustin at 937.223.7217 ext.2110 or email her at augustins@cssmv.org.

Erma’s House Family Visitation Center in Dayton offers a supervised, safe, and neutral environment for children to visit with their non-custodial parents. Volunteer monitors are needed to supervise these visits ON SUNDAY AFTERNOONS. Visitations generally last 1 to 2.5 hours. Must be at least 18 years old. Training provided. For more information, please call Aliesha Caldwell at 937.223.7217 ext.1130.

Erma’s House Family Visitation Center in Dayton is a comfortable, homelike atmosphere that provides a safe, structured, neutral alternative to unsupervised visits so that children of any age may visit with their non-custodial parents. Erma’s House was created to assist families that have difficulty interacting in a non-threatening, appropriate manner, and is structured to provide safety to both the custodial parent and the children. The need for supervised visitation may be due to issues related to divorce or separation, protection/restraining orders between parties, threats, child abuse or neglect issues, safety concerns or other visitation issues where a neutral setting would increase a family’s level of comfort or safety.

In consultation with Visitation Center Coordinators and other program staff, the Sunday Reception Desk Volunteer will be involved in the following tasks:

  • Greet the custodial parents and child/children in the lobby as they enter the building for visitation.
  • Provide a sign-in log sheet for the custodial parent to sign at drop off & pick up of the child/children.
  • Assist visitation monitors in connecting with their assigned family waiting in the lobby.
  • Interact well and appropriately with children to ensure they feel safe and comfortable during the transition of drop off & pick up times.
  • Inform visitation monitors when the custodial parent has arrived for pick-up.
  • Monitor the custodial parking lot by keeping an eye on the CCTV (closed-circuit TV system) camera.
  • Maintain confidentiality of client information.

Time Commitment:

  • Commit to weekly or bi-weekly schedule on Sundays.
  • Sunday hours of operation are 1:00 to 5:00pm. A Sunday Reception Desk Volunteer will work for that full period OR serve a 2-hour shift from 1:00 to 3:00pm.
  • Training will be provided and is required.

For more information, please call CSSMV Volunteer Coordinator Aliesha Caldwell at 937.223.7217 ext.1130.

 

Catholic Social Services has a volunteer driving program to expand transportation options in Auglaize, Champaign, Darke, Logan, Mercer, Preble, and Shelby Counties. We are also in the process of growing the service into Miami, Montgomery, Greene, and Clark Counties. One of the goals of the program is to eliminate gaps in transportation that exist because of the lack of cross-county and region-to-region transport.

This program is focused on transporting individuals to medical and non-medical appointments and to employment. The highest-priority populations are older adults, individuals with disabilities, and low-income populations who don’t have access to other options. The program is meant to allow access for those who need transportation outside of traditional transit hours and who cannot afford the high cost of private providers.

We are currently working to recruit and train additional volunteer drivers. The training includes ODOT Drive training, CPR and First Aid, SafeParish training, and Defensive Driving training. Volunteers provide curb-to-curb transportation, using their personal vehicles to transport within their county and adjoining counties.

Each driver accepted into the program is encouraged to volunteer for at least two round-trip assignments per month. Although the position is volunteer, there is some compensation to account for gas allowances, insurance costs, and vehicle depreciation.

If you’re interested in helping your neighbors by becoming a volunteer driver, please contact Heather Robison for more information at 1.833.289.0227 ext.1195.



Other Volunteer Opportunities


You or your group can help with unloading and restocking food, serving as a personal shopper, or providing curbside service.

If you’re willing to make a longer-term commitment, we also use trained volunteers to assist with the client intake process.

Depending on your interests and skills, you might serve as a mentor to a teen or young adult; become a tutor to help refugees learn and practice English; serve as an interpreter; become a volunteer employment coach; or even help set up a home for a newly arriving refugee family.

If you are a family, group or individual looking for a service project to support our agency, the following are suggestions for short-term, seasonal, or one-time activities. If you have other ideas, we’d love to hear from you. Contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 937.223.7217 ext.1130.

  • Work in the Choice Food Pantry
  • Help set up an apartment for refugee arrivals
  • Disinfect toys at Erma’s House and match game pieces
  • Assist with fundraising events
  • Landscaping – rake leaves, pick up trash, plant flowers and help make our buildings attractive and inviting
  • Hold a donation drive for items needed by one or more of our programs; visit our Donate Needed Items page for wish lists and other information