Open hands and hearts support neighbors as they grow older
In North Miami, FL Sr. Frances McCabe, a registered nurse, guides the staff and volunteers who work at Bon Secours Project Good Help, a program started by the Sisters of Bon Secours in 1990 to help people in that community who are 60 and older tackle the many challenges that each of us face as we age.

With offices located in two local churches, the staff and volunteers of Project Good Help lend a hand and a listening ear to seniors of any faith, visiting those who are homebound and providing them with rides so they can join with other older people in their community for a twice weekly meal provided through Catholic Charities and gatherings where Sr. Frances and her staff help those who attend to connect with the social services they need.

The community includes immigrants from Haiti and other areas in the Caribbean, the Philippines, and Central and South America.The staff teaches much needed skills including writing in English, how to deal with immigration issues, finding safe, affordable housing, applying for food stamps, and citizenship studies. In fact, 33 people who have come to Project Good Help over the years have passed the government citizenship test and become U.S. citizens, which provides access to many important government benefits and services.

"When older members of our community get out of the hospital, a social worker calls and lets us know. We go to the person and find out what kind of support would help them, then work to get them the services they need," Sr. Frances explains.

"They don't want to give up their independence. They want to stay in their homes and in the community where they feel comfortable and people speak their language, something that's difficult to find in most nursing homes. Our goal is to do all we can to help them maintain their independence."

The skills Sr. Frances built in her many years as a nurse are also put to good use at Project Good Help. She visits the elderly in the community to check on their physical and psychological well being and does medication reviews to make sure people are not taking medicines that could result in a dangerous interaction. She also offers spiritual and emotional support, noting, "Many of these people have outlived their children and they have no family support. We try to keep them from feeling so lonely and cut off from the rest of the world by visiting and bringing them out into the community to share a meal and spend time with their neighbors."

Sr. Frances lives in the community where she works, sharing her home with Sr. Angela Neville, who even though she is retired, comes and lends a hand at Project Good Help twice a week. "I enjoy providing people with hands-on care because you get to see results right away," Sr. Frances says. "This is hard work, fighting with the government bureaucracy to help the older members of our community, but people never forget you or what you did on their behalf. And our work fits right into the mission of the Sisters of Bon Secours as we care for the frail elderly who are poor and quite often forgotten. We try to find for them the services and support that will improve their quality of life."

If you feel a call to be part of the struggle for a just world and to help the people most in need, Sr. Frances suggests you talk with the Sisters of Bon Secours and come see our work and life first hand.

A commitment to help children grow in mind and spirit
Though Sr. Anna Mae Crane started her working life as a nurse, she discovered her real passion about 14 years ago when she earned her Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland. The focus of her studies was community organizing, work she had felt more and more drawn to since she first became a Sister of Bon Secours 30 years ago.

"As part of my coursework, I had the chance to do an internship at Echo House in Baltimore, an outpatient center were we worked with people of all ages dealing with substance abuse. I taught life skills like how to keep your home clean," she remembers. While doing that work, she discovered that in addition to learning essential skills, the people needed a place where they could receive rehabilitation for addiction to drugs and alcohol. "That's when I learned it's important to go into the community and find out what the people really need if you want to solve problems and bring about change," Sr. Anna Mae adds.

When she graduated with her Masters degree, she moved to Arizona, where she worked with local parishes and elected leaders in the region. Her goal was to help both government officials and community members to understand they had the power to act on their own behalf to change programs, policies, and systems that had an impact on the lives of families.

For the past 10 years, Sr. Anna Mae has lived and worked in Portsmouth, VA, running the Jeremiah Project in partnership with other community-based groups and local churches and synagogues. The after school program provides tutoring, mentoring, and a hot meal for over 40 at risk elementary school students.

"The Jeremiah Project developed through conversations with members of local churches. It is a real grass roots program, shaped by the needs of the families in our community," she explains. "Through this collaborative effort, we're taking a holistic approach to solving social ills.

In Richmond, bringing healthcare to the poorest
In the 1970's, the Sisters of Bon Secours' first mobile health van hit the road bringing much need care to those in economically hard hit urban and rural communities. That work continues today with the Care-A-Van. Launched in 1994 as a mobile health unit to provide immunizations, the Care-A-Van today provides urgent and primary care, as well as health screenings, school physicals, and immunizations, all at no cost to the uninsured. A mammography van and dental care van are also in development.

In 2004, the Care-A-Van served 10,197 patients and enrolled nearly 350 children in state health insurance programs. In response to the diversity in the Care-A-Van's patient population served— its patients speak a variety of 45 languages— the Care-A-Van includes a multi-disciplinary team of 35 medical staff, translators, social workers, outreach workers, physicians, nurses and technicians, many of whom are bilingual. Nearly 60% of patients are refugees or immigrants, who often face financial, transportation and language barriers, often preventing them from receiving needed health services from physician offices or area hospitals.

Currently, the Care-A-Van visits neighborhoods in greatest need for medical services throughout the City of Richmond and the counties of Henrico, Hanover and Chesterfield. Thanks to a grant from the local Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, a second van will be added in near future. Once the second Care-A-Van arrives in fall 2005, the service area will expand to include the cities of Colonial Heights and Petersburg, and the counties of Charles City, Caroline, Amelia and Powhatan.

"As the number of uninsured people continues to grow, we're seeing 'the new poor,' people who are at a loss where to go when they need help," explains Eletta Hansen, Administrative Director, Community Health Services, Bon Secours Health System Richmond. "The sisters' commitment to serving this community continues to grow allowing us to go where we are most needed. This is true mission work and it makes your heart feel good."

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