Catholic Charities recognizes three dedicated service award winners

From Nov. 8 to Nov. 12, Catholic Charities of Baltimore is celebrating those who serve. During this weeklong virtual event, the organization is recognizing three individuals who have consistently supported Catholic Charities and served their communities in an unparalleled spirit of giving.

Monsignor Arthur F. Valenzano Joyful Servant Award: Father Raymond Chase

Father Raymond Chase, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul in Baltimore, received the Monsignor Arthur F. Valenzano “Joyful Servant Award” for his work involving social and racial justice. The award honors the spirit of the late rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary who served on the Catholic Charities Board of Trustees until his death in 2015. 

“It’s humbling,” said Father Chase, who began his ministry with Catholic Charities of Baltimore 43 years ago as a deacon at Gallagher Services, formerly the Gallagher Center. “I can only hope I might be able to continue to grow in my priesthood and become like Monsignor Art. I take this more as an inspiration than an accomplishment. I’m still in process.” 

Father Chase has held many roles in the organization throughout the years, and currently serves as chaplain at the Jenkins Senior Living Community near Halethorpe, a campus hosting The Neighborhoods at St. Elizabeth Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Caritas House Assisted Living, St. Ann Adult Day program and two senior apartment communities. 

One of Father Chase’s inspirations has been a man named Larry whose wife was at St. Elizabeth’s with an aggressive form of Alzheimer’s. He and the staff were inspired by the attentiveness he had for her. After she died, Larry continued to come to Mass. He later developed a brain tumor. 

“I watched as his three sons took care of him, and I knew that he had passed on the ability to be present to another human being in a selfless manner and to be meaningful to both persons,” Father Chase said.  

Before he died, Larry gifted Father Chase his first Communion prayer book. 

“This was a proclamation of his life – it was all about communion,” he said. “This is a challenge to me with each resident of St. Elizabeth’s to have communion in mind as a goal and a responsibility. I keep it on my prayer shelf as a continual reminder of Larry.

“For anyone who has worked with Catholic Charities, the bottom line is always that our fundamental role is to be attentive to those who come to us for whatever need they have,” Father Chase added. “They provide us with a path of meaning and a path to fulfillment of our professional lives over and over again.”

Distinguished Service Award: Geri Olsen

Geri Olsen received the Distinguished Service Award for her decades of volunteer work on behalf of the residents and staff of St. Vincent’s Villa in Timonium. St. Vincent’s provides comprehensive residential treatment for children ages 5-14 whose behavioral and emotional needs have not responded to community-based interventions and services.

Olsen, who has volunteered for 27 years with children who have mental health challenges, is the main organizer for St. Vincent’s signature Christmas campaign, “Season of Wonder,” which is now part of Catholic Charities’ “Comfort and Joy” December community gift campaign. Olsen works year-round to ensure that the children, their families and the staff are provided for during the Christmas season and beyond.

“The staff at St. Vincent’s Villa are truly an inspiration,” Olsen said. “They really care about all of the kids. While it is nice to be recognized by this award, it’s a group effort. I don’t do it for the recognition, I do it for the kids, the families and the staff.”

Olsen is also proud that her work throughout the years inspired her family to start its own project, “Gathering Point Giving Circle,” which gives back to St. Vincent’s and other charities throughout the year.

“Nothing warms my heart more than seeing the generations of my family join me in spreading love and kindness to the staff and children at St. Vincent’s Villa,” Olsen said. “As I tell my grandchildren and all of my family and friends, ‘It’s nice to be nice.’”

Anne Lindsay Otenasek Youth Service Award: Karen Sun

Karen Sun, a 2020 Johns Hopkins University public health graduate, received the Anne Lindsay Otenasek Youth Service Award. For almost four years, Sun has volunteered at My Sister’s Place Women’s Center for women and children experiencing homelessness and poverty in Baltimore.

Before the pandemic, Sun was very active in supporting on-site workshops at the center. Throughout COVID-19, her role changed to include coordinating partnerships with other local agencies to provide clients with as many resources as possible, including legal support. 

In addition to caring for clients, Sun gave back to frontline workers by coordinating the delivery of care cards made by fellow Johns Hopkins University students.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve the resilient and kind women of My Sister’s Place who have had the strength to overcome many difficult obstacles in life,” said Sun, 23, in an email. “I am constantly inspired by their courage, dedication, passion and optimism and am forever grateful for their willingness to allow me to be a part of their journey. … I aspire to be a lifelong advocate of social justice to combat inequities and move us forward into a more just society.”

The award is in memory of Anne Lindsey Otenasek, a teen Catholic Charities volunteer who died in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988.

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