Catholic Charities of Arkansas is one of those organizations which offer the desperate a glimmer of hope. Helping those in need and giving money to the poor, this organization is known as the temple of ruth and kindness.
Like any other Christian organization attempting to help the people within its reach, Catholic Charities of Arkansas has its own mission and a proud history.
To start with, the organization’s mission is “ rooted in the challenge of the Gospel: to serve with dignity and respect persons who are poor or marginalized; to advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable; and to actively promote charity, justice and the sanctity of life in the Church and in the community” ( Catholic Charities of Arkansas, 2010).
As for the organization history, it is worth mentioning that the Arkansas organization has been out there for quite a long time – it has been 168 years since the first pauper knocked on the door of Catholic Charities of Arkansas.
As the organization itself claims, “For 168 years, faithful Catholics, priests, religious, deacons, and many co-workers have extended the mission of the Church across our state” (Catholic Charities of Arkansas, 2010).
However, these are not only the issues of poverty that the organization deals with. Along with helping the people in need, Catholic Charities of Arkansas has been enlightening people about the key concepts of the Catholic faith and the Catholic vision of the Christian religion.
Quite obviously, this relatively small organization is a private one. However, it still manages to hold up among the rest of the Christian organizations of even greater scale.
Catholic Charities of Arkansas is an informal organization that exists within the realm of the Catholic Charities structure. However, despite being one of the many, Catholic Charities of Arkansas still handles the organizational issues completely on its own.
Despite the fact that the organization is a truly friendly place, it does not disclose its policy towards different ethnicities and cultures, as well as numerous controversial issues.
Therefore, it is rather complicated to find out whether Catholic Charities of Arkansas willingly accepts such things as, say, gay marriage, or whether they have a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy. As for the money issues, one must admit that the organization offers sufficient help:
CCHD makes a limited number of small grants to provide financial assistance to organizations whose efforts are aimed at serving the needs of low-income people. […] Applications are accepted regardless of religious denomination. Grants between $200 and $2000 are awarded. (Catholic Charities of Arkansas, 2010)
It is also quite obvious that the given organization does take part in lobbying activities. Offering a lot of ideas on how to improve the common good and suggesting their ways to fix the existing problems, the organization has proven that its lobbying group is extremely efficient:
Therefore, the Diocese of Little Rock Advocacy Team lobbies for the Church’s teachings on the following issues during Arkansas’ general assemblies: health care, education, immigration, domestic violence, guns, abortion, adoption, prisons and other social, economic and life-related issues. (Catholic Charities of Arkansas, 2010)
It seems that the key strength of the company is its certainty in doing the right thing. In addition, Catholic Charities of Arkansas seems to be updated on the most recent events in Arkansas social life, which makes their help even more efficient.
Reference List
Catholic Charities of Arkansas (2010). Web.