By Marie Mulvenna

During 1976, three local programs were the recipients of $6,957.57 in the CHD funding, awarded by the local CHD office. Requests for funding were received by Father J.A. Bollmer, executive director of Catholic Social Services Inc. and chairman of Region 4 of the CHD campaign. The proposals submitted were voted upon following close study of CHD criteria and specifications and the aims of the local programs. The Archdiocese of Atlanta had a total collection, in November 1975, of $20,911 and one fourth of the funding received remained in the archdiocese for local usage.

Total funds requested in the proposals amounted to $13,762. Each proposal was closely scrutinized by the program committee to determine priority rating and efficacy of the proposed project.

Receiving a grant of $1,715 was the Housing Rehabilitation project for the elderly, better known locally as Project Rehab. The Rehab program had requested matching funds for the Atlanta Regional Commission grant. First funded by CHD in 1974, the popular project continues to strive to bring the homes of poor property holders up to local housing code requirements.

The Rehab project has been handled since its inception by the urban affairs unit of Catholic Social Services Inc. Beneficiaries of the Rehab program are usually the elderly poor of Atlanta who cannot afford to update their homes to meet city standards. Most of these people exist on a low, fixed income and are financially unable to assume the task facing them. Volunteer work is the mainstay of the effort, with parishes, congregations, synagogues and schools providing the manpower for the repair work on the homes.

A grant of $3,260.57 was awarded the Stephens County Home Development Services proposal submitted for local CHD funding by Father Ray Horan of Toccoa in Stephens County. Father Hoaran described the nature of the program, explaining that it was for initial funding of a videotape system that would be utilized for the education of the indigent poor of the area.

The programming via the videotape unit will meet health needs, nutritional care, child education and a multitude of other subjects, according to Father Horan. He said the system, although weighing in at about 70 pounds, is still portable enough to get around the area and has already been used at a number of different locations for people of the area.

“This CHD grant has made it possible to get this program off the ground,” he noted. Public health nurses of the county have used the equipment for health and nutritional programs and videotapes from local libraries and colleges will be utilized in future programming. Father Horan said the system works beautifully with both schools and the public broadcasting systems and he sees “limitless possibilities” for its use in the future.

Father Horan related that it could meet many of the needs of the poor of the section and was an excellent educational vehicle. The equipment has already been shared locally with the Presbyterian congregation and other community groups.

Third recipient of a local CHD grant was the Rural Social Services food, clothing, furniture shelter requested by the Adrian Dominican Sisters of the Rural Social Service unit of Catholic Social Services Inc. The grant of $2,000 will be used for materials and electrical work in developing the needed shelter. The shelter will store, house and distribute voluntary supplies of food, clothing and furniture received by the sisters. The sisters have been active in the Cumming area since July of 1975 and provide an outreach service for people of the rural northeast deanery. The area, covering 13 counties, includes seven parishes. The sisters received a CHD grant in 1975 to address the needs of the people of the area, providing advocacy relating to school admissions, medical and legal aid and referral, mental health services and assistance in nutrition and budgeting.

The new CHD grant will enable the team of sisters to house the goods with which they work to serve the many people of the widespread rural area.

Past CHD grants in the archdiocese have been awarded to Camp Hallinan in Athens, St. Paul of the Cross day camp in Atlanta, as well as to a multi purpose assistance center known as the North Fulton Human Services Center.