ATLANTA--Catholic Social Services, Inc. (CSS) held its first annual meeting and luncheon Tuesday, June 11 at the Atlanta Hilton. The theme of the meeting was "Partnership Matters: Invest in Partnerships that Invest in the Community."

The meeting brought together government, non-profit, and professional and business organizations that work with CSS and the Catholic community to celebrate their joint successes and to plan for future challenges.

At the meeting, CSS honored two key volunteers, Martha Lee Doyle and the late John Edmunds, with the agency's 1996 Henry de Give Award. Doyle has served on the CSS board of directors for nearly 20 years and as chair from 1991-95. Edmunds, who died in September, served as pro-bono lawyer for CSS immigration services for many years. Both award-winners spoke for the voiceless and assessed lifestyles, policies and social institutions in terms of their impact on the poor. Both made significant contributions to CSS in the areas of strategic planning and program development.

Father Fred Kammer, SJ, president of Catholic Charities USA, was the keynote speaker. Father Kammer's message was one of hope. As federal and state governments cut funding even further, non-profit agencies such as CSS are expected to care for the growing number of people who would otherwise fall through the cracks. Though initially overwhelming, this task is not insurmountable, he said. Working in partnership and "making the empowerment of the poor and vulnerable central to our work," solutions will be found, Father Kammer said.

Other speakers at the annual meeting included Archbishop John F. Donoghue, Walter Denero, chair of the CSS board of directors, and Pam Buckmaster, CSS executive director. Yvonne de Wright, producer and host of the Spanish language show, "Latin Atlanta," was mistress of ceremonies.