Diocese contributes to hurricane relief in unique way

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
September 22, 2005

Chancery, Globe and Tribunal staff were given the opportunity to help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

It was proposed by Margaret Fuentes, director of human resources for the diocese, that staff donate paid time off (PTO) hours as a means of helping those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The diocesan offices will send a check to Catholic Charities USA for just under $2,900 from the diocesan staff donations of PTO.

Fuentes noted that as the hurricane aftermath unfolded, she was thinking of ways that people would like to be able to help. The physical distance does not allow some people to help in the way that they would like, she added.

"There are a lot of people that would want to respond by giving money but don't have the means to do that or don't have the cash flow to do that," said Fuentes. "I thought, what do we all have that is of value that somehow we could convert into cash."

She came up with the idea that diocesan staff has vacation time that could be converted into money to donate. She brought the idea to Royce Ranniger, diocesan director of operations, and then he took it to Msgr. Roger Augustine, diocesan administrator, and Msgr. Michael Sernett, chancellor of the diocese, for approval.

According to Fuentes, the monsignors agreed and were supportive of the idea, so Chancery, Globe and Tribunal staff were able to donate PTO hours.

"We thought this would be an opportunity for them to be able to donate some of their PTO hours and that money would then be sent," said Msgr. Sernett. "It was an opportunity for our employees to help in other ways than cash donations."

Fuentes notified staff members the monetary value of a day of vacation. Then staff was allowed to donate eight hours to the cause and signed a form to permit the conversion of their hours into cash.

"I liked the symbolism of that in a couple of ways. Not only could we take it and convert it into cash, if the administrative people here were willing to facilitate that, but also that we would all willingly give a day of vacation time to help those people in anyway that we could," said Fuentes. "It was great that we could fulfill the need of providing cash for this, but at the same point in time give of that potential vacation time, too."

She commented that the hurricane is something that people would not want to see again in terms of the aftermath.

"It just tore your heart out to watch what was happening and just want to reach out through the TV and help these people," said Fuentes. "I don't think any of us expected to see that happening in our own country. I think it is important for us to support all of those efforts in anyway that we can in solidarity."

Fuentes wanted to express her appreciation to everyone "for making this happen because I am really pleased with the response of it."

"We are very grateful to their sacrifice and certainly to their generosity giving up some of that PTO time to help out the victims of Hurricane Katrina," said Msgr. Sernett.

Parishes throughout the diocese have started to send in donations that were taken through offertory collections at Mass. See The Globe for future updates on diocesan contributions to Hurricane Katrina.

(See page 2 for other diocesan Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.)