Sign of Hope draws closer to objective

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

As of Dec. 21, three days after Sign of Hope's official closing date, the campaign was at 83 per cent of its $1.3 million goal.

But CSS officials are confident they will reach their objective, and maybe even surpass it, as the agency will continue to accept donations until the end of December.

"As long as people will contribute as they have done in the past, I am confident that we'll meet our goal," said CSS spokesperson Marc Barylo.

"There is still a significant amount of money to come in yet" from parishes, the corporate sector and the general public.

Laura Kugler, of CSS' development and community relations, said donations from the general public are still coming in and that volunteers continue the fundraising effort within the corporate sector.

As well, many parishes are yet to hand in the funds they raised in special collections earlier in the campaign. When they do, the current figure will grow significantly, Kugler said. "We are optimistic at this point that we will reach our goal."

The final tally is not expected until the first week of January. The campaign has never failed to meet its goal since it began in 1984.

"If you haven't sent in your donation yet, please send it now, before Dec. 31," Barylo stressed.

Monies from Sign of Hope go to support the 119 programs operated by Catholic Social Services in Edmonton and central Alberta. Programs range from safe houses for street kids to settlement counselling for new immigrants.

Ninety-one per cent of each dollar donated to the Sign of Hope campaign goes to the programs.

Relying heavily on the money from this year's campaign will be CSS' Elderly Adult Resource Services (EARS), a program that offers risk assessment, counselling and referral services to elderly adults in abusive situations.

Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 -- Western Catholic Reporter