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PRESS RELEASE –
Rendu Services, Inc., Member Board to Hold First Joint Meeting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 2006
Contact: Susan M. Isola, Director of Public Relations
Phone: 724-836-0406, ext. 613
GREENSBURG, PA – Representatives of the Daughters of Charity of Saint
Vincent de Paul (Northeast Province), the Vincentian Sisters of Charity,
and the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill will hold their first joint
meeting with the staff and board of directors for their collaborative
ministry, Rendu Services, Inc. This meeting will be held at St. John’s
Convent, Uniontown, on November 17.
Representatives of each of the three congregations compose the Member
Board of Rendu Services. Representing the Daughters of Charity will be
Sisters Mary Fran Martin, Rose Logan, and Jane Graves. Representing the
Sisters of Charity will be Sisters Vivien Linkhauer, Joyce Serratore,
and Edith Strong. Representing the Vincentian Sisters of Charity will be
Sisters Charlene Reebel, Michaelette Pavlik, and Rhoda Kay Glunk.
The
meeting will open with a prayer service to mark the formal initiation of
this collaborative effort. Other topics expected to be covered are
expectations of the staff and programming, as well as program
development.
The
three congregations of women religious developed a formal, collaborative
agreement in June 2006 by which they committed to providing personnel
and financial resources to support the programs offered through Rendu
Services.
Rendu
Services, Inc., was initiated by the Daughters of Charity and
incorporated in 2001 in order to provide care for people in need who
live in Fayette county, one of the poorest counties in the United
States.
The
programs offered by Rendu Services include free health screenings and
health education to the community via their health van, a food pantry in
conjunction with Fayette County Community Action Food Bank, youth and
family activities at the local housing projects, and a cooperative
relationship with the staff at the area’s Saint Vincent de Paul store.
Underlying all of these activities is the desire to build relationships
with people most in need in the community in order to assess those
needs, and then provide information and referrals to other supportive
social service agencies.
“Rendu
Services is an entry point to an existing network of social services in
an effort to reduce the economic and social inequality often experienced
by those with inadequate education, unemployment, and who suffer from
discrimination and developmental disabilities,” said Sister Vivien
Linkhauer, SC, provincial superior of the Sister of Charity. “It
provides a means to deal with the social problems caused by loneliness,
family disintegration, and the erosion of neighborhood communities.”
The
staff of Rendu Services is comprised of members from each of the three
congregations. It includes:
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Sister Margaret Tuley, DC – executive director
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Sister Mary Francis Bassick, DC – community outreach coordinator
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Sister Ellen McElroy, DC – case manager
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Sister Sara Geier, VSC – coordinator, parish nurse program/health
van
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Sister Annette Frey, SC – parish nurse program/health van
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Sister Alice O’Connell, VSC – health van and office staff (part
time)
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Sister Mary Philip Aaron, SC – fund development
Through
the collaborative agreement, the three congregations have committed to
providing personnel and supporting the ministry financially. The three
congregations hope to continue the current program offerings with plans
to expand them to include programs on parenting skills, life skills,
teen parenting skills, elder care and emotional support, and additional
youth activities.
Members of the Corporation (standing
left to right): S. Rhoda Kay Glunk, VSC; S. Vivien Linkhauer, SC; S.
Edith Strong, SC; S. Mary Francis Martin, DC;
S. Charlene Reebel, VSC
(seated left to right): S. Rose Logan, DC; S. Michaelette Pavlik, VSC;
S. Joyce Serratore, SC; S. Jane Graves, DC
Board of Directors (standing left to
right): S. Michaelette Pavlik, VSC; Vincent J. Roskovensky, II, Chair;
Melvin E. Henderson; S. Joanne Dress, DC; S. Lyn Dwyer, SC; Monsignor
Raymond E. Riffle
(seated left to right): Melissa B. Miner; S. Margaret Tuley, DC; Lisa A.
Andursky
(Directors absent from this picture: Rodney Mitchell and Dr. Steven D.
Perry
Rendu Services, Inc., Staff (standing
left to right): S. Annette Frey, SC;
S. Margaret Tuley, DC; S. Sara
Geier, VSC
(seated left to right): S. Alice O'Connell, VSC; S. Mary Francis Bassick,
DC;
S. Mary Philip Aaron, SC
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