Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton 2020 annual report showcases collaborations and grants

Monday, March 22, 2021

Tags: Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton , Foundations

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The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton has released its 2020 annual report. With a theme of “On Mission,” the annual report has updates on investments made in 2020. These investments were through foundation-led initiatives, strategic collaborations and responsive efforts.

The annual report showcases multiple stories that demonstrate the impact the foundation is having and the role its community partners have played as the foundation continues to enhance community connections, serve as a community change agent to advocate for the poor and promote innovative strategies to impact the root causes of poverty.

Below is the story of one of the 2020 grant recipients, Pathway Caring for Children.

Read the 2020 annual report here.

Pathway Caring for Children: Doing Whatever it Takes

Each year, Pathway Caring for Children provides foster care, adoption, and mental health services for more than 1,000 children and family members in 14 counties, including Stark. Pathway helps children and families realize the possibilities of their lives by providing school-based counseling, group counseling for adoptive and foster families, trauma-sensitive training for foster and adoptive parents, and wraparound services for foster children.

According to Executive Director Wendy Tracy, Pathway staff worked hard to make sure families could weather the pandemic with the necessary supports in place.

• Children’s visits to their families of origin had to be conducted online in many cases, which required technology and coordination.
• School-based mental health services were provided online and via text, thanks to the state permitting those methods during the pandemic.
• Foster care and mental health clients were able to access online services as well. The need for foster parents has remained steady through the pandemic. Pathway was one of the first agencies that offered Zoom training for prospective foster parents. The entire process—from training and licensing foster parents all the way to placing children—can now be conducted online.

Foster families needed a great deal of support during 2020. Thanks to collaborative community funders, including the Sisters of Charity Foundation and StarkMHAR, Pathway was able to provide technology for remote learning, baby supplies, and even some Christmas gifts for foster children.

Throughout the pandemic, Wendy has prioritized keeping staff members informed as changes occur. Marketing and Fundraising Coordinator Liz Hill says the staff transitioned well to working remotely. Their dedication really shone through; working remotely was just the necessary step that allowed them to continue serving families. As Liz says, “Whatever it takes.”

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System.