CLEVELAND – December 5, 2012 – The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio honored Sr. Judith Ann Karam, CSA, president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System, with its 58th Annual Humanitarian Award at an event last night in Cleveland.
The Humanitarian Award recognizes individuals and corporations of outstanding dedication and community service. Selected by the Diversity Center, each recipient has contributed to the improvement of human relations among diverse groups in Northeast Ohio.
"The Diversity Center is dedicated to building communities where all are connected, respected and valued. This vision is truly aligned with the healing mission of the Sisters of Charity Health System to serve all of God's people," said Sr. Judith Ann. "I am so very grateful and humbled to be honored with the Humanitarian Award."
Sr. Judith Ann accepted the award on behalf of the Sisters of Charity Health System, which is the parent organization of five acute care Catholic hospitals, three grantmaking foundations, two assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, and six health and human service outreach organizations in Ohio and South Carolina. She also accepted the award on behalf the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, the founding congregation of the health system and its ministries.
In her remarks, Sr. Judith Ann noted the sisters' legacy of service to build a strong community and a just society, which began in 1851 when the first Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine came to Cleveland from France and became the city's first public health nurses. Among many others, examples of the sisters' efforts to welcome all people include the work of Sr. Ignatia Gavin, CSA with Dr. Bob and Bill W. to establish Alcoholics Anonymous; the sisters' provision of a safe, respectful place for unmarried mothers at DePaul Maternity Home in a different time in society; and the efforts of Sr. Henrietta Gorris, CSA to create one of the first housing development corporations in the midst of the Hough riots in the 1960s.
“Diversity and inclusion is important to the Sisters of Charity Health System and the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine because of our core value of respect for the dignity of the human person, which we so firmly believe in,” said Sr. Miriam Erb, CSA, congregational leader of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine.
Along with her leadership role at the health system, Sr. Judith Ann is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. She has served on the boards of hospitals and health care organizations since 1973. In 1971, she was inducted into the Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society. Her numerous community involvements include serving as a board member of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the Center for Health Affairs. Her past honors include the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor from the State of South Carolina; Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice from Pope Benedict the XVI; Caritas Award from the Diocese of Charleston, SC; Distinguished Service Award from the Ohio Hospital Association; and more.
“In addition to her many accomplishments, Sr. Judith Ann’s leadership and support for creating and sustaining diversity and inclusion efforts across all levels of the health system is inspiring to many,” said Roger Mann, board chair of the Sisters of Charity Health System and retired chairman of the Huntington National Bank’s Greater Akron/Canton Region.
Since 1949, Humanitarian Awards have been presented by the Diversity Center to 75 recipients including Bob Hope, Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, Thomas Vail, Rev. Billy Graham, A.M. Luntz, Hon. Frances P. Bolton, Sam Miller, Congressman Louis Stokes, Bishop Anthony M. Pilla, John Lewis, Robert D. Gries, Carole F. Hoover, Alan D. Rosskamm, Morry Weiss, Henry L. Meyer III, Dolly and Steven Minter, William Summers Jr., Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, Christopher Connor and Robert W. Gillespie.
Last night, the Diversity Center of Northeast also honored Charles D. Fowler, CEO, and William Conway, founder and chairman Emeritus of Fairmount Minerals with the Humanitarian Award, and Jennifer Opphile of RTI International with the American Greetings 2012 LeadDIVERSITY Alumni Award.
The Diversity Center if Northeast Ohio’s mission is to eliminate bias, bigotry and racism.
About the Sisters of Charity Health System
The Sisters of Charity Health System was established in 1982 as the parent corporation for the sponsored ministries of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine in Ohio and South Carolina. The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, since founding in 1851, continues a faith-based legacy of high-quality, compassionate care in partnership with its co-ministers, who are the heart and hands of the ministry.
The Sisters of Charity Health System solely owns four Catholic hospitals: St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio; Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio; and Providence Hospital and Providence Northeast in Columbia, South Carolina. In a 50/50 joint venture with University Hospitals of Cleveland, the Sisters of Charity Health System also co-owns St. John Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio.
The Sisters of Charity Health System also oversees three grantmaking foundations located in Cleveland and Canton, Ohio, and Columbia, South Carolina. Each foundation sponsors significant community initiatives and collaborations that address causes and consequences of poverty.
Other health and human services and education-related organizations within the Sisters of Charity Health System include Joseph’s Home, a unique residential care center for homeless men in Cleveland; Early Childhood Resource Center for people working in childcare in all settings in Canton; Healthy Learners, a health care resource for children from low-income families in South Carolina; and the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, a state-wide organization supporting initiatives to reengage fathers in the lives of their children.
The Sisters of Charity Health System also provides residential elder care services at Regina Health Center in Richfield, Ohio, and Light of Hearts Villa in Bedford, Ohio. Light of Hearts Villa is jointly sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati.
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