The Franciscan St. Margaret Health-Dyer and Hammond program has been in existence since 1986. It was founded by the Director of Social Services John Bogaslowski. Originally it was started as a program to help patients and their families who were struggling. After several years the program expanded to the needs of the community. WIC (Women, Infants and Children) organization became the primary source of where we received our recipients.
Departments within our facility are asked on a voluntary basis to adopt a family. These departments are given a questionnaire that the family fills out (wish list) and they shop from the list. They also buy food/certificate for a Christmas meal. This is all possible by the generosity of contributions from the employees of these departments.
We also have outside sources that extend their generosity to adopt families.
They are Citizens Bank, Hyre Electric, South Shore visitation center, Kindred hospital. This year Rick Smith and his crew from Nipsco also adopted
5 families and 1 senior citizen. We also have departments that adopt the Highland nursing home, St. Monica Home, St. Francis Center and the Carmelite Home in East Chicago.
Every year there is a program which we refer to as the blessing held at the North and South Campus. This is a send- off for all the people who participate in the program. There is music and cheerful singing. Then the blessing of the gifts is given by a person of clergy. Every year there is a theme that we base our program on. This year it is “Open your heart to life.” Past reflections have been: 2010: “Measure of Love”, 2011: “The Light” and 2012 “Faith”. Immediately after the program the gifts are delivered to the families.
Each family is notified by the coordinators by letter and phone communication to notify them of being adopted. The departments also have communication with their families in case there is something that they are in need of that was not on the list.
The adopt a family program was originally sponsored by the C.A.R.E.
committee. In the year 1999 the C.A.R.E. committee merged with the Christian Values committee which is now referred to as the Mission Integration Committee. This committee now sponsors the Adopt-a-family program amongst all its other community activities.
Please consider attending.
