Every year, the annual dinner brings together friends, board of directors and staff to celebrate a year of service to the community. However, this year was especially significant as the Board of Directors renamed our annual awards after Sr. Maureen Joyce.

The Sr. Maureen Joyce Service Award was presented
to Butterfly Café. The Café serves up to 75 people on Tuesday nights providing hot nutritious meals to all who come. The Sr. Maureen Joyce Community Builder Awards were presented to John Jarvis, Gloria Wojciacyk, Chuck Finin and Peter Enders for their contributions to building up the community of Schoharie County.

This contribution although mandated, frequently instilled a sense of pride within the individual. This results from learning a new skill, working with new people, receiving words of appreciation and sometimes from being offered a job from the worksite. The growth within a community results not only from witnessing these beautification projects but also from the sense of positive change that community members might see within their neighborhood. The end result can be an overall greater appreciation for the valuable service these mandated workers can provide the community.

Community Service Restitution succeeds because of the human value of restorative justice. We have a need to make things right. At Catholic Charities our mission statement speaks about mercy and justice that work in partnership, not isolation. This serves as a constant reminder that every person deserves our care and support to move beyond past faults or failures. A community that does not give up on people who are struggling is a community that has hope in its future! We are grateful for outstanding worksite supervisors who are willing to accept community service workers and for the necessary support received through the referring courts, probation officers and attorneys at the district attorneys office. So to make my point complete, Community Service Restitution is much more than a sentencing option – it is a community building experience.