nearly 200 catholic dioceses and archdioceses? and in almost all of them there is a wonderful institution known hello. on behalf of the archdiocese of san francisco, welcome to mosaic. across the nation, there are nearly none to hundred catholic diocese and archdiocese. and there is a wonderful institution known as catholic charities. catholic charities has a long history and a great record of service in san francisco. and more than 150 years of answering the call to help neighbors in need. not only when they have unexpected needs and emergencies, but daily, facing

the chronic and systemic difficulties in which so many in the community, families and individuals, can find themselves trapped. catholic charities of san francisco believes in strengthening families, reducing property, helping young develop, assisting the hungry, assisting the homeless, welcoming refugees and immigrants and making this a bit -- better and safer community. we will find out what are the challenges today. where is the community hurting and how can we be of service to it. to learn about catholic charities, work in the archdiocese and find out how we can help, please re- join us after this brief break. [piano playing slow tune]

announcer: don't wait. communicate. make your emergency plan today. subway announcer: attention travelers! next tuesday, a major power outage will cause complete chaos throughout the city. water, phone and internet service will be in short supply. there will likely be panic citywide.

stand clear of the closing doors, please. narrator: disasters don't plan ahead. you can. talk to your loved ones about how you're going to be ready in an emergency. don't wait. communicate. hello. i want to introduce our guest today. she is the chief executive officer of catholic charities of san francisco. do i have the name right? >> yes. >> it is connected with the archdiocese of san francisco and serves the three counties archdiocese covers. san francisco, san mateo and marin county.

it is a charitable organization. you are the fairly new ceo. why don't you tell us about your career on this job. >> thank you. it is a comprehensive agency. i was raised in the bay area, in san francisco and came to the united states as a child. like many other immigrants we serve today. i was raised here and went to school here and eventually went to the northwest to do my law school degree in the portland area. i made a career in executive leadership and law. now i am here. >> i read some of this. you work in higher education in a legal capacity. do you teach as law? >> very limited. i did serve as the dean of the law school for concordia university portland in boise, idaho. >> i read that you are a graduate of uc berkeley. >> very much a local in that regard. i still have family in the bay area. >> wonderful. you are the chief executive officer of catholic charities

in the archdiocese of san francisco. i looked at the very copious website to see the things. there our identified service areas. maybe you want to tell us a bit about those. >> certainly. we serve the homeless in various ways. we serve aging and disabled adults. we serve refugee and immigrant individuals as well as children. in the homeless areas, we serve an immense amount of beautiful human beings who need shelter, who need love and who need protection, from what is happening on the streets. we have many homeless mothers and babies who are part of the star community as well as other centers that we have. the aging and support services, we have older adults who come to our centers to be among friends and feel nurtured and

companionship. they are just amazing people who just need to be with communities and need to be cared for instead of being at home lonely or without food or safe surroundings. the children that we serve throughout the various programs in the bay area are children who perhaps don't have the same opportunities as the more privileged and our society, who perhaps don't have the beginnings of a great education or the opportunity to access education so they come to us for that access. we provide them with academic nurturing as well as food security and health security at the various sites that we have. and then of course we have residential programs. >> explain those to me. that is housing for the homeless? >> the residential programs that we have are specifically for children who have been traumatized in one way or another.

and perhaps the court systems and the various jurisdictions will place them with us at one of our sites. >> i see. and as i mentioned, we have a large population of homeless individuals who we serve. that is probably among the largest of the program. but the refugee and immigrant services are in high demand right now. we serve over 4000 people in a given year. immigrants who truly are in need, whether they are doctoral recipients -- daca recipients or folks that need help in other ways. and these populations are in great need of our supports and our assistance. >> from time to time in the

socioeconomic picture, the most vulnerable populations seem to change. today, immigrants, homeless people -- there are large populations of such people in san francisco and in this area. >> that is exactly right. what i say is that we actually serve the whole stream of ages. from zero, up to 101, we have one aging adult who is literally 101 years old. she has been coming to one of are centers -- our centers for about 20 years. we celebrate her life and her and the contributions she makes to the community. she also celebrates us for giving her the companionship that she so deserves. and to carry out these complex tasks, you must have a cadre of paid employees. you also have a large cohort of skilled professional volunteers

with professional occupations. >> absolutely. we have over 4000 volunteers. and close to 600 employees who i call angels constantly. these are people that give so much of themselves on a daily basis. some of whom have been working for us for over 30 years. some less of course. they truly give more than what a job description normally suggests. and the volunteers are the same. true angels in the community that value a sense of service to those around them. their neighbors, brothers and sisters. >> let me ask a quick question. how do the people that need catholic charities find the catholic charities? how do you announce that we are here and available? is it marketing or public

relations? >> i think it is all of that. and voices spreading the word. we have been here 110 years. more than anything, it is important that people know we are here. through the parishes. and we serve catholics and non-catholics. >> your services are for catholics and non-catholics. >> and your staff is catholic and non-catholic. >> we serve everyone of all faiths. some of our employees are not catholic. they are of all faiths. different ethnic and racial identities as well. >> very good to know. we will take a brief break. we will come back and talk further about catholic charities today.

hello and welcome back. we are talking with helma

minenez, the chief executive officer of catholic charities in the archdiocese of mosaic -- of san francisco. thank you for being here. the recent disasters, the floods down south and the fires in california -- when you look to see where you can make a donation or help -- among the prime candidates is catholic charities in these areas. catholic charities -- my impression of catholic charities in all areas of this country is that they are sort of prime sterling veteran proven purveyors of charity and good works. is that correct? do you have good standing and the philanthropic community? >> absolutely. and in the social services community.

we are accredited -- just recently received expedited accreditation by the council of accreditation suggesting that we are a national model for human services throughout the three counties for sure. we have provided -- as i mentioned, a lot of services for children and homeless and aging adults and refugees. we also provide services to populations that you may not think are vulnerable but they are vulnerable. >> tell us about that. if you are a model for this kind of work, there would be innovation involved on your part, right? >> exactly. the innovation comes with the empowerment of children and starts with the empowerment of children. the cyo camp -- which populates during the summer and school year, welcomes children of all socioeconomic classes

and communities throughout the bay area. providing them with enrichment programs and development programs at the camp. they come from catholic schools and public schools throughout the region. not necessarily just under -- underserved populations but also socioeconomic classes. the children are vulnerable regardless of where they come from. >> i read some statistics about that, how many thousands of children take part, how many thousands of recreational and sports activities and learning and enriching things. >> the cyo athletics is an athletic program serving about 13,000 children throughout the region. it is an example of that. >> cyo stands for catholic youth organization.

i grew up in the east bay. i was in cyo in the 1950s. very good organization. you are considered a model because you hit the right notes as a charitable organization, low overhead, good disbursement? >> very good overhead. we operate in a very thin margin. we do receive some government contracts. they are not normally sufficient to cover all of the expenses. and we have private donations. what i am seeking in the next five years for sure and in the short run, is more partnerships from corporations and businesses. given a big divide between the wealthy and the poor -- the fact that one might drive the other, we think that we are all accountable and hope that businesses and corporations take some of that accountability. >> do you have a five-year

strategic plan? >> we are currently reproducing our most current strategic plan, absolutely. that is a very big part of it. the opportunity to partner with businesses and help them become more accountable. >> i am not an economist or sociologist. but it seems that there is a huge bundle of wealth and success in the bay area where the archdiocese is. a lot of corporations are doing very well. a lot of people doing very well. many people are not doing well and descending. the middle class is in a fragile position. does that jive with what catholic charities sees? >> that is right. the corporate responsibility is more important than ever. because that wealth, particularly from large business, is driving the middle

class to the poor part of the spectrum. we have an increasing amount of poverty. the poverty i am talking about are not just the homeless that you see on the street. but they are the teachers and librarians and others who traditionally were middle- class. and are now being driven to the poor. >> i see newspaper stories -- highest median home price in the country in this area -- lowest population of minor children in san francisco -- so a strange situation. and you feel that catholic charities could appeal to the people that have the money and the people who understand what an investment in the community might be. and you can tell them what kind of return on their investment they might get straight from the community. >> absolutely. just like a pack -- a taxpayer pays taxes, i believe social responsibility is essential.

corporations can take part in this investment in our community because it does affect them. eventually, it might affect some of their own employees are families. if our community is not driving the way it should be because the poor are getting more poor, i believe corporations can invest and take ownership in some of our programs. not just giving financially, but perhaps investing in the organizational structures, with their ideas and own resources. whether it is marketing or volunteering. >> they should be able to. these companies are innovative, creative and are great marketers. >> that is right

. >> i would listen to you if i owned one of those companies. >> we will take a brief break and we will be back more to talk more about catholic charities in the archdiocese. course

welcome back to mosaic. we are talking with helma minenez of catholic charities. you just told us about a vision of engaging bay area corporations, businesses, entrepreneurs and so forth in the catholic charities.

they have talent. they have creativity and innovation -- innovative skills. i'm sure they could be of help. i am not a businessman myself but i went to your website. there were massive amounts of good information on the return on investment for catholic charities. the impact of the programs. it seems that you spend a good deal of time studying the impact of the program and assessing what works and figuring out what doesn't work. it was cut -- quite impressive impressive. >> we do have a tremendous return on investments. i will give you an example. when a mother is homeless and comes to one of our shelters and delivers her baby, the last thing you want is to put her back on the street with the baby. the return on the investment is that we empower that woman by providing her with the resources -- the access to the training and workforce she otherwise would not have. at the same time, nurturing the child so the baby has a good

beginning. if the whole family is taken care of in that way, with feud security -- food security, shelter and education, then that person can empower herself to be self sustainable. that is an investment in the future and the future of the community. not just an investment in that child and that mother. >> the typical attitude i think of a charitable minded person is -- i will give a big donation and somebody will take care of it. but you are talking about understanding -- that i have a relationship with the people that are vulnerable. something i have to reconfigure in my own life. >> it is something we have to reconfigure. we can all be vulnerable at some point in our labs. no matter how rich or poor. therefore, we need to have empathy for those around us who are perhaps very vulnerable today. including the ceos of major

corporations who will someday age and to be lonely. and the more empathy they have for those today who are in need or calling out for their assistance, the better they will be as well for their future and their children will be. >> that makes a lot of sense. let me quote something i saw in a newspaper article where you said, as the ceo of catholic charities, you want to rebrand catholic charities and persuade people that they are joining a cause and not just helping others. and a quote okay we have to demonstrate that an investment in catholic charities is not just for the poor or vulnerable person, but for themselves, their children and the community as well" that is your statement. >> that is right. that is an example of what i would hope others would understand. it is a cause we must all hold tight and perform on. regardless of where we are in

our personal socioeconomic status or careers, it is a cause to help those who have less then us or who are more vulnerable. we need to unite as a community. that is part of the cost. the divisions that exist today are too extreme and are bringing us further apart and causing the harms constantly. >> so divisions are political -- the main ones that i see on the front page every day. political divisions. is that right? >> i would suggest they are more than political. perhaps the political divisions are causing the divisions on a daily basis for everyone. the division includes -- not wanting to help folks because of their color or because of where they were born or possibly where they are sleeping today. we should be uniting with those

individuals and having the empathy required of all of us as human beings, to bring them along with us. >> i agree with you. and might be quoting jesus christ himself when he said, do this for the leased of your brother in. and they are your brother and if you don't do it for them, you did not do it for me. >> you said you want to persuade the broader community. not just catholics but others to take part in this effort. >> that is correct. they have to take part in this effort and join us cause so that they do it for all. and it will affect them personally when they do something right for another human being and it will affect them from a business perspective. the community's economic stability. when their aren't as many vulnerable populations living on the street, for example.

it affects a coffee shop when a homeless person is sleeping right outside of their door. >> and the cure is not to shift the homeless person somewhere else but to empower the homeless person to do the best that he or she can. >> exactly. just like the mother with the baby. so she can work in the coffee shop instead of having to sleep outside. >> that is true. we see dramatic representations of that. we have about one minute left. let me ask you to give the viewers some action items. what can they do? >> they can join the cause and reach out to us. find a way to partner with us to help or assist these communities who are vulnerable and some that are less vulnerable than others. all the communities we support. from zero, to over 100.

someday, it will affect them personally if it is not affecting them now. >> thank you for opening our eyes and for visiting with us. very nice talking to you. we welcome helma minenez to mosaic. thank you for watching.

captioning made possible by johnson & johnson, where quality products for the american family have been a tradition for generations >> pauley: good morning. i'm jane pauley and this is "sunday morning." we've just wrapped up a week in which california joined the ranks of states that have legalized recreational marijuana. it was also the week that attorney general jeff sessions gave a green light to u.s. attorneys to enforce federal marijuana laws in those very same states.