October 12, 2006 Chicago O'Hare Rotary Club

The October 12, 2006 speaker for the Rotary Club of Chicago O'Hare will be Nancy Pendergrass of the Cathedral Shelter. Please remember that lunch begins at 12:00PM and is held at the Great Escape on Irving Park in Schiller Park, IL.

This is some information on the Cathedral Shelter. www.cathedralshelter.org

"Restoring hope and dignity has been at the heart of Cathedral Shelter of Chicago's mission since the agency was founded in 1915. As a storefront mission to the poor of the Near West Side, Cathedral Shelter—a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago—offered food and hope to the homeless and hungry. Five years later, Canon David Gibson reached out to those suffering from addiction.
Drawing on state-of-the-art recovery theory, Cathedral Shelter constantly seeks new ways to reach out in compassion. In 1953, Cathedral Shelter established itself as a pioneer in addiction treatment when it opened Higgins House, the state's first residential treatment facility for men in recovery and among the first in the nation.
Building on its reputation as a compassionate and effective social innovator, Cathedral Shelter opened Cressey House in 1998, a supportive housing program for individuals and single parents in recovery. The 27-apartment facility is among only a handful of programs in the Midwest that allow homeless women and men to live with their children while continuing addiction treatment. Not only do these men and women remain in recovery, they are supported by literacy, life skills and employment programs that enable them to take the next step toward independence. Located under one roof, the agency's counseling, educational, job preparation and emergency services provide the emotional and spiritual support to help people move beyond poverty and addiction."
"Our Mission is to minister with love and compassion among and with the most vulnerable of our community - particularly those who suffer from addiction - through crisis intervention, addiction recovery, community assistance and life skills development."