For Immediate Release:
November 13, 2009

Contact:  Roger Conner
(703) 236-6218

 

"Power Against Poverty" Evening Launches 2010 Centennial for Catholic Charities USA

Cardinal McCarrick to be Honored and AmericanPoverty.org Photo Gallery to Premiere at Newseum Event

Alexandria, VA—Catholic Charities USA, one of the leading social services organizations in the United States with more than 170 member agencies nationwide, launches its 2010 Centennial with “Power Against Poverty”—a Gallery Reception on Thursday, November 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Newseum in Washington, DC.

The event will honor Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, as the first recipient of Catholic Charities’ Centennial Medal, and showcase the premiere of “AmericanPoverty.org”—a visual portrayal of poverty in America by a team of award-winning photojournalists led by Steve Liss, the veteran Time Magazine photographer.

Underwritten by Chevy Chase Bank, a division of Capital One, N.A. to support Catholic Charities USA’s Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America and recognize the organization’s 100 years of service, the evening will be hosted by Rev. Larry Snyder, President and CEO of CCUSA and a member of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

“This is a very special, one-of-a-kind evening for us as we officially begin recognition of our 100 years of service and mark our renewed commitment to the reduction of poverty in America,” said Fr. Snyder. “We welcome and thank the broad cross-section of government, corporate, foundation and religious leaders who will join us for the beginning of our Centennial, with a very special thanks to Chevy Chase Bank for helping underwrite the evening.”

In addition to guests witnessing Cardinal McCarrick receive the first of 100 Centennial Medals that will be awarded by Catholic Charities USA to various individuals through-out 2010, everyone will experience the stunning and sobering photographs of AmericanPoverty.org—a moving tableau that captures the feelings and the faces of poverty from all across urban and rural America. Steve Liss, Danny Wilcox Frazier, and other world-class photographers will be on hand to host and discuss their contribution to the collection of work.

Catholic Charities USA will host a series of Centennial Summits during 2010 to engage every region of the country in the discussion of cutting poverty in half by 2020. The sessions—slated for San Antonio, San Jose, Atlanta, Albany, Nashville, Cleveland, Chicago, and Newark—will bring thought-leaders and all faiths together to set a stronger mandate to reduce poverty in the U.S. September 25 to 28, 2010 will mark the culmination of the year’s Centennial activities with the convening of Catholic Charities USA’s final Centennial Summit and milestone Annual Gathering in Washington, DC.

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