Since its beginning in 1968, its main objective has been to serve the poor of Genesee and Orleans Counties. St. Paul's Cathedral's grant will be used for a much needed furniture program, which accepts donations of furniture, matches the furniture with a list of requests and then coordinates the transfer from donors to the needy. Reaching out to the Southern Tier community, St. Paul's allocated funding to Interfaith Caregivers, Inc. providing support to people experiencing grief due to the loss of a loved one. In the past year, over 4,450 refugees have sought shelter, nutrition, medical legal or other needs at Vive, Inc . on the city's East Side. Leaving one's homeland due to war or political and religious persecution leaves a person feeling vulnerable and often hopeless.
Family members feel isolated and stressful since their normal life no longer exists.
In order to assist families, Vive Inc. will use funding made available by the Cathedral to establish an activities and education program. It will provide families an opportunity to acclimate to North American city culture, teach English as a second language, computer classes as well as off-site trips to museums, cultural events and playtime activities for children. The program will allow the opportunity for children to gain a sense of normalcy and provide families an opportunity to interact in their new environment. Visiting a family member suffering with Alzheimer's is difficult because as the illness progresses, recognition, attention and verbal skills deteriorate. Despite the problems in communicating and interacting visitations with family members is important.