CHARLOTTE — Hundreds of people who attended the annual Catholic Charities Vineyard of Hope event Thursday received a charge to live lives of radical generosity from Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of the Catholic Charities USA.
Robinson was special guest and featured speaker for the major annual fundraiser event for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Charlotte, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
She radiated joy when talking about the work of Catholic Charities, both in Charlotte and on the national level.
“Catholic Charities is not just another NGO – we put faith into action and we are an expression of our Catholic faith to those we serve,” Robinson said. “This agency here in Charlotte is a haven of hope for vulnerable people across 46 counties. All of the clients need help, mercy and compassion and they know they can find that at Catholic Charities.
Elected in 2023, she is only the second woman and second layperson to lead the Catholic relief agency. Through a commitment to giving that started in her teens, Robinson has become known both in the U.S. and overseas as an expert in Church-based leadership and philanthropy. Her 2014 book “Imagining Abundance: Fundraising, Philanthropy and a Spiritual Call to Service” has become a go-to resource for workers in nonprofits and faith-based organizations.
Attending the event was also special for Robinson because she has a family connection to Charlotte.
“I’ve visited Charlotte every year for almost my whole life because my mother’s side of the family is from here,” she said.
She recalled a lesson she learned from her grandmother who lives in the area.
“She was always a joyful person and I asked her once her secret to happiness,” Robinson said. “My grandmother quietly said she tried to start each day with a little awe and enthusiasm, and that’s what I feel being in the presence of so many people who work with Catholic Charities.”
Robinson connected the daily work of Catholic Charities staff and volunteers to Christ’s life of radical generosity. She recalled a conversation she had once with friends and family where people were talking about the way they would want to die. While some might think this was a morbid conversation, she said, in fact it proved to be a transformational, spiritual experience.
The most memorable part of it, she said, was a teenager’s wish “to die saving someone else’s life.”
“That response was the only one that was truly Christ-like because it reflected His ministry of generosity for others,” she said.
Examples of radical generosity were also on display through two awards presented at the event.
The 2024 Volunteer of the Year honor went to Peter Fernandez, who began volunteering for Catholic Charities in 2022 after his wife Dina Fernandez was killed by a drunk driver while serving as a volunteer English teacher for the agency’s Refugee Resettlement program. Peter Fernandez has worked to help ensure Catholic Charities’ weekly food distributions run smoothly and has offered interpretation services for Spanish-speaking clients. Fernandez also serves as a mentor in the Refugee Resettlement program and regularly provides transportation for people who can’t attend Mass or make it to the agency’s food pantry.
“I really don’t feel worthy of this honor, and I know there are so many other volunteers who are more deserving,” said Fernandez, whose wife was out for a walk with Afghan refugee Nabilia Rasoul, when both were killed in the crash. “This is something I want to do to honor my wife, and to carry on her legacy of helping others – as she always did.”
The Fruit of the Vine Award went to St. Peter Church’s refugee mentoring ministry, where more than 50 volunteers work with Catholic Charities to help newly arrived refugees in the Charlotte area.
“We are all called to be generous and inspire generosity in others, whether it’s through giving time and attention to others, donating money, or listening to others,” Robinson said. “Every now and then we experience the connection of God’s radical and unalterable love for us, and we can love Him back by showing love to all those He has created.”
— Christina Lee Knauss. Photos by Discover Love Studios
