2010 SOAR! NY Dinner Honorees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC – June 16, 2010 – Sister Francis Raftery and Father Benedict J. Groeschel will be the honorees at the 24th  annual benefit dinner for Support Our Aging Religious (SOAR!).  The dinner will take place at The Union League Club in Manhattan on Wednesday, October 6, 2010  beginning at 6pm.  The dinner benefits the frail and elderly religious through grants for everything from  life saving medical equipment to repair and construction costs.

Sister Francis Raftery will be presented the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Award for her distinguished service to the Catholic community where she inspires and empowers others through education.

Sister Francis Raftery is the president of the College of Saint Elizabeth. Sister Francis is a recipient of the National Catholic Education Association’s Outstanding Educator Award and she served as the chairperson of the Department of Education at the College from 1972 to 1986 and as a faculty member from 1964 to 1986. Sister Francis served as Provencial of the Sisters of Charity of the Western Provence and as a member of the General Council of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth.

Sister Francis Raftery is past president of the New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and has been active in the Teacher Education Roundtable, National Association of State Directors for Teacher Education Certification, National Catholic Education Association, New Jersey Education Association , Morris County Chamber of Commerce, and Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.

Father Groeschel will be presented the Father Victor Yanitelli, SJ Award for his love of God which is reflected in his giving of himself to those in need.

Father Benedict Groeschel is recognized for a number of accomplishments since he became a priest in 1959. He was the chaplain of the Children’s Village, a facility for emotionally disturbed children in Dobbs Ferry, New York. He has taught classes at Fordham University, Iona College and Maryknoll Seminary. He founded the St. Francis House in Brooklyn which is a safe haven for young men looking for a new start. He was requested to direct a program for spiritual development for the Archdiocese where he continues to serve today.

In 1985 he co-founded the Good Counsel Homes for homeless pregnant women and children.  He is the author of more than 30 books and currently hosts a weekly EWTN television program, “Sunday Night Live with Father Benedict Groeschel”.

Dinner tickets: $275
Information and reservations: Peg Zukowski 732.564.9975 or bpzuk@aol.com
Deadline for journal ads September 3, 2010

SOAR! is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to assuring financially stable and personally secure futures for elderly and frail members of Catholic religious congregations in the United States, augmenting the efforts of the institutional Church.

###

For more information, please contact Deborah Hudson Vornbrock at 202.529.7627 or dvornbrock@soar-usa.org

SOAR!
900 Varnum Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017
www.soar-usa.org
202.529.7627