Giving Tuesday a Great Success!

The Caritas Dining Room at Mount Carmel, Dubuque, Iowa, is the hub of socialization for our resident Sisters of Charity, BVM. There, they experience the daily blessings of good food and warm companionship. There, sisters chat during meals, host friends and family, and enjoy special community events.

“Since I’ve been here at Mount Carmel,” says Dining Services Coordinator Laurie Noel, “the staff and I have been concerned about the safety of the sisters as the dining room chairs have deteriorated over the years. They don’t slide easily, or provide leverage to assist sisters in getting up out of the chairs.”

We are grateful for and blessed by your contributions on #GivingTuesday (https://www.bvmsisters.org/support-our-mission/online-donations/), Nov. 28!

The BVM sisters received $53,735 from 276 donors, which will help in the purchase of 250 new chairs for the Caritas Dining Room, providing safety, support and comfort for our sisters. We were also blessed to be awarded a $25,000 grant from the Robert and Kathryn Schwemley Foundation.

The current chairs are 20 years old and many can no longer be reglued, reconditioned or repaired. New, stackable chairs will feature durable frames with longer arms for ease in getting in and out of them. Chair backs will be shorter to keep from tipping over when moved backward, and chair feet will slide more easily. Current chairs that are still usable will replace the chairs in the sisters’ smaller dining room in Marian Hall.

“The sisters are very excited about the new chairs,” says Sarah Rentz, Mount Carmel administrator. “They appreciate being involved by indicating their own individual preferences on style, comfort and ease of use. I am as excited as the sisters are to see the end result!”

Laurie adds, “The sisters were great participants in the whole process and the dining staff enjoyed watching them select the chair design that was ‘just right.’”

The Sisters of Charity, BVM are grateful for your support this year, helping to improve the quality of our sisters’ lives with safe and comfortable dining chairs. We thank you, as well, for your past participation in #GivingTuesday.

See what our sisters have to say! Watch the video: