Catholic Community Services of Northern Utah to host annual Dream Builder's Breakfast

Friday, Mar. 20, 2020

OGDEN – Catholic Community Services of Northern Utah will celebrate people who are making a difference in the lives of those most in need at the 2020 Dream Builder’s Breakfast, scheduled for April 22.

This year, three awards will be given: the Humanitarian Award to Father Charles Cummings, chaplain of the Weber State University Newman Center; the Community Partner Award to McKay-Dee Hospital; and the Community Advocate Award to St. Joseph parishioners Tony and Diana Hanebrink. 

Fr. Cummins “has been an amazing part of our community in northern Utah for 47 years.   There is no one, of any faith, who doesn’t know and love him,” said Maresha Bosgieter, director of CCS of Northern Utah.

Fr. Cummins helps organize the annual Thanksgiving Day Run at Ogden Regional Medical Center every year, “which raises thousands of dollars and pounds of food to help the hungry in our community,” she said. He also serves as an unofficial minister to the students at St. Joseph Catholic Schools.

“He has such a spirit about him, and he truly teaches everyone in our community about humility and service to others. He’s also amazingly approachable, and he has a way of touching everyone he comes into contact with in some way,” Bosgieter said.

 McKay-Dee Hospital “is a great partner, both to CCS and our entire community. There doesn’t seem to be an event in the area they aren’t involved in supporting,” she said.

Hospital personnel volunteer at CCS’ Bridging the Gap program, “helping us feed elementary students for the weekend, and during the government shutdown last January, they actually pledged to give us a check each week to purchase meat, milk, eggs and other perishable items to keep our pantry afloat,” she said. “One of their employees even picks up fresh produce from her friends and neighbors every week during the summer to bring in for our clients.” 

Currently the hospital is part of the The Alliance for the Determinants of Health project, with SelectHealth putting $3 million into both the Ogden and St. George communities “to help address the needs and improve the health of the Medicaid population in those areas. They have community health workers that are meeting with people to address all of their needs, including food insecurity,” Bosgieter said.

The recipients of the Community Advocate Award, Tony and Diana Hanebrink, have been involved with CCS of Northern Utah for seven years, Bosgieter said. In addition to running their parish’s RCIA program, they “serve donuts and coffee between services to raise money to assemble Pantry Packs every quarter for CCS to feed low-income students over the weekend, and head up all the donation drives for food, backpacks and school supplies, etc.,” she said.

 In addition, the Hanebrinks drive to the Hill Air Force Base Commissary a couple of times each month to pick up food donations for CCS, and “they organize a volunteer group every year to help us at the Mt. Ogden Post Office for the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive,” Bosgieter said, adding that, when she told them they were this year’s award recipients, “they kept putting me off and saying, ‘But there are so many others who do more.’ I can’t say I possibly agree with that statement any less.”

Those who attend the Dream Builder’s Breakfast will have the opportunity to learn about CCS’ mission, the people they serve and how anybody can be part of a success story. 

The breakfast is CCS Northern Utah’s only fundraising event, “but because of the generosity and support of our community it provides almost 10 percent of our operating budget for the year,” Bosgieter said.

As in the past, the Dream Builder’s Breakfast will also have a visit from Benedictine Sister Stephanie Mongeon, who for a long time has been actively participating at the fundraiser and also donating her Bundt cakes.

WHAT: 2020 Dream Builder’s Breakfast

WHEN: April 22; check in begins at 7:30 a.m., breakfast program at 8 a.m.; ends at 9:30 a.m. 

WHERE: Ogden Eccles Conference Center, 2415 Washington Blvd., Ogden

COST: $40 p/p

To register or for information, contact Durrell Annis, (801) 428-1291 or https://ccsnorthernutah.org/component/pmform/?view=form&form_id=5&Itemid=0