Catholic Woman’s League hosts annual luncheon

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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A fashion show with members of the Catholic Woman’s League as models is a tradition at the annual Fall Tapestry benefit luncheon. Shown at this year’s event is Jessica Fisher modeling clothes from Chico’s at Foothill Village.

SALT LAKE CITY — An afternoon of fellowship, food and fun awaited members of the Catholic Woman’s League as they gathered for the annual Fall Tapestry luncheon on Sept. 30 at the Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel. This year, the event benefited Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School and First Step House.

The Catholic Woman’s League was established in 1916 under the direction of the Most Rev. Joseph S. Glass, second Bishop of Salt Lake. It is a non-profit organization that “works for the interest of Christ, promotes spirituality based on the principles of our Catholic faith, advances literary and educational interests and assists in philanthropic efforts for the welfare of our community,” according to its mission statement.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, located in Salt Lake City, is a K-8 school within the Utah Catholic Schools system.

First Step House was incorporated in 1958 by members of Alcoholics Anonymous and now offers a variety of treatment, housing, health care and employment services, according to its website, firststephouse.org.

At the luncheon, representatives of the two organizations gave brief presentations and expressed their thanks for being chosen as beneficiaries of the luncheon.

Sixty-five percent of students at OLOL this year receive some sort of financial assistance, said Christine Bergquist, the school principal, “and it’s with generosity like this that we are able to help those families and help them be in the school.”

The contributions from the CWL will go toward OLOL’s extracurricular activities such as their robotics program and the theater program.

“Your contributions and what you do and how you donate really do benefit the students at our school,” Bergquist said.

The goal of First Step House is to help those in the community “who are struggling with substance abuse and homelessness who have nowhere else to turn,” said Mary T. Calhoon, the nonprofit organization’s development director.

“We help 1,500 people a year build lives of meaning, purpose and recovery,” she added.

Most people know someone who is dealing with addiction, she said, and asked those present to imagine how difficult the road to recovery would be if someone did not have a home or a job or support from family or friends.

“Our clients arrive at First Step House with very little,” Calhoon said. “Before coming to us, they may have been in jail, they may have been in a shelter. At First Step House they have a safe place to lay their head, they have health care for the first time in years, therapy, treatment, a case manager and help getting a job. …”

The donations from the CWL will replenish the client assistance fund, which can be used for rental deposits, the cost of a moving van, new shoes for job interviews, bus passes, emergency child care and other essentials, she said. “It all makes such a difference. Relieving just one financial burden is often enough to help a family out of crisis and through the other side with restored confidence and independence.”

Following the presentations was a luncheon and the traditional fashion show.