Fundraiser to benefit Holy Cross Ministries

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PARK CITY — The Autumn Harvest Benefit is Holy Cross Ministries’ only fundraising event for its health outreach, early childhood education and legal services that are provided to low-income families in Summit County.

The vast majority of those who work in Park City’s hospitality industry earn only the minimum wage. It is this population that Holy Cross Ministries serves.

“All funds raised during this event will directly support HCM’s programs in Summit County,” said Maria Mullahi, HCM’s development manager.

The Autumn Harvest Benefit started six years ago as a farewell dinner for Holy Cross Sister Suzanne Brennan, the organization’s first executive director and president, Mullahi said.

Sr. Suzanne is now a counselor on her congregation’s general leadership team.

Since that first dinner, the event has become a tradition in which the community and supporters of HCM “help raise funds to sustain HCM’s services for the benefit of the under-served community in Summit County,” she added.

Holy Cross Ministries serves about 4,000 individuals annually. It offers two early childhood education programs: The School Readiness Program is a preschool, evidence-based classroom curriculum for 3-year-olds, and the Parents as Teachers (PAT) is a home-visiting program for families with children from newborns to 3 years old.

In addition, HCM’s Promotora program, based out of People’s Health Clinic in Park City, helps connect under-insured residents to medical services and other services. Promotoras also conduct prenatal workshops and preventive and chronic conditions management classes.

HCM’s legal immigration team partners with Peach House, a domestic violence shelter in Park City, to provide legal service to victims of domestic violence.  

Representatives from each of HCM’s programs will be at the Autumn Harvest Benefit to share information about the impact their work has on the under-served community.

Holy Cross Ministries relies on donations to sustain its programs and to “continue providing these critical services to disadvantaged families and individuals, regardless of their ability to pay,” Mullahi said. “Community participation in this event is vital to HCM’s ability to continue meeting the needs of the under-served and advancing its’ legacy of compassionate service, established by the Sisters of the Holy Cross over 140 years ago.”

Holy Cross Ministries in Utah was founded as a non-profit organization to provide programs for the low-income community after the sale of Holy Cross Hospital. Its first program was the Promotora Outreach Program, through which bilingual, bi-cultural outreach workers teach prenatal health classes and provide case management, support groups, translation and other services.

Nowadays Holy Cross Ministries offers a legal immigration program, Hispanic education outreach and a school readiness program that is based at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Park City. HCM also provides legal services for victims of domestic abuse, along with counseling and support.