St. Vincent’s to Honor Father Joe at Annual Charity Dinner
Hustler Priest Remains Committed to Helping Less Fortunate, Picking Pockets

   SAN DIEGO — St. Vincent de Paul Village will honor its President, Father Joe Carroll, at this year’s Children’s Charity Dinner on Saturday, April 12, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, One Market Place. Father Joe, long-time supporters, donors and staff will be available for interviews during the cocktail reception from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., with the awards presentation taking place between 8:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. The Children’s Charity Dinner benefits both St. Vincent De Paul Village and KSWB Cares for Kids, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation.

   Known for his uncanny ability to hustle for donations and his unrelenting devotion to the homeless community, Father Joe will receive the Bishop Maher Award, named after the late Leo T. Maher, the leader of the San Diego Catholic Church who appointed Father Joe to head St. Vincent’s in 1983, which then was nothing more than a soup kitchen and thrift store.

   Father Joe immediately began raising money and bringing attention to the plight of the homeless and in 1987 dedicated the first of several downtown facilities for San Diego’s less fortunate.

   Over the last 20 years, Father Joe has remained steadfast in his commitment to Maher’s assignment. Housing for over 900, free health care, counseling, chemical-dependency programs, job training, a full-service children’s center, two affordable housing complexes, residential facilities for individuals living with HIV and AIDS and a center for homeless teens are just some of the resources needy San Diegans now have thanks to his vision and commitment.

   "There’s no question Father Joe has left an indelible mark on the community," says Mary Case, vice president of St. Vincent’s and one of Father Joe’s first employees. "He’s humanized the face of the homeless and made people understand that many of the less fortunate families and individuals we serve are not on the street by choice, but by circumstance. He has shown us that each one of them deserves dignity, respect and a chance to build a better life."

   For more information (media only), call (619) 525-1608.

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