St. Vincent’s to Hold Alumni Reunion
Father Joe Eager to Hear, Record Success Stories

   SAN DIEGO — In this season of graduations and class reunions, a different type of educational institution is planning a gathering of graduates, and its dean of students focuses not only on higher learning, but also on the intervention of a higher power.
Father Joe Carroll and his staff will hold a reunion for anyone who has benefited from St. Vincent de Paul Village’s services on Saturday, July 8, 2000 at Embarcadero Park North from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

   "All of the employees at the Village need a shot in the arm from time to time to remind them that their 24-7 work schedule truly is worth it," he says. "The measure of our success cannot be calculated by the number of facilities we build or the money we raise; our success is best seen through the people whose lives we change."

   For that reason, Village staff will be on hand on the day of the reunion not only to coordinate games, food and entertainment, but also to capture the triumph of former clients who have made the transition from dependency to self-sufficiency.

   "We’ll be gathering video-taped, tape-recorded and written interviews," says St. Vincent’s Special Events Coordinator Angela Bales. "We hope to share these stories with employees – both present and future – to drive the point home that we are here to do our best to help our clients regain their independence and become successes." More importantly, Bales says, residents who are now living at the Village will have these stories as motivation to once again establish themselves.

   "Our clients come to us with no hope and no dignity," says Father Joe. "Now we’ll have these real-life accounts of others who were in similar positions and, oftentimes, it’s someone else’s success that can be used as a point of motivation by others to influence positive change in their lives."

   Over 160 St. Vincent’s graduates will attend the event and the RSVP list continues to grow.
"We’ve been trying hard to find anyone who has benefited from our services," Bales says. "It doesn’t matter if they just showed up for a few meals or were a two-year resident, we want to hear how their life was positively affected by the Village."

   In addition to the opportunity to share their stories, reunion attendees will enjoy a barbecue, raffle and entertainment supplied by Bill Magee’s Blues Band and the Top Bananas comedy group. An inflatable jump, pinatas, face painting and other activities will entertain the children throughout the day.

   For more information on the reunion or to RSVP, call (619) 687-1313.

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