Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago was proud to announce its first Quarter Exemplary Employees at a meeting last month.

Jose Moyet of Chicago’s Southwest Side was honored with Catholic Charities’ Employee Recognition Award on February 19, 2010 for his exemplary service as a Janitor at Our Lady of Lourdes Child Care Center. The award is given to just three of the agency’s 2000+ employees per quarter, and includes a bonus and a paid day off.

Employed for two years at the agency, Moyet has made a big difference in a relatively short time. Like all child care centers, especially those located in older buildings, Our Lady of Lourdes Child Care Center requires constant cleaning and upkeep.  There is a lot to do as part of the normal maintenance schedule. But Mr. Moyet went above and beyond when he refurbished four infant-toddler classrooms this past summer, in just over a month’s time, on top of his other work. Using thrift and ingenuity, he stripped and waxed floors, cleaned carpeting and furniture, painted, laid tile, and cleaned windows and woodwork. Moyet used up existing and donated supplies to avoid any waste.

When needed, Moyet will assist at other sites, and provides training to other janitors.

“He never just sits, he finds something to accomplish on his own or he asks me for something to do,” says Moyet’s supervisor, Deborah O’Brien, center director. “Jose is a huge asset to our program and deserves this award.”

“I enjoy everything in my job, from start to end,” says Moyet. “I tell my wife, I have to go see my ‘second home’ when I leave for work,” he laughs.

Latisa Wynn of Chicago’s Near South Side was honored with Catholic Charities’ Employee Recognition Award on February 16, 2010 for her exemplary service as a WIC (Women Infants and Children) Food Center Manager. The award is given to just three of the agency’s 2000+ employees per quarter, and includes a bonus and a paid day off.

A 14-year employee of the agency, Wynn has worked her way up from service coordinator to center manager. This past summer, Wynn managed multiple challenges in addition to her regular workload. She oversaw a new summer feeding program that provided over 100,000 meals to city and suburban programs while at the same time, ensuring that all of Catholic Charities 18 WIC sites were fully stocked with fresh and frozen produce to meet new federal guidelines. Finally, Wynn’s food center is the distribution hub for the summer Farmer’s Market Program, which brings in seasonal produce to be sent out to other sites each day.

Three new programs at one time is a lot for an already-busy manager to take on, but Wynn did so cheerfully and capably.

“Ms. Wynn, with great effort, ran the operations of her center with very little staff and still was able to pull off overseeing, ordering and keeping up with inventory for the other programs,” says Wynn’s supervisor, Christie Richardson.

“My work here is hard, but rewarding,” says Wynn, with characteristic modesty.

Manuela Ruiz of Chicago’s Northwest Side was honored with Catholic Charities’ Employee Recognition Award on February 19, 2010 for her exemplary service as a caregiver at one of the agency’s WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Food Centers. The award is given to just three of the agency’s 2000+ employees per quarter, and includes a bonus and a paid day off.

In the two years she has worked as a caregiver in the Food Center’s “Kiddie Corral,” Ruiz has provided high quality and welcoming care to the children of families who use the Food Center. She is so well-liked that the number of children attending the “Kiddie Corral” has increased dramatically.  

When no children are present, Ruiz pitches in with other work at the center, including customer service, stocking shelves, bagging, or translating for Spanish-speaking clients. Her willingness to go above and beyond her official duties is captured by a comment made by the manager of her Food Center, who said, “I wish I had more employees like her.”

“I am very pleased that I was chosen to receive this prize.  I always enjoy working in the community especially with the children of the neighborhood. As a child, I wanted to be a teacher and this job has helped me realize my dream.  I always will give my best to be productive and a good worker for the program with Catholic Charities,” says Ruiz.

Catholic Charities is proud of all its dedicated and hard working staff.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, founded in 1917, is one of the largest not-for-profit social service agencies in the Midwest and serves all of Cook and Lake counties. Catholic Charities, which touched the lives of more than 1 million people last year, serves and employs persons regardless of religion, race, nationality, ethnicity or social or economic circumstance.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago is one of the largest private, not-for-profit social service agencies in the Midwest, annually assisting 1.1 million persons in Cook and Lake counties without regard to religious, ethnic or economic background. Catholic Charities fulfills the Church's role in the mission of charity by providing compassionate, competent, professional services that strengthen and support individuals, families and communities.