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Gulf Pine Catholic
•July 28, 2017
Bishop Kihneman installs Knights of Columbus
state officers
Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III installed Mississippi State Officers for the Knights of Columbus in July at St. Michael Church in Biloxi. Pictured, at left, from l-r,
are Guy Heying, State Warden, Mike Kassouf, State Treasurer, Jim McCraw Immediate Past State Deputy, Bishop Kihneman, Noel Aucoin, State Deputy, Philip
Jabour, State Secretary, and Raul “Roy” Gamez, State Advocate. At right are the 2017-2018 State Officers, District Deputies and The Honor Guard. Photos/Juliana
Skelton
Knights of Columbus offer sweet treat to Hope Haven
BY MAUREEN SMITH
Mississippi Catholic
JACKSON -- Knights of Columbus throughout
Mississippi hold Tootise Roll drives during the year to
raise money for people with intellectual disabilities. It
may seem like a small gesture, but when all the knights
join forces, their work has a substantial impact.
On Tuesday, July 11, Jim McCraw, the past state
deputy, presented a check to Hope Haven at Catholic
Charities headquarters in Jackson. Hope Haven is a
residential program for teens in crisis. It offers tempo-
rary shelter as well as counseling and a way for families
to get back on track.
The donation could not have come at a more perfect
time. “Each year Knights’ councils nation-wide host
fundraising drives for people with intellectual disabili-
ties -- the tootsie roll drive is kind of our mainstay --
and the councils in Mississippi do the same thing,” said
McCraw. “Seventy-five percent of what the council
raises goes back to an agency of their choosing, but 25
percent of that money is pooled together collectively
and the board of directors identifies 501c3 agencies
throughout Mississippi that we fund,” said McCraw.
“This year, with the budget cuts that have happened,
particularly in the area of mental health we felt like this
Hope Haven program is a very worthwhile thing to get
some of that money so we set aside $2,500 to go to
that,” he added.
Michelle Hamilton is the program director
for Hope Haven. She explained that the ser-
vice aims to be a turning point for young
people and families facing mental health cri-
ses. “They stay for 14 days at a time. We are
a crisis residential so they come and receive
individual and group therapy and then they
move on to a longer-term placement,” said
Hamilton. In addition to treating the teens,
counselors offer sessions with the parents
while the teens are staying at Hope Haven.
Once the 14 days are done, counselors don’t
just release the teens, they work with the family on the
next appropriate step. It might be a different in-patient
program or out-patient counseling or perhaps a coun-
selor will make home visits. This way, the teens and
their families have a new path forward.
This year has been hard for all Mississippi mental
health programs because of drastic budgets cuts coming
from the legislature’s budget. “General funding by
Medicaid has been cut and it has greatly affected us.
Currently we have seven residents, so we are full,” said
Hamilton.
Hope Haven is just one of many programs at
Catholic Charities facing steep cuts. Directors hope to
maintain as many services as they can, but many of
these programs are already working on lean budgets.
“We don’t like to turn anyone away,” said Amy Turner,
director for children’s’ services. Learn more about
Catholic Charities programming on their website,
.
Left, KC members are pictured with Bishop
Kihneman after a recent can shake at Nativity
BVM Cathedral in Biloxi. From l-r are Harry
Steinwinder, Gerard Darnell, Bishop Kihneman,
Clarence Guillory, Pete Broussard and Randy
Trahan. Proceeds from the can shake were
recently presented to Hope Haven at Catholic
Charities headquarters in Jackson. Hope Haven is
a residential program for teens in crisis. It offers
temporary shelter as well as counseling and a way
for families to get back on track. Photo/Terry Dickson