Catholic Charities of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties

ONTARIO, CA - On Nov 2nd, 2010, Catholic Charities received the prestigious Bank of America's 2010 “Neighborhood Builders Award,” part of their Neighborhood Excellence Initiative. Annually the Bank of America Foundation recognizes, nurtures, and rewards organizations, local heroes and student leaders by helping to strengthen and revitalize their communities in 45 of the bank's major markets across the country.

“On behalf of Bank of America and our 2,400 associates who work in the Inland Empire, let me say that we feel very honored to recognize such a wonderful organization as Catholic Charities. Although the selection process is quite competitive, Catholic Charities stood out among numerous outstanding organizations and was selected over more than 80 organizations,” said Mr. Al Argüello, Inland Empire Market President for Bank of America, in his congratulation at the award presentation. “Your organization was selected for a variety of reasons – most notably the extent of services provided, your track record of success, and your reach into the various communities within the Inland Empire.”

Many of the countless community partners that work with Catholic Charities echoed these sentiments. One congratulatory email stated, “Catholic Charities has earned this award. You do such great work with few accolades. Catholic Charities is a quiet hero. Thank you for being such a good partner.”

“I thank Bank of America for the attention this award will bring to the important work of Catholic Charities and to the current struggles of families in our Inland Counties,” commented Ken F. Sawa, CEO of Catholic Charities. “Despite the fact that nearly 50,000 individuals (over 17,000 households) benefit from Catholic Charities services annually, we are not nearly satisfied with our accomplishments. The need for the services we provide far, far, far exceeds available resources,” Sawa told those present when accepting the award.

“This acknowledgment by Bank of America is by far the greatest anniversary gift we could possibly receive. It is an act of sincere appreciation for all that Catholic Charities has done for the past 30 years and an act of real confidence in all that we shall do in the next 30 years.”