Catholic Charities of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties

PALM DESERT, CA, MAY 17, 2011: A day of engagement, fun, celebration and learning is planned for people involved in helping others at the Second Annual Call to Care Conference on Saturday, June 18, 2011 from 8:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert. There is no charge for the conference and lunch will be provided.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Spirit Matters in Helping Others” and will feature a community celebration of helping and caring for others, a workshop on building and supporting healthy families, and a workshop on self-care, preventing burn-out and compassion fatigue.

Call to Care’s David Fraser, Associate Director of Catholic Charities Counseling Programs and Services stated, “There will be short presentations and lots of experiential activities, group interaction and discussions involving participants. We’re planning for movement, fun and engagement. We want participants to come away with new knowledge – knowledge on how to be more effective in helping others and knowledge about Call to Care Conference Page 2 community and mental health resources. We also want them to gain practical skills that can be used both in their helping role and in maintaining their own health and well-being. Spirit does matter – it supports our caring relationships and enables us be more compassionate and caring for others and ourselves.”

Call to Care is an educational program provided by Catholic Charities but open to all in the community who are engaged in helping or caring for others – people from faith communities and the community at large from across the Coachella Valley who are visiting shut-ins, or doing hospital visitation, volunteering in hospices or hospitals, volunteering in a caring capacity with other non-profits – the full range of possibilities including family members caring for other family members. Call to Care is funded by Riverside County Department of Mental Health through the Mental Health Service Act in the Prevention and Early Intervention Program.

Call to Care classes have been held in the Coachella Valley since 1997 and more than a five hundred people from all faith have gone through the 12 week training. Fraser emphasized that “Call to Care is a faith-based program open to those of any faith and to those who are seeking spiritual connection and an outlet for a call they’ve heard to help others.” To register for the Call to Care Conference or to get more information, visit Catholic Charities’ website www.ccsbriv.org or call (760)440-7877 ext. 480.