Eileen Vizcaino, retired Presbyterian PC U.S.A. clergy woman, volunteers at Mary’s Home leading a weekly poetry group. She also established a charitable gift annuity, making a donation to Joseph & Mary’s Home that helps support the ministry and pays her a quarterly dividend.

The following donor spotlight appears in the most recent issue of the Joseph & Mary’s Home newsletter, The Journey. Read the full newsletter here.

Gratitude and Giving: Reflections on the Meaning of Home

Rev. Eileen Vizcaino shares about her motivation to establish a charitable gift annuity

Home is more than a word; it’s a feeling that warms us, the nest that gives us nurture from which we can venture out and face the world. My parents worked very hard to create such a place for themselves and their family. Being the children of immigrants, it was not easy for them, and I absorbed from them the concept of “home” as precious. Though our little home was very simple (a “little house in a big woods”), I could not imagine trying to recover from illness without that safe haven.

My husband, also an immigrant, and I continued that tradition. We lived simply, did our own yard work, valued our neighbors, our church friends. We were not blessed with children. He passed away before we could enjoy beginning our retirement together. Because of the person he was, I know he would have supported this mission.

I learned of Joseph’s Home through my sister Evelyn Flowers, CSA, who was one of the “dream team” that planned it and saw it become a reality. Then, when Mary’s Home for women was ready for dedication, I wanted to be a part of it. I had been a volunteer at shelters for people experiencing homelessness and I wanted something better for them.

An annuity seemed a good way to contribute. Mary’s Home receives a sum they can use to maintain their ministry, and I receive a quarterly dividend that contributes to my own retirement.

The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine have my deep gratitude for their selfless ministry. The opportunity to join them in this ministry by contributing to Mary’s Home allows me a way to reach out to people who are worthy of our concern because they are God’s children. And now that I also have become a volunteer at Mary’s Home, I get to see what beautiful people they are.

Want to discuss ways to make an impact at Joseph & Mary’s Home? Contact Director of Fund Development Erin Gay Miyoshi at 216.987.9201.