Announcer: The views and opinions expressed in to the point are those of the hosted, the program and its guests.

They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of WGTE Public Media.

Doni: The Padua Center in Toledo's central city exists for only one reason to empower neighborhood residents.

They do the hard work of identifying that tough issue and then addresses them head on with programs and activities designed to make a difference in the lives of those they serve.

They walk their talk.

We are talking to the executive director of the Padua center sister, Virginia Welsh and former mayor and board member Carty Finkbeiner about why what they do is critical to our neighborhoods and what you can do to help.

I'm Doni Miller and welcome To the Point.

Connect with us on our social media pages.

You may email me at doni _miller@wgte.org, and if you're interested in seeing this episode again or any additional extras, please go to wgte.org/.To the point.

We have probably the most responsive organization in town when it comes to meeting the needs of community members.

And I'm talking about the Padua Center.

We have Sister Jinny Welch, who is the executive director there and board member.

We all know former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner still working in this community and making a difference.

Thank you both for being here today.

I would suspect that lots of people don't know what the patois with center does, But I have to tell you that after reading your mission statement, I mean, you are here just to empower the people of the neighborhood in which you serve, to give those folks a voice.

Why don't you tell folks how you do that?

Sister Virginia: Well, one of the things I feel from the very beginning is education.

I was trained as an educator.

I taught elementary school.

And if you want to change anything, people need education.

Doni: Absolutely.

Sister Virginia: And so when I was asked by the Diocese of Toledo to start the Padilla Center, I think they might have been thinking it a little more social service, helping people pay rent and those kind of things.

But I said, no, I don't want to do that.

I want to help people so they don't need help paying their rent.

I want to help with education.

We're located on Nebraska Avenue, so we're very close to pick a good school.

LRP Stuart Martin Luther King Jr Academy for Boys.

So we reached out to those schools and over the years we've had different kinds of relationships, but all of them have been about helping children to be educated.

And we do it now through a afterschool tutoring program we call Nia.

Nia is one of the principals of Kwanzaa means purpose.

And so that's one one of the pieces that we do is the afterschool tutoring.

We have about 20 kids every day.

They come, we pick them up from school, bring them.

We connect with connecting kids with meals, another great organization that provides a snack for them and their meal.

So that's one of the one of the core programs we have right now.

Doni: You know, we had on the president of TFT just recently and we talked about this very issue and the importance of connecting with the neighborhoods and in serving children in terms of education and also about some of the challenges that are being faced by kids these days when it comes to education.

For the two of you, what are you seeing now that you didn't see before relative to challenges that kids are facing?

Sister Virginia: Well, I think there's been some research that with the help of COVID and children learning at home that they're all behind.

And we find this with the children we have coming in and they're not.

Doni: Catching up as quickly, I think, as people thought they would.

Sister Virginia: No, they are not.

And the other influences, social media influences, even the small children.

We have children coming that are in like kindergarten, first grade, second grade, don't know the alphabet, don't know the alphabet sounds.

And one of the things that that I did was in the fall, actually was last spring, these children were coming and I said, whoa, they need more help.

So I contacted a woman that I knew who was a special ed teacher, retired.

She comes three days a week, works with three children individually just to try to help them do to get that basic bill.

Because if they can't do do their basic reading alphabet, basic math in first, second grade, we know what's going to happen in junior high and high school.

Doni: So why are our services provided by organizations like the Padua Center are important to neighborhoods, mean they could get the tutoring and those sorts of things through their schools, couldn't they?

Why does being able to get it at Padua make a difference?

Sister Virginia: The kids love it.

Carty: There you go?

Sister Virginia: That's, you know, it's it's a. Doni: Yes, love it.

Sister Virginia: And we do some other things.

Doni: And that's important, isn't it?

That they love it?

Carty: Absolutely.

Doni: They engage.

Carty: Absolutely.

Yes.

Sister Virginia: Yes.

Carty: The former mayor, Jack Ford, got me interested when he was living in with us and he had me come to pieces of art dinner.

I know that I've missed one ever since at time, Donny, but I've found nobody hardly knows this but one time explored going into into divinity school went to.

Doni: I knew that.

Carty: Did you know that I did Traveled in 1967 to Virginia to interview with the dean of the Episcopal Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia.

And he said, You've missed the first quarter.

We tear down all your faith in that first quarter and we start all over again in a second quarter, Come back next September 3rd.

I came back to Florida, went to work for there, a poverty program, loved it so much that I never, ever wanted.

Doni: So this is a good fit for you.

Carty: After I left the mayorship, I wanted to do things where I was working in the anti-poverty program neighborhoods.

And Jack introduced me to Sister Judy and pieces of art and children who were coming to the dinner and how lovely those young men and women were and are.

And it just opened up.

And when Jack passed away, I don't know if your sister Jinny or whomever, but asked if I would be interested in it's the most rewarding experience.

I, I just love even I love the building.

I love the campus.

I love the grounds.

I love Junction and Nebraska and and I'd say so does Marcy Kaptur, because she's saved St Anthony's.

Doni: Church, which.

Carty: That's right up and next door to us.

And so she's interested in Port Paul, the resources of the federal government with local community and see what we can do to make further difference down there.

Doni: So it's a perfect fit for you and it's a perfect fit for you.

You've been there for how long, sister?

Sister Virginia: 16 years.

Doni: No kidding.

No kidding.

Changes in those years.

You've seen the neighborhood change.

Sister Virginia: Certainly we have.

And the Junction Coalition has done some work in the neighborhood They helped put in a park called the Junction Park, and that's right across the street from what we call the Ujima Park and Garden.

Ujima is another one of the Kwanzaa terms, right.

Meaning collective work.

So we have a garden and we began with one one city lot.

We were able to get a hoop house and through the land bank we've been able to buy up most of that block now that we own for gardening.

And I feel with the children and adults with the children to learn respect.

We're having a fundraiser and it's called Pieces of Art, spelt PHC, because we're about peace.

And one of the ways to achieve peace is to go back to Mother Earth, whether that's gardening or sitting in a park, whether it's picking flowers or eating fresh vegetables, it connects us with our roots, with who we are.

Pope Francis wrote an encyclical called To See, which is asking us to reverence Mother Earth.

And we don't do that.

We don't do that at all.

So last summer, one of the things we did in our garden camp was the kids walked around the block and picked up litter.

They picked up £22 of litter just around the block.

Hopefully they're getting in their head.

If I don't throw it down, I. Doni: Will pick it up.

Right.

Sister Virginia: And so we're trying to do that.

We also try to teach life is a continuous event and everybody and everything has a part.

So we have a worm box so we can compost the food that the kids don't eat.

We have a small flock of chickens and the kids can go out and feed the chickens, they can collect the eggs.

And we have a garden club called Paddle Potters and they help a garden all year round, planting plants, collecting seeds.

The other day we went out with some and we collected the zinnias seeds and we will plant those same seeds in the spring.

So they see that connection of life.

Doni: Do they talk to you about the impact that that has on them or do you just kind of see you.

Sister Virginia: Just kind of see.

Doni: Just kind of see?

Sister Virginia: I just kind of see it, Yeah.

Carty: Anyway, a Black Watch program that meets regularly at the Padua Center.

Wonderful leader.

She is also a member of our board.

So we're kept up to date on things that are going on.

And from an adult standpoint in the Junction, Nebraska neighborhood.

And actually it's a pretty peaceful neighborhood.

We don't we had a couple of incidents within the last the last year and a half on Junction itself.

But by and large, it's been pretty peaceful where we're located.

And that's good for the young men and women that that Sister Jenny and our staff are always trying to uplift and paint a picture of what they're capable of being.

Doni: I love that.

I love that painting, a picture of what they're capable of being.

Yes.

Engaging the neighborhood.

Those things make the difference.

Carty: No question.

Sister Virginia: No question.

And we have a program.

We began last year called Running with Padua.

And it was a running program, just some exercise.

We had little trouble getting it started getting the right people, but we have them now.

And so we hope to continue that.

We also have a program called Emerging Young Ladies, and that's working with like the junior high, trying to teach the young girls how to be a lady so they have opportunities to go out to a restaurant to eat.

Last year, they went to Motown, get a little history of what's going on.

They had a mother daughter tea at the Pattillo Center on Mother's Day just trying to help the children get a a bigger vision of life than what they often experience at home.

Doni: And begin to recognize their own self-worth and their own the necessity to respect themselves and what they give to others in their community.

Right, Right.

It's a great I'm really glad to hear that.

We're going to go on a break, but we will be right back.

You'll stay with me.

Sure.

All right.

We'll be right back.

Announcer 2: It's out with the old and with the new watch.

Listen and learn with our new reimagined website with new features to make your listening experience better.

It's easier than ever before to find your favorite programs stream or watch your favorite shows live from all our channels.

WGTE, HD, WG, TV Create and PBS Kids.

You can even stream or listen live to your favorite podcasts and radio programs with ease.

Discover Educational and Learning Resources for parents, caregivers and Educators.

Our new website gives you everything right at your fingertips.

These features are also available on our new WGTE app found in your app store.

Watch, Listen and learn at WGTE.

org Doni: I would love to hear from you if you would do that by connecting with us on our social media pages.

That would be terrific.

You can also email me at doni _miller@wgte.org.

And if you'd like to see this episode again or maybe check out some of our other episodes, you may do that by going to wgte.org.

To the point again, we are talking to Sister Jenny from the Paris Center, and you all know former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.

He is on the board at the Padua Center.

And I want to ask, we spent the first segment of the show talking about all of the great things that you do.

Is there a consistent source of funding?

Do you have enough money to get this stuff done?

Could you use more money to get this stuff done?

We use a lot of volunteers is why we didn't talk about that.

Sister Virginia: Yes, we.

Doni: Do.

Yeah.

Sister Virginia: A lot of volunteers, we try to connect in the community.

So during the summer for summer camps, we work with the youth that are part of that youth service program through Harbor, and we work with Paths Stone that has older volunteers.

Right now we don't have any at the moment, but they come and go as as time changes.

But funding is always an issue.

We call them nonprofit.

And you know why that is?

Doni: Why that is.

Sister Virginia: Never, never enough.

Never extra.

We have worked with many organizations, written grants, gotten things going, but it's that ongoing, being able to pay the ongoing salary to expand.

And that is a is a challenge for us.

We have two fundraisers a year.

One is a we call it a chicken fest, and that's a chicken dinner.

And we usually hold that over on the campus of Saint Martin to pause because it's a little more visible than tucked back in the neighborhood.

But coming up on October 8th, we have an event called Pieces of Art.

And as I mentioned, it's a.c.e.

pieces of art where we have a silent auction and a dinner, live music.

Oh, it's very lovely.

And one of the comments we get back from people is it's kid friendly.

We have families that come our children come to this event and they do artwork that we auction off.

Doni: And the artwork is often made by the children.

Sister Virginia: Yes.

Yes.

Doni: In the community center.

Sister Virginia: Right, right, right.

I brought one piece here.

Doni: Let's see it.

Sister Virginia: This this is one of the pieces that Journey did.

Mm hmm.

And we had a volunteer.

Robin Kendrick came in and worked with them on their artwork.

Doni: And and that will be auctioned off.

Sister Virginia: That'll be a live auction.

Doni: Okay.

Sister Virginia: And then we also have a friend of the center who does Wonderful Town and cross-stitch, and she did this.

Doni: That's crossed.

Sister Virginia: It.

This is county cross-stitch.

Doni: Oh, my God.

Sister Virginia: How did cross Stitch?

She also did another one that was much bigger.

I decided not to bring that.

We called generations.

And it's a grandmother, a mother and a baby, all kind of cross stitch.

All African-American characters.

They're absolutely gorgeous.

One if one were interested in bidding on those and can't come, they're on Better World dot org.

The Padilla Center auction right now.

You could go in and put a bid on those right now.

Doni: Why did you decide to call this peaces of art?

Sister Virginia: Well, we're trying to establish peace in the world, and art is a wonderful way for children to express themselves.

They love to do art.

They're often during the week when we've finished tutoring, they'll ask if they can watercolor, if they can paint.

And I think it's an expression that some children who perhaps have more academic challenges can express themselves.

Doni: Yeah.

Carty: Doni, I'm going to not get away from your question, though.

Sister Jane did a beautiful job of Segway in pieces of art.

But yes, we do have a need.

There is a gentleman for support.

We had a wonderful opportunity a few years ago to connect with Dan Reidy and and his organization.

Dan tried many boards in our city and we're very, very grateful for what he has done to be supportive of us.

But in recent times, since the pandemic, there hasn't been quite the in his many stores, there hasn't been quite the support for the program that financially we come to expect.

And we're so we're short now.

We're about five or $6,000 a month.

We've had some very generous donors in recent months to help us get through the shortfall.

But if someone would like to find out how they could help us, help the young people of our community, please contact Sister Jenny or myself.

We would be delighted to sit down and talk with you and give you a tour of our site and our campus.

Doni: Thank you for that.

I think I think when people better understand how the work you do impacts the lives of the residents in this city, they'll better understand the reason for your request.

And the question Sister Jenny was really about whether children are understanding that they have an opportunity to help bring peace to their lives and to their neighborhoods and to themselves.

Sister Virginia: Right.

Doni: Through and through opportunities like you presented.

Sister Virginia: Yeah, it was.

And that's that's what we attempt to do.

And I didn't mention, but of course, none of our programs we charge for we have a $10 registration fee for six weeks of camp in the summer.

And that's just to get some commitment, but none of nothing the children have to pay for with the families.

Doni: And we should we should say, too, we shouldn't assume that everyone understands that the neighborhood that you were in has is one of challenge.

There are significant challenges in that neighborhood.

There are fiscal challenges.

There are challenges with education and family structure and lots of things that the children that you're managing have to write.

Sister Virginia: As a matter of fact, last summer we had the Buffalo Soldiers in one day to talk to the kids and they asked them, how many of you kids have heard gunshots at night?

Every hand on every hand.

Every hand.

And then they asked how many of you know somebody who got shot?

Well, thank God it was fewer.

And most of them were talking about a cousin down the street or somebody like that.

No immediate family.

But it's something they're used to.

Doni: And just to have conversations around the idea of their ability to bring peace to the neighborhood, having it show up in all kinds of things like this particular fundraiser.

Right, reinforces and empowers them to make a change in their neighborhood.

Sister Virginia: I also want to mention that at the Pieces of Art event on October eight, we are going to honor for people.

Doni: Who.

Sister Virginia: Are peacemakers in the city.

And I think this might be called the year of Bishop Kulp because Bishop Pope is busy this so much and he's been a supporter of the Padua Center.

He has in his own life work to build up schools, education.

It's part of who he is.

And again, he's been a supporter of Padua, so we certainly wanted to recognize him.

Mary Jane Flores, people may not know as well.

She's the widow of Judge Flores.

Mm hmm.

She is a nurse, anesthesiologist, retired for 27 years, went to the Dominican Republic to help people.

She in in her elder years, she still gathers up things for migrant camps and still stays connected.

Lives face.

She is the teacher that I called in and I said, We've got these three kids who need a lot of help trained educator, Montessori educator and master's in special ed comes in three days a week to work with these kids.

Sister Virginia: She's going to be a volunteer and her husband is Tom McDonald, and he's involved with Tre Toledo.

So they've come, Thomas come.

He's we've played a lot of trees.

The kids one time potted a tree and they all got to take it home and to try to explain to a child, this is a tree.

This is going to live 30, 40, 50 years.

It's going to be big.

Right.

But you are planning that.

So we honor all of them at our pieces of art event.

Doni: That's amazing.

These are all folks that everyone practically knows.

Bishop called and it's really nice that you're honoring some people that other people don't know quite as well who are contributing to the to the neighborhood right in this way.

Carty: I think last year was it that we honored both the marvelous gives for his work in the farm labor organizing community marches a year or two before that, she generally tries to be with us for the event.

I wanted to remind everybody, we can't say it enough that our event pieces of Art is on Sunday, October eight, and we're going to be at the Sullivan Center, which is right attached to Jasa Catholic Church on Parkside Boulevard at Bancroft Street.

And we get under way at 5:00 and a ticket is $40.

But we would be delighted to have you call us ahead of time.

And I believe the phone number is pieces Art.

2023.

Is that right, Sister Jenny?

Sister Virginia: That's the auction number.

Carty: Okay, That's the auction number.

All right.

What number should they call if they want to reserve a ticket?

Sister Virginia: 04192416465.

Doni: Four one on your website as well.

Right.

It's on the website, so you can certainly go to the website and get that.

Carty: And they'll have fun.

Yeah, they'll have fun.

Doni: And... and not only will it be fun, but it is also again, an opportunity to help make change in that neighborhood.

And that's what your mission is all about.

And this is a great way to sustain that mission because without things like this.

Sister Virginia: In our young ladies and our emerging young ladies group, they will be there all dressed up and they will escort people to their tables and they will help them.

We also are thrilled that Lillian Reidy, who is a sophomore at Mommy Valley Country Day School, is going to be our our mistress of ceremonies.

And she's been coming with her family.

And I just thought, gee, she's a great young lady to let her have that opportunity.

Doni: You know, and we only have a second or two left.

But the the way that you all are embracing the youngsters in the community and giving them an opportunity to to just recognize their strengths and be proud of who they are is amazing.

And I thank you so much for that.

It's really hard work and not a lot of people say thank you to what you guys do.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you and good luck.

Sister Virginia: Thank you for giving us this opportunity.

Doni: You are absolutely welcome and thank you as well for joining us today.

And I hope to see you next time.

On to the Point.

Announcer: The views and opinions expressed in to the point are those of the host of the program and its guests.

They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of WGTE Public Media.

This program was made possible in part by viewers like you.