A Home With Heart for the Community

By Barbara F. Zahner Executive Director from 1987 - 2002

Barbara and Joe in front of Sacred Heart Community Service founder, Louise Benson’s house.

Reflecting on the first capital campaign for Sacred Heart Community Service, memories dance in my mind of the community coming together to build a Home for the Heart. 

When I close my eyes, the first image I see is a rag-tag parade of mothers pushing strollers, holding sleeping babies and wide-awake toddlers enroute to City Hall. On the edge of the crowd is a man without a home. He sports a wide grin and flapping loafers. He has mended the toes of his shoes with duct tape. His swollen, bare ankles ooze over his shoe tops. Yet, he keeps pace with the crowd supporting CDBG funding for Sacred Heart Community Service.

At that time, we tottered, nearly losing our 1.6M CDBG capital funding.  We had not raised the matching funds. A call to action stirred the community.  In an amazing turnout—many dressed in red to signify Sacred Heart—a crowd of all cultures and languages showed up and spoke up. We kept that key grant—thanks be to God!

Another, more frightening image is of the blazing fire at our rented storefront at 803 S. First Street in 1997.

Amazingly, no one was injured. Again, the community surrounded Sacred Heart Community Service with care and prayer.  After midnight when the last fire truck pulled away, those who had come to gape, instead, led an informal prayer vigil. They laid their hands on the almost-too-hot to touch building. In Spanish they petitioned the angels to watch over the building and protect it from looting and graffiti.  Prayer works. The next day I found painted on the sidewalk in front of the charred building, a gang symbol and a warning: “Do not harm this building.” Amazingly, not one looted, not one mark of graffiti appeared. 

TV crews covered the fire. One reporter asked a worn-looking, middle-aged blonde-haired woman whom I did not recognize to let the viewers know how the fire affected her. She spoke clearly into the microphone. She described the warm welcome she received at Sacred Heart Community Service (SHCS). She talked about the SHCS programs in which she engaged.

Then she shouted a rally that brought tears of gratitude to my eyes, “They serve our community. Now they need our help. Help them!”

And the community helped.  Our first major individual funder Eli Reinhard is active in the Jewish Community. Capital Campaign Chair, Jack Going, a cradle Catholic, memorized the Hebrew phrase “Repairer of the breach.” In speaking to Eli about our plans for a homelike building that embraced the community, Jack pulled the slip of the paper from his shirt pocket on which he had written the phrase from Isaiah.  I do not know what Jack said. I do know, and I continue to be grateful, to Eli Reinhard donating $100,000 as the lead individual gift in our capital campaign. More gifts followed—large and small—all gratefully put to work to build a Home with Heart for the Community.

We consulted the community about our planned design. We heard requests such as “spacious”, “bright”, “room for strollers”, “changing table”, “place to play”, “computer lab”, “classroom with moveable tables and chairs,” “space to look at the clothes”, “meeting space”, “privacy”, and “family-like .”  Fortunately, Architect Pierre Prodis and builder Blach Construction listened well and caught the community’s spirit.

The final memory I can see clearly to this day was in 1998. We paraded down First Street again to open our Home for the Heart at 1381 S. First Street.  Police on horseback –tossing candy to the kids--rode smartly down the street.  Exultant board members, including founding board member Joe Tembrock, plus the staff marched with joy. With God’s help we had raised $7.1M, covering all costs and allowing us to create an endowment fund and reserve for capital projects. Mayor Susan Hammer walked with us. And the community cheered and celebrated.

After blessings in several faith traditions, we unfurled four banners from the front portico. In English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Russian, each proclaimed, “WELCOME!”

While I no longer serve as Executive Director, I rejoice that Sacred Heart Community Service continues to bring the community together and to work together for positive change.

I hope that this second capital campaign is met with the same generosity of spirit and love as the first. May we continue to recall and act from the idea that it is “in giving that we receive.” Bless you and thank you for continuing to build a Home with Heart for the community!