Eva’s honors Bishop Sweeney with award at annual benefit gala

CEDAR GROVE  With humility, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney accepted the “Where Hope Begins” Award for his and the Diocese’s support and encouragement of Eva’s Village in Paterson, which helps people climb out of homelessness, hunger, addiction, and joblessness to rebuild their lives, during Eva’s Annual Benefit Gala on Nov. 4 at the Grove here. That night, Eva’s also honored its own front-line workers and those of St. Joseph’s Health, which operates St. Joseph’s Univer­sity Medical Center, also in Paterson, for being unfailing in continuing to offer medical and social services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guided by the slogan, “Believe in a Better Tomorrow,” 403 Eva’s benefactors, staff, graduates, current clients, and diocesan staff attended its first “live,” in-person fundraising gala event since the pandemic struck 19 months ago. They also celebrated Eva’s evolution into one of the most effective anti-poverty nonprofit organizations in New Jersey since its founding in 1982. Eva’s presented its front-line staff with the Msgr. Puma Award, named after the late Msgr. Vincent E. Puma, its founder, and St. Joseph’s front-line workers with the Com­munity Service Award. The gala raised more than $1 million for its programs that each year, help more than 5,000 individuals and families break the cycles of poverty, homeless, hopelessness, and addiction.

“Thank you for this incredible honor. I do not deserve this award but I accept it on behalf of the Paterson Diocese and the leadership of the Diocese. I want to do anything that can help Eva’s do what it does,” said Bishop Sweeney. He learned about the good work of Eva’s and Msgr. Puma from his bishop at the time, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of the Brooklyn Diocese, where Bishop Sweeney served as a priest for 23 years before being named the Paterson Diocese’s eighth bishop last year. He also praised front-line workers “who taught us to love as we are called to love.” He encouraged the community at Eva’s to continue to work as God’s family to serve those in need” and for benefactors to “continue your generosity for our brothers and sisters in need.”

Recently, Bishop Sweeney came to know Eva’s during a visit to help them feed the hungry. In a video of that day, which was played at the gala, the Bishop described Eva’s work as “Jesus’ vision being lived out in different ways every day.”

Before the awards ceremony at the gala, Howard Haughton, Eva’s CEO, told the audience, “We are here to acknowledge the work, sacrifice and dedication of the honorees and the dedication of Eva’s staff and our partners.

“Thank you for your generosity and for being part of Eva’s mission. We provide survival-level resources for those in most need, offering assistance and providing solutions,” said Haughton, who mentioned a vaccination programs and an outreach to street people in need, collaborating with the City of Paterson.

Accepting the award on behalf of the front-line staff was John Reagan, senior peer coordinator at the Recovery Community Center, who told the audience, “I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. It’s great to know that our work and passion resonates with others,” said Reagan, who also thanked the management, the Board of Directors, and benefactors for their support. “I hope that this award serves as an inspiration to others.”

The Community Service Award for St. Joseph’s honored its staff for finding ways to care for patients during COVID-19. Haughton also mentioned the Opioid Overdose Recovery Program, a partnership Eva’s has with St. Joseph’s. Accepting the award was Kenneth Morris, St. Joseph’s vice president of external affairs.

“We are proud and humbled,” said Morris, who called the front-line workers “heroes,” who cared for people despite “surge after surge” of the pandemic.

During the gala, John Crimi, vice chair of Eva’s Board of Directors and chair of the gala, praised the Bishop as the spiritual leader of the Diocese.

The gala started with an invocation by Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, board president of diocesan Catholic Charities. He led the audience in prayer that God give the awardees the “strength to continue to serve the Lord” and for everyone in the Eva’s community to “recommit ourselves to the least among us.”

Eva’s started in 1982 by Msgr. Puma as a soup kitchen that provided sustenance with dignity, along with mental and physical health evaluations and referrals. It has grown to become a thought leader in implementing best practices to help people in Paterson climb out food and housing insecurity, substance use disorders, and unemployment. Eva’s offers food, emergency shelter, substance-abuse treatment, childcare to mothers in its treatment program, connections to peer support, and treatment to emergency room overdoes patients, sidewalk outreach, and supporting house to its vulnerable neighbors, according to the gala program.

Perhaps the most powerful testimony came from several Eva’s graduates, who spoke in a video at the end of the gala. They spoke of dark times, suffering from addiction, mental illness, poverty, prison time, and homelessness. Then they talked about successes in life, after having completed Eva’s program, such as finishing high school or college, going to work or starting a business, cultivating better relationships with their children, and acting on a desire to volunteer.

“Eva’s taught me to be a better person and a productive member of society. That’s my better tomorrow,” said Tamika Jones, who has been clean of her addiction for more than a decade.