Angeline's Wing opens to serve children and families

By DAWN PROSSER
Director of Communications
 
A large crowd of Catholic Charities supporters, staff, board members, clergy and community members gathered in Sioux City Feb. 23 for the grand opening, blessing and Siouxland Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting of the new 7,200 square foot Angeline’s Wing for Children and Families.
 
Speakers included Amy Bloch, Catholic Charities executive director; Tyler Tigges, board chair; Chris McGowan, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce president, and David Gleiser, MHRD executive director.
 
Along with the new addition, Catholic Charities celebrated the fully remodeling of the original building for adult mental health care. Tours of the entire building were available as part of the event.
Chapel named for St. Nicholas of Myra Angeline’s Wing is named in memory of Angeline Thom of Ashton, whose generous estate bequest provided project funding and the critical matching dollars for the $1 million Missouri River Historical Development Economic Development (MHRD) Match Grant.
 
“Angeline grew up in Ashton, Iowa, with her siblings. Although she never married or had children of her own, she treasured her nieces and any child who entered her doors,” Bloch explained to the event guests. “She clearly wanted to make a difference in the world when she named Catholic Charities as the recipient of her family farm upon her death.”
 
Gleiser pointed out that MHRD grant dollars are awarded “impactful projects” such as Angeline’s Wing which will benefit the community.
 
“Through our grant programs, we see a strong need with mental health services, substance abuse recovery services and so forth,” he said. “We know it will create more than just jobs. It’s going to create hope and opportunity for families for many generations to come.”

 Amy BlochTigges, who noted that he has served on the board for eight years, offered his thanks to supporters and to the Catholic Charities employees. 

“Our staff here at Catholic Charities show love to all those that they impact every day and bring hope to those they impact every day,” he said. “We are so grateful for you and the impact you and this new facility will have on the community.”
 
Bishop John Keehner and Bishop Emeritus Walker Nickless offered the prayer before Bishop Keehner blessed the new space.
 
“To quote St. Peter, Lord, it is good for us to be here,” Bishop Keehner welcomed the attendees. “It is so good to see so many of you here today.”
 
Other guests included Thom family members, Brian Corbin, executive vice president of Catholic Charities USA in Washington, D.C.; Denise Ogilvie of Catholic Charities USA in Kansas City, staff from RML Architecture, H & R Construction, and many others.
 
“I was excited to come to Catholic Charities in Sioux City for this incredible moment to open the children’s wing, and I had the pleasure of meeting the (Thom) family,” Corbin said after the ribbon cutting. “I can see how deeply rooted Catholic Charities is in this community.”

 Designed by RML Architects and constructed by H and R Construction, Angeline’s Wing was intentionally created to be bright, welcoming and developmentally appropriate for young people. The expansion included a new entrance and lobby, specialized rooms for play, youth and art therapy; a Parent-Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT) space; group therapy rooms; the Central Bank Family Room for private consultation and conversation (named in recognition of generous Central Bank’s generous contribution to the project), additional therapist offices and a psychiatrist suite with a private check-in area.
 Siouxland Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting The remodel of the existing facility allows Catholic Charities to better serve adults by enhancing therapy spaces, improving flow and privacy to support healing, dignity and care for clients of all ages. 

Bloch pointed out that the project stemmed from the recognition that Catholic Charities was in need of space and had a growing need for youth mental health care.
 
“We’d outgrown our current building and had been discussing the possibility of adding on,” she said. “We also started looking at the needs in our community. Children’s mental health quickly rose to the top. Then came Angeline’s gift.”
 
The executive director acknowledged that there were many partners to thank for their contributions that made Angeline’s Wing a reality, including project contractors, the Diocese of Sioux City, donors, staff and the Catholic Charities Board. She noted that the staff was anxious to share the new facility with their clients.
 
“To the kids and families we serve, we are so proud of the space that we created, and we happily and gratefully now turn it over to you,” she said.

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