Ministries

Sudden Needs Ministry

(Contact Information )
Steve Martin 440.318.4082
Ann Bagley-Fuhry 440.339.3767
Carol Stebnicki 440.286.9693

Some of these services will require lead time in order for us meet your needs.

What is the Sudden Needs Ministry?
Sudden Needs ministry is a group of volunteers that want to help provide for the needs of people that are in a crisis or emergency. Its mission statement reads "To support supportive services to help meet the emergent physical and emotional needs of those stricken with a sudden, unexpected illness or trauma within the St. Helen community and to help link the family to existing outside resources." This may include emergency surgeries, car accidents, devastating acute illnesses, cancer, etc. It does not include minor illnesses, planned childbirth, planned surgeries, or anything that can be prepared for. To accomplish its mission, Sudden Needs Ministry contains seven "needs groups" that include volunteers that can help provide services that meet that groups needs. The six need groups include Meals, Transportation, Visitation, Child / Pet care, House care, and the Initial Response group.

What does each need group do?

Meals group:
-Provide meals to recipients or their family.
-Maybe provide information on outside resources for meal delivery if long term is anticipated.
Transportation Group:
-Help provide transportation to doctor appointments.
-Help provide transportation to treatments ( Chemotherapy, radiation, physical therapy, grocery shopping, etc)
-Provide transportation to Mass
-Maybe provide information on outside resources for transportation.
-Provide a second set of ears during doctor consultations.
Visitation Group:
-Provide emotional support for recipient and family
-Sit with family during surgeries
-Find other needs that need to be met
-Bring communion to recipient (Eucharistic Ministers)
-Maybe help with laundry, or light housecleaning during a visit
-Maybe cook a meal during a visit.
-relieve a caretaker for a break
Child / Pet Care group:
-Help provide child care during appointments, treatments, hospital stays, etc
-Help provide rest for the recipient
-Help provide elder care if recipient is caregiver to an elder.
-Help provide pet care if recipient is hospitalized and has pets at home with no one there to care for them.
House Care group:
-Provide grass cutting
-Provide snow removal
-Help modify home for recipients return (set up downstairs bedroom,build a wheelchair ramp, etc)
-Secure house if house left open during an emergency

We hope to be able to add definitions to each of the ministries listed below