BOSTON -- A pregnant survivor of domestic violence who lived in a storage unit while caring for her three-year-old daughter. A Brockton woman who took cold showers to save heating oil for her 95-year-old mother. An asylum seeker with no criminal record who was picked up by ICE on his 21st birthday and shuffled through detention centers for five months, only to be released into the winter chill wearing the same clothes he was arrested in.

These are some of the people that Catholic Charities Boston has helped in the past year. CCB provided the pregnant mother with shelter and childcare and threw her a baby shower that supplied her with everything she would need to raise her child. The Brockton woman, thanks to an anonymous benefactor, received heating oil after several local organizations were unable to help. CCB provided lawyers to argue for the asylum seeker's release. CCB Vice President of Refugee and Immigrant Services Marjean Perhot personally picked him up from the ICE facility in Burlington. He also received winter clothes donated by parishioners from St. Cecilia Parish in Boston.

"I won't pretend that it hasn't been a challenging time, but what keeps me going are the small tangible yeses that we can offer to those who come to us seeking help at a time when the world keeps telling them no," CCB President and CEO Kelley Tuthill said at the charity's annual Spring Celebration, held at the Fairmount Copley Plaza on May 27.

The celebration surpassed $1.8 million fundraising total, the highest amount raised since the Spring Celebrations began. In the face of SNAP cuts, shelter closures, multiple government shutdowns, and the skyrocketing price of everything from groceries to gas, Tuthill said that the past year's headlines give an insight into why CCB's work is so critical.

She thanked the donors who filled the Fairmount's Grand Ballroom for their support.

"You give our neighbors hope that they won't have to face the most difficult moments alone, and we are truly grateful to have you here with us," she said.

Archbishop Richard G. Henning delivered the invocation at the gala.

"The Lord's summons to us to love as we have been loved is not an obligation," he said. "It is a blessing. The blessing of accompanying others on the journey of life, the gift of mutual care and shared compassion, the beauty of the life lived for others. Such is the heart of the mission of Catholic Charities Boston, and the heart of what we do tonight."

Each year, CCB presents the John and Virginia Kaneb Justice and Compassion Award to a longtime supporter of the charity's work. This year's award went to Liberty Mutual President and CEO Tim Sweeney, a Lowell native and Lowell Catholic alum.

"In the midst of these challenging times, Tim and his colleagues at Liberty Mutual have set a new standard of support for the nonprofit community," Tuthill said.

Dozens of Liberty Mutual employees volunteer at CCB outposts. This past year, Liberty Mutual provided CCB with a consulting team and funded training for its managers.

"They took care of all that because they know we don't have the funds to do those kinds of programs," Tuthill said.

Francis Hyatt, executive vice president and chief community investments and sustainability officer at Liberty Mutual, said that Sweeney has always recognized the need for services like CCB's in Massachusetts.

"Liberty's partnership with Catholic Charities is very longstanding," Hyatt said, "from supporting the Teen Center in Dorchester to expanding access to food and housing in places like Lynn, Lowell, Lawrence, and Brockton to bring the full strength of our people and expertise to help Catholic Charities grow and adapt."

CCB Board Chair Mark Kerwin presented Sweeney the award, sculpted by "Make Way for Ducklings" sculptor Nancy Schon. Sweeney thanked the CCB board, leadership team, "and everyone whose dedication makes this organization such a powerful force for good in this city and in this community."

"The faith education and values that shaped me early in life taught me the importance of community, humility, service, and responsibility to others," he said. "Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my life and my career, and they are one of the reasons that this recognition has such special meaning."

He said that CCB treats the vulnerable and suffering with dignity, reminding them that they are not alone. Likewise, Liberty Mutual has a responsibility to the community it serves that goes beyond business dealings.

"Boston has always been a place of resilience and possibility," he said, "but organizations like Catholic Charities help to find its soul, because they remind us that a strong community is measured not only by its success, but by how it cares for those most in need."



(Note: This story has been updated to reflect additional fundraising totals available after the event.)