Sister Christina
To reflect the amount of support for The Brothers Trust from North America, we have wanted to find a new charity Stateside to support. A family friend, Marlene who has long settled living in California and has an excellent track record of introductions (she introduced Dom’s sister to her husband) and she provided us with three charities which fitted our mission statement and including St. Francis Center in Fair Oaks neighbourhood, Redwood City.
A charity from humble beginnings and with 32 years of extraordinary output in empowering disadvantaged people in the world’s richest country but it seems also that other things were at play in us selecting St. Francis.
St. Francis Center is run by Sister Christina Heltsley. Nikki’s mum is called Christina. Her Grandfather was Francis. And Dom has four aunts who are all Sisters and spent their careers on missions throughout the world just like St Christina.
The Brothers Trust are delighted to support St. Francis Center.
Under their mantra, compassion not judgement, the St. Francis Center is a complete resource for disadvantaged people covering all essential elements for a fulfilling life. Housing and independent living, food provision, counselling, pastoral care and crucially, education and skills training to instil confidence and self-esteem and to afford people options in life and a charge over their futures.
The location of St. Francis Center appeals to us also. We associate California with Hollywood and glamour. The sun, its acres of vineyards and orange groves. And silicon valley of course where the tech billionaires hail and to whom we are all so beholden.
And yet of course this is not the reality of so many Californians. A state where housing has become unaffordable and there is an enormous requirement for menial service labour and attracts people from all over America and of course the world.
The remarkable work of the St. Francis Center is a testament to this need. Over the 32 years, there are countless families and individuals whose full lives are because of what the Center was able to provide for them. The Brothers Trust is honoured to be in a position to contribute to this effort so that other disadvantaged people can enjoy the same opportunities.
Finally, we note that Sister Christina is a former Redwood Citizen of the Year and has been recently inducted in to the San Mateo County’s Women’s Hall of Fame – which are nice accolades but from speaking to St Christina on the phone and knowing my aunts growing up, I am aware that such awards are not what motivates this remarkable woman and her dedicated staff.