“Give and you will receive a hundred-fold. It’s amazing how giving is good for the soul,” shared Ken Deterville. These words reflect a couple living their faith. They are a husband, a wife, parents, grandparents, and Catholic Foundation fund holders. If you ask Ken about the greatest blessing in his life, he will tell you about his wife Ruth.
The Detervilles were inspired to give to help others through their friendship with missionary priest Fr. Ray Conard. Ken and Ruth saw the happiness Fr. Ray’s work and faith brought to children and families all over the world. They wanted to help expecting mothers struggling with their pregnancy. The Detervilles have four children and four grandchildren. They couldn’t bear the thought of a mother aborting her child and wanted to support adoption services in line with their Catholic faith.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay has provided adoption services for many years. The Detervilles value the difference these services make in the lives of families in need. This led them to establish the St. Faustina Endowment for Catholic Charities through the Catholic Foundation. This endowment places emphasis on adoption and teen parenting programs.
The St. Faustina Endowment will help expectant birth parents though the adoption process. Catholic Charities provides counseling services to mothers during and after their pregnancy. Birth parents choose their child’s adoptive family and make an open adoption plan. Through this endowment, Catholic Charities will continue to provide these important services for many years to come.
“What we’re doing is getting at the core of families and supporting them and strengthening them…helping out those parents in situations that they may be planning for or not planning for,” said Catholic Charities Director Karmen Lemke. “We are grateful to all who help make this possible.”
Creating this designated endowment was a simple process for Ken and Ruth. The Catholic Foundation helped them establish the endowment to match their charitable passion. They were able to name the endowment. The Detervilles and others can add to this endowment at any time. As Catholics, we follow Christ’s example in helping others. Fr. Ray Conard lived this example. Through their generosity, Ken and Ruth Deterville continue his memory by living their faith and helping people in need. Please consider leaving your legacy and establishing a fund through the Catholic Foundation just like Ken and Ruth. For more information, call Josh Diedrich at 920-272-8197.