Catholic Charities USA Awards Centennial Medal to Catholic Legal Immigration Network

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May 18, 2011, 11:44 ET

Legal help agency recognized for its service to the indigent

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), the 100-year-old social services organization working to reduce poverty in America, today presented its specially commissioned Centennial Medal to CLINIC, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081008/CCUSALOGO)

"This medal is presented as part of our recognition of organizations and individuals whose exceptional witness to the work to reduce poverty in the United States is compassionate and exemplary," said Rachel Lustig, CCUSA Senior vice President of Mission and Parish Social Ministry. "We also acknowledge that the history of CCUSA has been shaped and strengthened by the partnerships we have had with organizations such as CLINIC."

CLINIC's mission is to provide legal services to indigent and low-income immigrants, principally through diocesan immigration programs. Since being established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1988, CLINIC and its member agencies have represented low-income immigrants without reference to their race, religion, gender or ethnic group.

The Centennial Medal, a symbol of Catholic Charities' first 100 years, recognizes the valuable contributions of individuals and organizations to the reduction of poverty in the United States and the work that Catholic Charities staff and volunteers perform every day in service to the least among us.

For more information about Catholic Charities USA visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.

Catholic Charities USA's members provide help and create hope for more than 9 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. For almost 300 years, Catholic Charities agencies have worked to reduce poverty by providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from health care and job training to food and housing. In 2010, Catholic Charities USA celebrated its centennial anniversary and introduced new federal legislation – the National Opportunity and Community Renewal Act (NOCRA) – to transform the nation's approach to poverty.

SOURCE Catholic Charities USA