PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach is balancing four community efforts this week, from responding to people displaced by a plane crash and flooding to opening an interactive museum designed to help people better understand poverty.
Ellen T. Wayne, CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach, said the organization has been working with people affected by two emergencies while preparing to welcome the public to the People of Hope Mobile Museum and its “Spare Change, Share Hope” campaign.
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“We got hit with a double whammy,” Wayne said. “First, we're responding to the individuals who have been displaced as a result of the plane crash here in Palm Beach County, and then, now we're in full disaster response mode working with individuals who've been impacted by this [recent] flooding that we've had across our five counties in our diocese.”
Two community responses already underway
The first two efforts involve Catholic Charities' response to immediate needs in the community.
Wayne said the organization has been assisting people displaced by the Palm Beach County plane crash.
At the same time, Catholic Charities has moved into disaster response following flooding across the five-county area served by the Diocese of Palm Beach (Okeechobee, Indian River, Martin, St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties).
Those efforts are an extension of the organization's everyday work with people experiencing vulnerable situations, Wayne said.
People of Hope Museum opens in Palm Beach Gardens
The third effort brings a different kind of assistance to the community: understanding.
The People of Hope Mobile Museum is a traveling interactive museum housed inside an expandable semi-truck. It is visiting Catholic Charities agencies across the United States and is making a stop at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola in Palm Beach Gardens.
Wayne said the experience is intended to give visitors a glimpse into the lives of people dealing with poverty while sharing stories of resilience, perseverance, and hope.
Visitors can experience an interactive simulator that explores situations faced by people living in poverty, record their own stories, and leave messages of hope for others.
The museum also explores circumstances faced by seniors, people experiencing homelessness, and other people Catholic Charities serves.
“Oftentimes, people, when they're hearing a story of an individual struggling, will think, ‘Well, why did they do that or why didn't they do something else?’” Wayne said. “This is really going to give our guests an opportunity to see the challenges and the decisions that people have to make every day and the reality that there's no easy way out.”
The pop-up museum is free to attend Friday and Saturday.
‘Spare Change, Share Hope’ offers another way to help
The fourth effort happening this weekend is the "Spare Change. Share Hope." campaign.
Visitors who want to support Catholic Charities can contribute through a QR code associated with the campaign.
The campaign complements the museum's larger message by giving visitors an opportunity to move from learning about challenges their neighbors face to helping people in need.
Wayne described that connection by saying Catholic Charities has “people out in the field doing the work of Hope,” while the museum gives others an opportunity to learn what it means to become a person of hope themselves.
An opportunity to see life from another perspective
The timing gives the People of Hope Museum added relevance in Palm Beach County.
While Catholic Charities responds to people affected by emergencies, the museum asks visitors to consider the difficult decisions people can face when circumstances suddenly change.
“It's always easier to be on the outside looking in,” Wayne said. “This is intended to kind of open our eyes to what the struggles of people who are impoverished all across our country are facing.”
The People of Hope Mobile Museum is at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola, 9999 N. Military Trail in Palm Beach Gardens.
It is open Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free.
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