Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice, Inc.

After Most Reverend John J. Nevins was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida in 1984, attention turned to forming a Catholic Charities organization. The boundaries of an agency generally follow those of a diocese. Therefore, Catholic Charities was established to cover the same ten county areas of Manatee, Hardee, Highland, DeSoto, Lee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Collier, Hendry and Glades. Documents were filed with the Secretary of State on December 18, 1984, less than two months after the diocese was established. The corporation, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc. was certified as a non-profit, charitable, benevolent body within the State of Florida. Among the purposes described in the Articles of Incorporation are: to advance charitable and social work within the diocese; to organize and govern branches or affiliated agencies; to engage in family and child welfare services; to collect and publish information regarding social welfare. Today, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice has 29 offices with over 100 staff under the guidance of Chief Executive Officer Peter Routsis-Arroyo. The organization offers 32 programs and services to the people of Southwest Florida. Catholic Charities has a governing Board of Directors and several Advisory Board of Directors. With the continuing development and growth in population of Southwest Florida, Catholic Charities will strive to sustain the needs of the underprivileged well into the future. Source: www.catholiccharitiesdov.org