Imagine yourself surrounded by relatives, friends and acquaintances all addicted to illegal drugs. Now imagine yourself a child in that situation. Such was the case for a young boy in Chicago. Eventually, the boy was sent to live with his aunt in the Twin Cities. After his brother suffered a violent death, the boy, now a teen, decided to change his own ways and follow a different path. He began doing odd jobs at the neighborhood St. Vincent de Paul store. The President of the organization took notice of him and encouraged him to continue on to attain his GED, then his college degree.
Fast-forward a few decades. Wayne Bugg, that boy from Chicago, now serves as Associate Director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul-Twin Cities, and as the Minneapolis St. Vincent de Paul Store Manager.
“Coming from a humble background, there’s nothing more wonderful for me [than] to be able to provide those services for others,” effuses Wayne joyfully. “We work with work release, people who have been in prison and need to give back. [Since] I have overcome some struggles, I’m able to mentor them and guide them. A lot of times, it’s a listening ear or a prayer, just being able to counsel people and their children.”
“We provide smiles to people in a time when some things are tough in their lives and there are struggles,” continues Bugg. “To have someone come and pay attention to you, like the President [of the St. Vincent de Paul Society many years back] did for me [makes all the difference]. We invest in people. God has given them gifts and abilities and our job is to help cultivate those so that they can go out and be a blessing to society. I had these gifts and abilities lying dormant in me and someone was able to cultivate them and bring them out and so that’s what I aim to do on a daily basis at St. Vincent de Paul.”
Your CSAF donations help the poor in so many ways. With material needs, certainly, but also with emotional and spiritual needs.
“There’s an organization that’s doing a lot of good in the community that could use your help,” urges Wayne Bugg.
The CSAF is proud to partner with ministries such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society in serving the poor, supporting life and strengthening the Faith. Thank you to our donors for supporting the 20 Designated Ministries and their recipients. Together, we are changing lives one by one!
