SHARE A
STORY OF HOPE

Every day, across the country, people of faith — people just like you — show up to serve their neighbors with compassion and love. These acts of Christian service and care — big and small — are sacred moments of human connection.

You could be one of 40 Catholic Charities staff members and volunteers coming to Washington, D.C.! Receive an all-expenses-paid trip this summer if your story of human connection is selected.

As a staff member or volunteer of a Catholic Charities agency, you bear witness to the needs of your vulnerable neighbors. Tell us the story of someone you served — the client who impacted you the most and why. If your narrative is one of 40 chosen to be featured in a new nationwide storytelling initiative, you will join fellow Catholic Charities staff and volunteers in Alexandria, Virginia — just across the river from Washington, D.C. — this summer to have the story you tell professionally captured. You'll also enjoy a three-day, all-expenses-paid cultural experience in our nation’s capital.

HOW WILL MY VIDEO BE USED?

Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is launching a nationwide storytelling exhibit, People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors, in the spring of 2026. Selected stories will be professionally recorded and featured in our mobile exhibit and in a national marketing campaign. This immersive experience will tour the United States for two-and-a-half years, highlighting sacred stories of service — moments that reveal the power of volunteering, the awe of encountering others at their most vulnerable and the transformation that occurs when we live out our faith.

GIVE ME THE DETAILS

You must be available July 28–30, 2025. Only participants who can commit to joining us (all expenses paid) in Alexandria, Virginia, on those dates for a professional video shoot should submit a story.
After all submissions have been received, CCUSA will choose up to 40 to record professionally and feature in the exhibit. If yours is chosen, we will reach back out with all of the details of your July 28–30 trip.
Review the preliminary agenda and additional details on this experience.

HOW DO I SUBMIT A VIDEO?

We invite you to submit for consideration a 2- to 4-minute video — using your phone or computer — of the experience of serving someone whose story particularly impacted you or has stuck with you over the years. The quality of the video won’t matter at this stage, just the content. Identifying details about your client will not be included in the final videos, to protect the privacy of those served.

LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT

INFORMATIONAL SESSION RECORDING

If you weren't able to join us for the April 16 informational webinar about CCUSA’s new storytelling initiative, People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors, you can watch it here!

Learn more about the exhibit, the kinds of stories we're looking for, how to submit your video and what you can expect if you are chosen as one of the 40 participants.

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions, please reach out to Bill Gangluff, chief communications and marketing officer
(bgangluff@catholiccharitiesusa.org), or Kristine Livdane, senior director of marketing (klivdane@catholiccharitiesusa.org),
at any time. We look forward to you sharing a story of hope!

Catholic Charities USA

CCUSA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Federal Tax ID Number 53-0196620