Name: Esmeralda Guerrero
Job title: Administrative Assistant for the Social Action/Catholic Charities office.
Contact information: 563-888-4210, guerrero@davenportdiocese.org
What is your role for the Chancery? I work in the Social Action Department/Catholic Charities office as the administrative assistant for Deacon Kent Ferris and volunteers Loxi Hopkins and Glenn Leach. The programs I work with include the Mission Appeals, St. Vincent’s Home, CRS Rice Bowl, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Pacem in Terris Award ceremony, etc. (https://www.davenportdiocese.org/programs).
What do you find most rewarding about your position? Our office gets involved in various social justice issues and there is always something new to learn. It is rewarding when we can make a difference in the community or in people’s lives.
What do you find most challenging about your position? Sometimes I am unable to help people and have to turn people away because our office does not have the means of providing direct financial assistance. One phone call that I will never forget was one from a mother whose 2-year-old daughter passed away and she was in need of financial assistance to transport her child’s body back to Guatemala. I hear heartbreaking stories of people needing help.
What question do people most often ask you? Most questions are about Mission Appeals, grant deadlines and grant criteria.
