Amsterdam girl’s unique story wins high honors in

national anti-poverty competition

A dog’s story, written by Gwyneth Sise of Amsterdam, has won her a $250 check in recognition of her fine writing in a national competition conducted by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).

She was presented with her award by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard at a special ceremony on Tuesday, June 29 at the Pastoral Center. She, in turn, presented a matching gift of equal value from CCHD to her designated CCHD-funded group, the Albany Community Land Trust, a local agency whose mission is to create permanent affordable housing for low and moderate income people.

Her unique and touching entry, “Table Scraps,” was written from the viewpoint of a pet dog of a poor family. “The jury was impressed with both the artistic quality of your work and the message it captured about the struggles of low-income families working to overcome poverty in the United States,” said Biloxi Bishop Roger P. Morin, chair of the Subcommittee on CCHD, in his congratulatory letter to Ms. Sise. CCHD is the domestic anti-poverty, social justice program of the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Bishop Morin added later, “You should be very proud of the talents God has given you. I encourage you to now use what you have been given to educate your family, friends and community about poverty in the United States and our faith response.”

CCHD developed the Multi-Media Youth Arts Contest in 2001, to help schools and parishes engage youth in learning about low-income people in the U.S. who are addressing the root causes of poverty. It is open to students in grades seven through twelve in Catholic parishes and schools.

The agency’s 2010 National CCHD Multi-Media Youth Arts Contest selected Ms. Sise, 12, as the National Third Prize winner among young people in grades 7-9. Bishop Howard is a long-time member and former chair of the CCHD subcommittee of the USCCB. CCHD programs are administered locally by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany.

CCHD celebrates its 40th anniversary this year as the domestic anti-poverty and social justice program of the Catholic bishops in the United States. With the support of Catholic parishioners, it has provided grants to more than 4,000 community and economic development projects over the past 40 years. The annual CCHD collection is taken up in most Catholic parishes in the United States on the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Ms. Sise is the daughter of the State Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable and Mrs. Joseph Sise (Robin). The young girl just completed 7th grade at St. Mary’s Institute in Amsterdam. She was first selected as a top winner in the local competition among Catholic students from throughout the 14-county Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany in April of this year. Nationally, thousands of students competed for CCHD local honors. Ms. Sise’s entry then faced direct competition on the national level from among 40 other entries selected and submitted by individual dioceses.

This is the second time in three years that a student from the Albany Diocese has received recognition in this CCHD competition. The national grand prize was won in 2008 by Stacy Plummer of Troy, who had then just graduated from Catholic Central High School.