Frances Ginther awarded Guerin Outreach Ministries Leadership and Advocacy Award

Frances Ginther of Gary, Ind., was recently named the Guerin Outreach Ministries Leadership and Advocacy Award recipient for 2013.

Guerin Outreach Ministries is a ministry of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. It serves economically poor and marginalized clients through education, English-language instruction and counseling at three ministry sites in West Terre Haute, Ind., Chicago, Ill., and Coachella, Calif.

Frances currently serves as a consultant for Guerin Outreach Ministries, offering guidance and support in the areas of business and financial management, marketing and public relations. Prior to her consulting work, she served as the executive director of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, a primary health and behavioral health center that serves underserved and uninsured patients.

Frances has a long association with the Sisters of Providence and their ministries. She was a member of the Congregation for 20 years and has maintained a connection for the 30-plus years since. In 1999 she joined the board of Providence Family Services in Chicago and was instrumental in advising for and creating the umbrella corporation of Guerin Outreach Ministries.

“Frances Ginther for many years has been our business advisor and consultant, our listening post and advice giver and, more than anything else, our animator and our friend,” Sister Patty Fillenwarth, president of Guerin Outreach Ministries, said in presenting the award.

“During the past six years, Frances has done an excellent job of keeping all four ministries: Guerin Outreach Ministries, Educational Family Services, Providence in the Desert, and Providence Family Services, on track, on budget and legal. Frances has managed to do this with tact, kindness, generosity, thoughtfulness, skill and knowledge.”

“Her attention to detail, while maddening at times, has served us all well. Frances never does things in half measures, and we have all benefitted from this thoroughness and diligence,” Sister Patty said.

“I’m very amazed and grateful for the recognition. It renews my commitment. I like doing this. In my semi-retired state I’m able to focus on things that are important to me,” Frances said.

“I believe in the mission of Guerin Outreach Ministries: helping the hidden and unseen. They serve the same population that I have endeavored to serve my whole career: the marginalized, the unseen, the disparate populations.

“These ministries are making a difference in their clients’ lives in every area. They are taking patients, students, clients, counselees, they are taking them where they are and supporting them into a better space, into better life skills, into language use that supports their capacity to earn and support their families. It’s very family-centered work all the way around,” Frances said.

Photo cutlines:
Frances Ginther: Frances Ginther was named the recipient of the Guerin Outreach Ministries Leadership and Advocacy Award for 2013 for her role in helping to found and advise the ministry. Guerin Outreach Ministries supports three localized ministries of the Sisters of Providence that serve people in need. Download a high-resolution photo for use in the article here: https://spsmw.org/?attachment_id=33423

Frances award: Sister Patty Fillenwarth, right, presents the Guerin Outreach Ministries Leadership and Advocacy Award for 2013 to Frances Ginther, left. Download high-resolution photo for use in the article here: https://spsmw.org/?attachment_id=33424