WASHINGTON (February 25, 2000) -- A Dominican Sister of 31 years, born in Bolivia and educated in the United States, will receive the Year 2000 Sister Margaret Cafferty Development of People Award for her work since 1983 with migrant farm workers in Florida. The award is presented annually by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the domestic anti-poverty program of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, and will be presented in Washington, D.C.

Sister Teresa Auad, a member of the Sinsinawa Dominican Order, arrived in Indiantown, Fla., in 1983 to help improve the quality of life for migrant farm workers and their children. Through the organization she founded, In Dios Inc., she has worked steadily on behalf of migrant farm families to help them obtain skills for permanent employment and find jobs; apply for citizenship; buy homes; and help students apply for college scholarships. In addition, she has been an advocate for education and recreation activities for migrant farm families, and has organized local schools and businesses to provide mentoring and scholarships for students in Indiantown.

An affiliated program, In Dios Cooperative Inc., trains migrant women to sew and manage the manufacture of garments. Prior to coming to Indiantown, Sister Teresa spent two years in Chicago as Case Manager for Chicago Catholic Charities, licensing homes for foster care and placing children in those homes. Sister Teresa holds a bachelor's degree from Edgewood College in Madison, Wis., and a master's degree in social work from Tulane University in New Orleans.

The Sister Margaret Cafferty Development of People Award, named in memory of the late Presentation Sister who served as executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and a member of the Catholic Bishops' Committee for CCHD, honors an individual whose life exemplifies a commitment to the development of people and the elimination of poverty. Recipients of this award have made significant contributions to human development in the recognition of poverty and have offered heroic responses to the needs of the economically disadvantaged. The award was established in 1987 and was called the Development of People Award until 1997, when it was renamed in Sister Margaret Cafferty's honor.

CCHD is the largest private funder of anti-poverty programs controlled by the poor in the United States. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops established the Campaign in 1970 to support self-help efforts of low-income people, to address the root causes of poverty, and bring to life both Scripture and the Church's social teaching. In 1999, CCHD awarded $10 million in grants to 306 community-based projects across the country that will help break the cycle of poverty by creating jobs, providing affordable housing, strengthening schools, developing healthy communities, and protecting the environment.

Bishop Joseph Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston, Texas, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Fr. Robert Vitillo, CCHD executive director, will present the award to Sr. Teresa today during the opening session of the 2000 Social Ministry Gathering, Sunday, February 27.

For additional information, contact Barbara Stephenson, CCHD, 202-541-3364, bstephenson@nccbuscc.org

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