Over the years, Sister Marie has had a hand in starting and growing several successful organizations aimed at helping those in the low-income populations move into—and thrive in—stable environments.

A principle central to Sister Marie’s work and success is her belief in the importance of empowerment. It can be summarized in seven short words: “A hand up; not a hand out.” Though concise, the message—and accompanying actions—are effective and powerful. In addition to providing financial and employment assistance, Sister Marie and her organizations’ employees work tirelessly to teach their clients the skills necessary for moving independently towards a more stable place in life.

Having adopted this principle early in her professional career, Sister Marie and her organizations’ staff members have positively impacted the lives of nearly forty thousand people in the state of Georgia alone.

The Early Years: Chicago, New York and Kansas City

Born and raised in Chicago towards the end of the Great Depression, Marie and her two brothers were first-generation descendants of Irish immigrant parents. As they grew up hearing stories of the Irish famine, Marie knew that beyond the walls of her Catholic school lived groups of impoverished people all over the word needing help just to survive. After finishing high school at the age of seventeen, she entered a Dominican convent in Wisconsin, earned her college degree and began working as an elementary school teacher in a Bronx, New York Catholic School.

After five years up North, Sister Marie moved to Kansas City, Missouri and taught elementary education to inner-city students for nearly ten years. However, it was Sister Marie herself who gained an education: the more she taught, the more she realized that no amount of math or reading lessons would truly be successful at reaching the source of her students’ issues. Rather, she felt that it was important to learn how to effect change through life skills education and empowerment. To this end, Sister Marie received permission to pursue a graduate degree in social work and became one of the first women in her religious order to earn a Masters degree in social work.

After two years in school at St. Louis University, Sister Marie returned to Kansas City and, armed with her new knowledge base and growing passion for the low-income population, became the daycare coordinator for one of the country’s last Model Cities programs. While there, she oversaw the work of seven centers and two homes that served the needs of 500 children. Additionally, she started a group of parish social workers and launched coordinated programs that brought together area churches in collaboration to help meet the growing needs of the homeless population. This particular organization, Parish Workers, proved to be a turning point in the young nun’s professional life.

Following her success with this enterprise, Sister Marie took on a position at the Kansas City Seton Center, where she oversaw emergency assistance for the Center’s clients as well as care of elderly people living in nursing homes. Under her leadership, what began as a program with three religious staff members and two laywomen blossomed into a major organization with a staff of over 50 people.

Move to Atlanta

In August of 1983, Sister Marie left Kansas City, signaling the start of a new chapter in her life—and the city of Atlanta. She moved South to take over the emergency assistance program for the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta. A component central to Sister Marie’s job was providing food to the homeless; in responding to this growing issue, she again recognized there a existed a much bigger need to address the root causes of homelessness—a lack of education and the support necessary to move away from unstable situations. Additionally, Sister Marie realized that in order to adequately focus on providing this kind of assistance, she needed an organized staff of people.

What first took root started out as a coalition of churches and dedicated employees working together to provide emergency assistance and education to low-income and homeless people in the midtown Atlanta community; shortly thereafter, in 1984, the Christian Emergency Help Centers was officially born. In addition to co-founding this successful organization, Sister Marie’s work inspired similar organizations throughout the Atlanta community. Though she eventually focused solely on what would ultimately develop into The Sullivan Center, many of these organizations are still flourishing today. Among these are emergency assistance institutions such as the Midtown Assistance Center and Buckhead Christian Ministry as well as Achor Center, a not-for-profit group providing transitional and permanent affordable housing to women and children.

In 1994, the board of the CEHC voted unanimously to honor Sister Marie by changing its name to The Sullivan Center. In the last fifteen years, Sister Marie’s namesake—and a true gem in the Atlanta community—has evolved into a source of assistance, knowledge and inspiration for many of its clients. If a father is in need of money to pay his mortgage, he will only receive a check after completing a series of financial literacy classes; similarly, if a mother in the midst of job hunting asks for job leads, she will work privately with a career coach to learn the skills necessary for today’s employment market and collaborate on a tailored action plan for moving forward in her job search. Additionally, if a family is in need of food, they are required to attend a nutrition class in order to learn the importance of providing healthy food to all family members. In short, Sister Marie still believes in the importance of teaching and empowering clients in order to truly help them transition into a more stable life.

Innovations and Awards Abound

In addition to her work with the homeless and near-homeless population, Sister Marie is regarded as a true visionary, possessing that rare ability to address issues before they even appear as problems. In 1986, for example, Sister Marie recognized that there was a need to use emerging technology as a means of tracking both the assistance programs as well as aid received by clients in the Atlanta area. To this end, Sister Marie worked to establish Metropolitan Atlanta Clearing House, the first centralized computer database for Atlanta area assistance agencies. Now called Pathways, this independently run organization links together the assistance programs in Atlanta and is also used in several other cities across the United States. The success of this program has allowed for ease of sharing necessary information between agencies as well as ensuring that clients are using their assistance wisely.

Moreover, Sister Marie’s innovations also extend into the world of organic agriculture. In response to 2001 market research showing a strong neighborhood interest in providing healthful foods at low costs, Sister Marie started The Sullivan Center’s Community Garden. Currently, the extensive garden area on Sullivan Center property serves the needs of both the Center and 20 neighborhood families. All participants take an active role in maintaining and tending to the area as well as learning how to grow and market organic goods. Through their efforts, the Community Garden provides fresh, healthy food for the community as well as extra income for those who sell the produce.

Not surprisingly, Sister Marie Sullivan has received numerous awards and recognition over the years for her ongoing efforts and success in positively impacting the low-income population. A few highlights include:

• Received the 11 Alive Community Service Award (WXIA-TV, Atlanta). June 1995.

• Appreciated for "Outstanding Leadership" by Technology/Career Education, A Division of the Atlanta Public School System. August, 1999.

• W.O.M.E.N. (Women of Multi-Ethnicity and Nationality) recognized Sister Marie as one of the diverse, outstanding women in Atlanta. March 2007.

• Received an award from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture for implementing and advocating for nutrition classes for the low-income population. March 2009.

Also not surprisingly, Sister Marie rarely thinks about her many achievements, concentrating instead on the importance of doing good work for the simple sake of helping others help themselves.

Back to the Future

In the past fifty years, Sister Marie Sullivan, O.P., has touched the hearts and lives of almost everyone who has walked through the doors of her many organizations. However, her influence does not end with each client; rather, the effect she has had on the low-income community is akin the ripple effect: clients leave with the knowledge and power that they can help themselves and, in doing so, help change the lives of their loved ones as well. The sense of empowerment and learning to have faith in one’s abilities flows outward, from clients to family members, friends and neighbors.

The simple truth that “knowledge is power” is, indeed, powerful. Sister Marie’s lifetime of hard work and dedication to teach others the lessons necessary for taking control of their own lives has changed—and will continue to change—the lives of people facing unstable situations. Her professional work spans an impressive five decades; far more impressive, however, is the “knowledge” that Sister Marie Sullivan’s “powerful” message will continue to positively change the lives of many for years to come.

About the Sullivan Center

The Sullivan Center is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help people remain self-sufficient, by providing help in a dignified manner to families and individuals facing a stability crisis. We empower people to help themselves through financial planning, nutrition classes and employment counseling. Our primary goal is the prevention of homelessness, poverty and economic inequality. You can contact us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).