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MURPHY — More than 150 people recently gathered for an evening fundraiser for Catholic Social Services' Office of Economic Opportunity, sponsored by St. William and Immaculate Heart of Mary churches. A Western-themed décor, with music and cuisine to match, helped to raise more than $23,000 for OEO. The good works of OEO in the western North Carolina counties of Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain include providing financial literacy resources, offering counseling services, and building family strengthening partnerships in the communities OEO serves.

This year's OEO gala fundraiser, "Stompin' Out Poverty," was coordinated by IHM parishioners Michele and Bob McGinnis and was held at The Ridges Resort on Lake Chatuge.

Pictured are IHM parishioners John Lepore and Sister Terry Martin, CND, sporting the Western motif of the gala. Sister Terry serves on OEO's advisory board and serves the Diocese of Charlotte as the social outreach coordinator for Clay and Cherokee counties.

Plans are already underway for next September's event, which annually provides OEO with about half the donations it needs to "fight poverty, build community, and strengthen families" in western North Carolina.

— Joseph Purello