Honoring Faithful Service: Liz Recognized with Top Hat Award Nomination

Liz Curtis and her husband Cliff pose outside the Top Hat Award ceremony on Saturday, April 25.

Sometimes recognition is less about receiving an award and more about shining a light on the quiet, faithful work that often happens behind the scenes.

On Saturday, April 25, parishioner Liz Curtis was honored as a nominee for the Top Hat Award through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, one of the highest honors bestowed upon a Vincentian.

The Top Hat Award recognizes members who exemplify the spirit of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam through exceptional service to those in need. To be nominated is itself a significant honor and a reflection of faithful, sustained service.

For many at St. Mary Catholic Church, that recognition comes as no surprise. For the past six years, Liz has served as Chair of the Board of Directors for St. Vincent New Beginnings, a transitional housing ministry formerly known as the Men’s Shelter of Delaware County.

St. Vincent New Beginnings works to provide transitional housing for men in Delaware County reentering society from jail, prison, or treatment facilities, helping them rebuild life skills and become restored citizens. With plans to open a four-bed house to meet this urgent local need, the ministry offers not simply shelter, but hope, stability, and a path forward.

This work reflects the heart of the Vincentian mission: accompanying those on the margins with practical help and human dignity.

Liz’s Top Hat nomination recognizes not only personal dedication, but years of leadership in a ministry responding to real community needs with compassion and faith.

Her service is also part of something much larger.

Across the Columbus Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Vincentians and volunteers helped provide more than $1.41 million in rent and mortgage assistance to prevent homelessness. Nearly 288,983 people were served through parish conferences, special programs, and thrift stores. Vincentians and community members offered 171,013 volunteer hours, while nearly $1.4 million in additional aid supported needs such as food, transportation, furniture, and emergency assistance. On top of that, more than $6.8 million in in-kind goods were donated to support neighbors in need.

These numbers are not simply statistics.

They are meals shared. Evictions prevented. Lives stabilized. Hope restored.

They are the living expression of the Gospel.

At the award celebration, nominees were recognized before fellow Vincentians, families, and supporters from across the community. Though Liz did not receive the final award, her nomination stands as a beautiful affirmation of a life lived in service.

It was also an opportunity to share the mission of St. Vincent New Beginnings and invite others into this vital work!

We give thanks for Liz’s witness, for all who serve through St. Vincent de Paul, and for the many parishioners who continue to live the Corporal Works of Mercy in tangible ways. If you feel called to this ministry of mercy, we would love to welcome you. To learn more, email SVDP@delawarestmary.org or call the SVdP Needs Line at (740) 417-3410 and leave a message.