CANFIELD — Although she had not visited the area before April 9, Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), said she already feels a connection to the Mahoning Valley.

“I love this work because of the mission and because of the people with whom I work and the people that I get to meet on occasions like this,” Robinson said. “Speaking of faith-filled, merciful Catholic leaders in Youngstown, I am filled with gratitude for and admiration of Rachel Hrbolich, diocesan director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Youngstown. Rachel is deeply respected throughout the Catholic Charities network.

“Between our love for Rachel and the presence of Brian Corbin, one of her predecessors as such a key leader at Catholic Charities USA, it would be fair to say that Catholic Charities Diocese of Youngstown is one of our most discussed and beloved member agencies at our office in Alexandria, Virginia.”

Her speech, “Imagining Abundance: Fundraising Philanthropy and Spiritual Call to Service,” took place at the April gathering of the First Friday Club of Greater Youngstown at Avion on the Water Banquet Centre.

Robinson offered examples of what she called “moral courage” from her family’s personal relationship with Alexei Navalny and a story about Mother Teresa, now St. Teresa of Calcutta, to explain the concept.

“It was a little more than two years ago when my husband and I learned that our friend of nearly 15 years had died. Almost certainly he had been murdered. His name is Alexei Navalny. He was Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s opposition leader and an anti-corruption advocate,” Robinson said.

She and her husband met Navalny when he came to Yale University for the Yale World Fellows program, for which her husband was the director. Navalny brought his wife and children for the semester and they met Robinson’s children when she hosted Sunday home cooked meals for the fellows. They stayed in touch following the four months together in residence at the university.

“It was striking how many people, despite never having met Alexei, felt a genuine loss themselves and discussed deep emotions at the injustice of his death and felt that this was a great loss not only for his family but in a certain cosmic sense for the world,” Robinson said.

She explained that the response to his death revealed a deep yearning for moral heroism in the world today. The speaker described Navalny’s courage in spite of being accused of crimes by the Russian government, imprisoned, poisoned, life flighted out of Russia, recovered and returned to ultimately die in prison.

“He devoted his life to advocate for truth, justice and democracy. He gave his life for others to end the war in Ukraine, to end corruption in his own country,” Robinson said.

She said his death inspired acts of service and moral courage all over the world.

“It is a powerful reminder that courage begets courage. Selflessness inspires selflessness. The starting point for living a life of service is to pay attention to the role models in our midst. Look for moral heroism,” she said.

Robinson offered additional tips to find your moral hero, including who makes you want to be a better person and who restores your faith in humankind.

“Living a life of service does not and should not require you to willingly give up your own life, but if you look with intention, you will easily find examples in your own life,” Robinson said.

She advised the audience to find their moral heroes in order to help clarify their direction in life, which she said assisted her in her own life.

“(The Catholic Church) is the largest humanitarian network in the world. This renders me forever committed to its health and vitality,” Robinson said.

She clarified the misconception that Catholic Charities only serves Catholics.

“We don’t serve people because they are Catholic. We serve because we are Catholic,” she said.

She also discussed the collaborative nature to get things done to help people among the 169 Catholic Charities agencies around the country and Catholic Charities USA in Virginia.

“Each Catholic Charities across the United States is independent and tailors its services to the unique needs of its community. We share the same basic mission and, at times, respond as a network to massive challenges,” she said.

Her example of a collaborative service effort was the recent government shutdown and loss of SNAP benefits for Americans dealing with food insecurity.

CCUSA launched an emergency nationwide appeal. Donations poured in from around the country. Millions of pounds of fresh fruit, vegetables and shelf staple items were sent to 129 Catholic Charity locations that requested assistance.

Robinson’s speech was a call for action and a reminder that the service average citizens do each day truly makes a difference in the lives of their community and the world.

“What a blessing it is to be together on this wonderful day and to reflect on our faith and consider how to put God’s abundant love into practice. Service is habit forming,” she said.