Charity and giving back is important to Phoenix residents Wolfgang and Nancy Monthofer. Growing up as a Catholic in Germany, giving to others was always a big part of Wolfgang’s childhood.
Wolfgang pursued the American dream and arrived in Phoenix at the age of 20 and was drafted into the Army shortly afterwards. While he was stationed in St. Louis, he met Nancy who shared his love of community, charity and giving back and the couple started their own dental business. The Monthofers have contributed to the Phoenix Catholic community ever since.
Rather than selling their office building on 19th Avenue when Wolfgang retired, they decided to gift it as part of their many charitable contributions to the Diocese of Phoenix.
As the social services arm of the Diocese, Catholic Charities was in the process of developing affordable housing in the area as Valley housing prices quickly outpaced wages. And the rest, as they say, is history.
In July 2021, the sixth affordable housing community developed by Housing for Hope, an affiliate of Catholic Charities, along with Trinity Development Partners out of Springfield, Mo., broke ground on Mesquite Terrace, which will feature 297 units of affordable housing for individuals and families.
But it is important to note that all Housing for Hope communities provide more than just a place to live. With the help of compassionate resident services staff members from Catholic Charities, services such as community food pantries, after-school workshops for kids, community gardening, and more help provide a friendly, welcoming place to call home.
Catholic Charities Receives $4 Million
from Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
Catholic Charities was one of 71 nonprofits in the Valley to receive part of a record-setting $123 million from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. The gift is part of the Now is the Moment Grants Commemoration.
“We are, in a word, overwhelmed,” said Catholic Charities President and CEO Paul Mulligan. “But the people we serve across Maricopa County will be the beneficiaries of this incredibly generous gift, and for that we are deeply grateful.”
Last year, Piper Trust provided a charitable gift of $100,000 to Catholic Charities to support increased needs due to the pandemic, so this year’s gift was completely unexpected.
“Despite a tumultuous year due to the global health crisis caused by COVID-19 and economic uncertainty across all sectors, many individuals and institutions with large investments in the stock market experienced extraordinary growth in the value of their holdings,” a representative from Piper Trust said. “Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust’s endowment grew by $123 million in the 15 months following the start of the pandemic. With these two opposing forces at work, and as stewards of the Trust’s founder, Virginia Galvin Piper, Trustees felt compelled to share all of the earnings in one swift move with the community.”
Catholic Charities is extremely grateful and humbled by the generosity. The board and leadership will be meeting in the coming months to ensure funds are used for those most in need in conjunction with our mission of helping the most vulnerable with permanent solutions that improve lives.