The Neighborhood Bridge -
Catholic Communities of Oak Park and Neighbors
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Catholic Community of Oak Park Social Ministry Center on the Saint Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy Campus
The mission of The Neighborhood Bridge, located in the former rectory of Saint Catherine of Siena-Saint Lucy, is to connect Austin neighborhood families to existing high-performing human services providers. Our goal is to accompany and support families as they tackle their most pressing needs - for primary and mental health care, housing support, financial counseling, job readiness, and child care, among others.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, The Neighborhood Bridge’s initial focus is to serve families of students attending our partner schools in Austin: Saint Catherine of Siena-Saint Lucy, Saint Angela, Chicago Jesuit Academy, Catalyst Circle Rock, and Christ the King College Preparatory School. As a volunteer-driven organization, donations of time, talent, and treasure from the community allow us to offer our services for free.
We provide two primary outreach services: the Advocate Program and the Essentials Pantry. In our Advocate Program, trained volunteer Advocates accompany families in need (called Participants) and help connect them to the services and aid they need. Through our Essentials Pantry, families can request household essentials, such as soaps and detergents, paper goods, personal care products, socks, and underwear. Both programs are available at no cost to families in our partner schools to help them thrive.
As Cardinal Blase Cupich called it, the Neighborhood Bridge is an example of one of the main tenets of Renew My Church – living our faith by helping those in need.
> The Neighborhood Bridge Website
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Volunteers Power The Neighborhood BridgeMore than 30 volunteers have completed training to serve as Advocates, accompanying families as they access services they need from local human services organizations. About twenty people volunteer their time to pick, pack and deliver Essential Pantry packages to families who have ordered them. And another 30 volunteers support the services we provide by offering their expertise in law, finance, human resources, fundraising, communications, volunteer coordination, IT infrastructure, and event planning and execution.
Despite the impressive support we get from our current volunteers, we always need more. If you have skills and experience in email marketing and grant writing or you want to represent The Neighborhood Bridge at community events we participate in, please go to our website linked below and click on the “Volunteer” tab in the upper right corner of the homepage, and complete the form you’ll find toward bottom of the Volunteer webpage.
Questions? Please email our Volunteer Coordinator, Lenise Arnold at [email protected].
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What is the Neighborhood Bridge? - Catalyst Circle Rock SchoolThe Neighborhood Bridge serves about 600 families affiliated with five schools in central West Austin. Those schools are Saint Catherine-Saint Lucy, Saint Angela, Chicago Jesuit Academy, Christ the King College Preparatory High School, and Catalyst Circle Rock, which we profile here.
Catalyst Circle Rock, located at Central Avenue and Washington Boulevard just a half mile from The Neighborhood Bridge offices, is a K-8 public charter school that follows the educational philosophy of Saint John Baptist De La Salle: that an excellent education be available to all, that the academic needs of students be supplemented with social-emotional enrichment programs, and that learning be supported with compassion and care for the whole person.
Catalyst Schools were established in underserved communities. Each of the communities Catalyst serves has incredible gifts, and their assets, culture, and heritage hold the promise of a great future. The schools unlock the gifts within each student by addressing the whole child: academic, social-emotional, physical and psychological.
Founded in 2006, Catalyst Circle Rock serves 520 scholars, residing primarily in the Austin and Chicago Lawn neighborhoods. With a staff of 80 and a scholar-to-faculty ratio of 25:1, nearly all its students qualify for the federal free- and reduced-price lunch program.
The rigorous academic curriculum emphasizes a balance of literacy and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). Scholars also learn social-emotional skills through targeted instruction in leadership, positive character traits, and values. Over half of the scholars participate in after-school programs, focusing on the performing arts.
The newest addition to the campus is the Kehrein Center for the Arts. Following a $5 million restoration in 2019, the center serves as the school auditorium and a performance arts center, available for community use as well.
Ed Siderewicz, co-founder and currently the Director of External Relations, offers this final thought: “What I witness the most here is love in action. Catalyst’s lead core value is Faith in Love. The bridge between islands of darkness is the light illumined by love. Our teachers and staff model love clearly and consistently each day. Once our scholars experience the love that surrounds them daily, they begin to model love back.”
Would you like to see what love in action looks like? Catalyst Circle Rock welcomes visitors. To arrange a visit, contact Ed Siderewicz at (312) 560-7154.
And speaking of visitors, would you like to see The Neighborhood Bridge’s offices? We have an Open House every Friday morning from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM for visitors to tour our facility. No need to make a reservation; just drop by. We will be glad to meet you!
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Prentice Butler - 2026 Recipient of the Archbishop James P. Lyke African American Male Image AwardPrentice Butler, Executive Director of The Neighborhood Bridge, has been named the recipient of the Archbishop James P. Lyke African American Male Image Award for 2026.
This is the 32nd consecutive year the Male Image award has been given by a local Ladies’ Auxiliary of a national fraternal organization founded in 1911 to allow men of color membership in a Catholic fraternal society.
The Archbishop James P. Lyke African American Male Image Award recognizes outstanding African American men for their leadership, Christian values, community service and dedication to the African American community.
Prentice will be recognized at the annual Awards luncheon hosted by the Ladies’ Auxiliary on Sunday, February 22 in Orland Park. Honoring Prentice at a table hosted by The Neighborhood Bridge will be Prentice’s family, Father Carl, and members of the Board of The Neighborhood Bridge. If you want to congratulate Prentice on this distinguished honor, you can contact him at [email protected].
We wish to thank Father Carl for inviting a representative from The Neighborhood Bridge to speak at all Masses on the weekend of January 31 and February 1 at the three churches of our two parishes. Our speakers briefly highlighted the significant progress we achieved in 2025 and invited all parishioners who want to learn more to come to the Open House we host every Friday morning from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the offices of The Neighborhood Bridge at the former rectory on the campus of Saint Catherine-Saint Lucy (38 N. Austin). Please make plans to come visit on an upcoming Friday.
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The Neighborhood Bridge Accomplishments - As of January 2026The Neighborhood Bridge’s leadership is both proud and grateful to report that our organization enjoyed an exceptional first year of operations. Here's a partial list of significant accomplishments:
- Hiring a competent and committed staff, including a full-time Executive Director (Prentice Butler), a part-time Development Director (Vimla Homan), and a part-time Business Manager (Jackie Benson).
- Launching services that include (to date) matching 18 families in need with trained Advocates and fulfilling Essentials Pantry orders for more than 40 families.
- Training 36 volunteers to be Advocates and 15 volunteers to staff the Essentials Pantry.
- Establishing strong relationships with all five partner schools.
- Creating a visible presence among high-profile organizations in Austin (e.g., Austin Coming Together, the Leaders' Network, the 15th District Police Station, etc.).
- Overseeing the spectacular renovation of the space we occupy in the Bridge Center (the former Saint Catherine-Saint Lucy rectory).
- Holding an energizing ribbon-cutting ceremony for the community in mid-October.
- Developing TNB's first three-year strategic plan.
No news report from The Neighborhood Bridge would be complete without an appeal for volunteers. We have needs for people with expertise in external communications. Specifically, we are looking for volunteers with experience in managing social media accounts, graphic design, interviewing and article writing, and photography. If you have one or more of these skills and want to learn more about the volunteer needs of our Communications Committee, please reach out directly to Mary Beth Hausken at [email protected].
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