CONWAY — Daryl Kangarloo has been hired as the new coordinator for the Pee Dee Deanery office of Catholic Charities.
“I think Catholic Charities is a mission and I believe in its mission,” Kangarloo said in an interview with The Miscellany. “I’m excited to have this opportunity.”
Kangarloo has worked as a client advocate in the Conway office since 2001 and has a background in the field of gerontology. She and her husband attend St. Andrew Church in Myrtle Beach and have two grown children.
“She’s been with us for a number of years so she understands the mission of Catholic Charities, that it is a ministry of the church in this diocese,” said Deacon Ed Peitler, executive director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Charleston. He added that her experience and the fact she sees her work as a service to her faith, she was the best candidate for the job.
As part of her new job, Kangarloo will develop a program involving care management for seniors in the Myrtle Beach and Conway areas. It is part of a larger goal to have the Catholic Charities office in each deanery offer a distinctive service in addition to daily emergency assistance for the needy, Peitler said. The Lowcountry Deanery is developing a focus on prison ministry under the direction of Deacon James P. Hyland.
“Because of her expertise, it seemed a natural sort of fit for her to focus on work with the seniors because of the demographics of the Pee Dee area,” Peitler said. “Often the needs of the elderly are insufficiently addressed by the Church in a systemic way.”
Kangarloo said she will work with senior citizens to help them gain access to needed services including care giving, transportation and health care.
“There’s a real need for this kind of ministry, especially with all the retirees in this area,” Kangarloo said. “We really want to help with solutions for the elderly and their families. Often in this area we have elderly people who have no family or whose family is far away, and they don’t know how to access the care they need.”
The Conway office also will continue to serve what Kangarloo describes as an increasing number of people of all ages seeking basic food and housing. A challenge is that the Pee Dee area is largely rural and many people in need have trouble finding transportation, she said. Another factor in the constant stream of needy individuals and families is that many come to the Grand Strand area “thinking the beach is going to be like heaven,” she said. Then they discover that well-paying jobs can be scarce and affordable housing nearly nonexistent.
Kangarloo said the Conway office is always in need of donations, including money, gently used children’s clothing and canned goods. This month, the office also is holding a drive for school supplies that will be given to needy children.
To find out more, visit the Catholic Charities Pee Dee Deanery office at 407 Blossom St. in Conway.