Love Where It’s Needed Most

November 6, 2024

Deaconess Catherine Inserra and Kids Above All work so every child can flourish

When Lucy Rider Meyer heard about six orphaned children in 1894, she established safe housing, then raised the money to build them a home which was named the Methodist Deaconess Orphanage in a small town called Lake Bluff on the shores of Lake Michigan north of Chicago. Not content with providing for just those kids, she traveled to churches throughout Chicagoland and beyond, soliciting donations. While Meyer is best known for founding the Chicago Training School to train single women to be Home and Foreign Missionaries, and Deaconesses—one of the institutions that merged to join the Garrett Biblical Institute which today is Garrett Seminary—she co-founded more than 40 civic institutions, including Wesley hospital that became what is now Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The orphanage she started? It grew into Kids Above All.

Since 1894, Kids Above All has helped more than 160,000 children and families facing poverty, violence, and injustice in the Chicago area to build better lives. While its roots are in the Methodist Church, today its work extends far beyond any ecclesial body. The organization has three pillars of programming impact—early childhood education, safe, supportive housing, and trauma-informed counseling. For Deaconess Catherine Inserra, it’s also a way that she can use skills she learned at Garrett andhonor Lucy’s incredible legacy. “As a deaconess, my ministry is offering love, service, and justice to build a better life for these kids,” Inserra says. “Our motto is, ‘My reward is that I may serve.’ The way we offer light in hard times keeps me going.”

In her role as Manager of Faith and Community Relations, Deaconess Inserra helps build relationships between Kids Above All and faith communities in and around Chicago. She’s also served as the field education supervisor for several Garrett students, connecting them with the agency’s 130-year-old mission. “Garrett students bring a beautiful faith lens to how they view this work as a ministry,” Inserra says. “Deepening the relationship between Garrett Seminary and our agency is so meaningful, not just to honor Lucy Rider Meyer, but as a mission partnership to bear witness, and impact the lives of these kids.”

Rev. Rajeev Geddam completed his field education at Kids Above All last year and shares this sense of call. “Jesus centered children in his ministry,” Geddam says. “If kids have a special place in the eyes of God, the church and society must prioritize their well-being.”

One way Kids Above All answers this calling is through Camp Sheilah, a grief camp and counseling program for youth who have lost a loved one to homicide. “There’s a lot of healing that happens at Camp Sheilah,” Inserra says. “It’s a bereavement camp packed with activities and experiences plus grief circles for the kids, but it’s also a chance for parents and guardians to build friendships and relationships that can provide support throughout the year.” Geddam had the opportunity to work at the camp as part of his internship and was deeply moved by the commitment to holistic care. “They offered yoga, painting, a ropes course, and just chances to play and be a kid,“ Geddam says. “The kids enjoy it so much.” While some programming is offered to help kids make sense of the tragedy they’ve experienced, Kids Above All is equally committed to providing space for joy, trusting that this experience is also restorative.

Geddam was also impressed to see how this compassion extends to the agency’s group homes. “In India, group homes don’t have any entertainment,” he says. “They will provide food, and might offer classes, but there are no other activities that make the facility feel like a home. But here, they took care of everything, even offering outings to the zoo and other ways to make kids feel welcome.”

For Deaconess Inserra, instilling this sense of belonging is an essential part of providing compassionate care. “In this challenging, turbulent time in our culture, it’s always the kids who suffer most,” she says. “We need people dedicated to ensuring not just kids’ safety but also their well-being and education in order for them to truly reach their potential in life.”

Lucy Rider Meyer remains an inspiration for Inserra’s work. “I stand on her shoulders,” she says. “She saw a world wherepoverty, disease, and injustice caused severe suffering for the children—, much like today.—She did something about it.” In so doing, Lucy’s belief: “I do believe we are swinging towards the light.” continues to make an impact.

At Kids Above All’s 130 marker as a Methodist-affiliated child-serving agency, the need to offer God’s love to where children suffer most acutely is no less urgent. With dedication and love, Kids Above All is repairing that breach. “Many of our children have experienced so much trauma and uncertainty. Their courage to work towards reaching their potential is remarkably inspiring,” she says. “ Our programs and services, as well as the people who deliver them, truly contribute to their sense of identity, place in the world, and hopeful future.”