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March 20, 2025, Las Vegas, Nevada – The Las Vegas Summerlin Rotary Club recently honored the Adrian Dominican Sisters for their founding and more than 75 years of service at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, currently the only faith-based, not-for-profit hospital in Nevada. The Rotary Club’s gala also raised funds for the St. Rose Dominican Hospitals Foundation.

The Mardi Gras Gala included live and silent auctions, as well as a presentation of plaques to the Adrian Dominican Sisters, recognizing their contribution to St. Rose Dominican Hospitals and the Las Vegas area. Katherine Vergos, President of St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, set the tone, presenting the history of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ sponsorship and ministry at the hospitals. 

Sister Frances Nadolny, OP, General Councilor, represented the Adrian Dominican Sisters in accepting the award from the Summerlin Rotary Club. 

“I have received a wonderfully warm welcome on my first visit to Las Vegas and Henderson and all the beautiful points in this magnificent part of our country,” Sister Fran said. She noted that coming to Las Vegas was also a first-time experience for the seven Adrian Dominican Sisters who traveled from Adrian, Michigan, to Las Vegas in 1947 to assume responsibility for the new St. Rose Dominican Hospital. “The Sisters had many first-time experiences as they ventured into unknown territory and unfamiliar ministry,” Sister Fran said. “They were brave and bold. They looked at adversity with courage and trust.”

Sister Fran noted that, over the past 78 years, 80 Adrian Dominican Sisters have ministered in various ways at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, which began with a single hospital building, now the St. Rose de Lima Campus, in Henderson, Nevada. The Siena Campus opened in 2000 in Henderson, and the San Martin Campus in 2006 in southwestern Las Vegas. The hospitals are now part of the CommonSpirit Health system and legacy institutions of the Adrian Dominican Sisters.

“On behalf of the Sisters who were innovative 78 years ago and those of us who walk proudly in their footsteps, thank you all for your generosity,” Sister Fran concluded.

Sister Patricia Dulka, OP, who served for the past 10 years on the St. Rose Dominican Hospitals Board, said the highlight of the evening for her was Sister Fran’s address because of the recognition of the Sisters who served at St. Rose over the years. “It was so humbling to receive all these praises in honor of the Adrian Dominican Sisters,” Sister Patricia said. “What inspired me was the whole idea of the people who have gone before us, the people on whose shoulders we stand.”

Sister Fran and Sister Patricia Dulka, OP, a member of the St. Rose Dominican Hospitals Board for 10 years, received a Proclamation of Gratitude from the Summerlin Rotary Club, as did the three Sisters who still minister at St. Rose Dominican: Sisters Kathleen “Katie” McGrail, OP, Mary Jean Williams, OP, and Elisabeth Nguyen, OP. 

Sister Katie especially appreciated the presence of several tables of hospital and Foundation staff members, including chaplains and members of the Community Health outreach program. “It indicated to me the strong support of our leadership and the St. Rose Dominican Foundation,” she said. “They are so committed to the legacy.”

The award “was really dedicated to all the Sisters who have come to minister in the hospital,” said Sister Jean, who has served at St. Rose for nearly nine years. “We just happen to be the ones here now, representing all the Sisters who have been in ministry.”

Sisters Katie and Jean serve in outreach through the hospital’s Community Health program which offers healthcare education and support for the local public. “We often say we’ve failed if we don’t keep people out of the hospital,” Sister Jean said.

Sisters Jean and Katie offer classes for caregivers. In one class, they work with people who have dementia and with their caregivers, teaching them self-care even as they care for their loved ones with dementia. When they finish the program, Sisters Katie and Jean offer a continuation program, supporting the memories of people with dementia and offering a support group for the caregivers. 

Both Sisters often train senior peer counselors, who “counsel seniors like themselves facing senior issues,” such as loneliness, the loss of a spouse, and changes in health, Sister Katie said. Sister Jean herself is also a senior peer counselor. Sister Jean added that another program, Pathways, offers support to seniors in 21 areas, including health and financing. “This is a tremendous opportunity for people who need help,” Sister Jean said.

Sister Elisabeth has been at St. Rose Dominican for two years after ministering for more than 40 years in refugee resettlement through Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Oakland, California. Her current volunteer ministry – distributing Communion two days a week to about 35-40 patients in the Siena Campus – is a “big change” from working with the refugees, she said.

Still, Sister Elisabeth enjoys her current ministry of bringing Communion and spending some time with the patients. She meets many Catholic patients who no longer practice their faith. “We need to pray for them,” she said, noting that some have been away from the faith for a long time. “Some are very excited that we come by and see them. People want to talk. We’re not supposed to give advice – just let them talk.”

Sister Elisabeth enjoyed the Mardi Gras Gala and the opportunity to honor the Sisters who served at St. Rose Dominican over the years. “I was so honored to be part of the celebration, to be there for all the Sisters who have gone before us” in service at St. Rose Dominican, she said. “They’re the ones who have done so much work before I came here. Sometimes when I go to events like this, I go for them because they did all the work.”
 

Feature photo at top: Standing with their Proclamations of Gratitude from the Rotary Club of Summerlin are, from left, Sisters Kathleen McGrail, OP, Frances Nadolny, OP, Patricia Dulka, OP, Mary Jean Williams, OP, and Elisabeth Nguyen, OP.

By Joshua Geary
Communications Manager, Center for Economic Opportunity

March 17, 2025, San Diego, California – For many refugees, establishing financial stability in the United States is a daunting challenge. Without a credit history, they are often deemed ineligible for loans by traditional lenders, limiting their ability to secure housing or transportation or to start a small business. Recognizing this critical need, the Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) approved a loan request in September 2023 to support the Fresh Start Fund, an initiative of International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO).

CEO is a unique loan fund, offering small-dollar consumer, business, and credit-building loans primarily to refugees and immigrants who have resettled in the United States. CEO has expanded its work to support other low-income populations, including public housing residents and people who were formerly incarcerated.

Since 2015, CEO has provided more than 10,000 loans totaling $37.5 million, primarily benefiting refugees and immigrants with limited credit history. The repayment rate of CEO’s borrowers is above 95 percent, demonstrating the program’s effectiveness. CEO is certified by the U.S. Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Loan Fund and a Small Business Association (SBA) Microloan Intermediary.

Through the Fresh Start Fund, CEO offers loans with discounted rates to newly resettled refugees in the United States. Access to credit accelerates refugees’ economic integration, yet traditional financial institutions often label these borrowers as “subprime” due to their lack of credit history. As a result, many face extremely high interest rates or are denied financing altogether. CEO takes a different approach, assessing each applicant’s full financial picture rather than relying solely on credit scores.   

These loans are made in tandem with credit education and other asset-building services delivered by CEO’s national network of community-based partners. These organizations bring deep community ties and cultural competence, ensuring that loan recipients receive not only financial support but also guidance tailored to their unique circumstances. This “Lending as a Service” model effectively extends capital to where it is needed most.

CEO views itself as an entry point for individuals seeking fair credit and an alternative to subprime and predatory lenders and high-interest financial services. One example of CEO’s impact is visible through its auto lending. Reliable transportation significantly expands employment opportunities, allowing individuals access to jobs with higher wages and more flexible hours. CEO’s auto loan product offers an affordable pathway to car ownership without the burden of excessive interest rates – some of which can reach as high as 28 percent. 

This is made possible through CEO’s underwriting policies, which do not rely solely on credit score, but account for the whole person and their ability to repay. CEO can offer flexibility in repayment, which allows borrowers to work with CEO and protect their credit if they cannot make a payment in a given month.

With the Adrian Dominican Sisters investment, CEO is able to offer affordable loans to people who would otherwise be excluded from traditional financing. This initiative aligns with the Sisters’ long-standing commitment to economic justice and empowering marginalized communities.

Check out this YouTube video, featuring staff, partners, and borrowers from CEO explaining the impact of CEO’s zero percent credit building loans.

Feature photo at top: Victoria, owner of Victoria Barrier Solutions, a residential and commercial fence and railing business, receives loans from the Center for Economic Opportunity.