Stinger Spotlight

St. Joseph’s Carmelite Home: Why it Matters

By Mackenzie Leyden, 5th Grade Solon student

What is Carmelite Home?  

What is the Carmelite Home? The Carmelite Home  is an orphanage that takes care of kids 0 to 18. It was  started by Mother Maria Teresa Tauscher. She founded the  Carmelite Home in 1913, when she arrived in Northwest  Indiana. She purchased two frame houses on Grasselli  Avenue in East Chicago. Those tiny homes became the  heart of the Carmelite Home.  

Tragedy Strikes  

On Sunday, May 16, 2021, the St. Joseph’s  

Carmelite Home caught on fire and a significant part of the  home was destroyed. On the day of the tragedy, Carmelite  home filled with smoke. At first they thought it was just  someone cooking in the home but they saw the fire that  changed everything. Smoke was bursting from the home  before 3:30 pm.  Luckily, sister Maria Perez and the other nuns got all of the  children out safely. They had to transfer children to a  different home because of this horrible fire. Now they need  the help of others to get the stuff they need in order to  continue helping the children in need. They need things  from cleaning supplies to gift cards and money. The  Carmelite home helps others now it's time to help  them.

Thanks to Your Contributions  

During the week of Monday, November 28th through Friday, December 3rd, the Solon Robinson  Student Council hosted a “Give Back” Week where  funds and items were collected in order to make a  donation to the Carmelite Home. During this week, Solon students participated by dressing up in a  different theme each day. Themes included  mismatched day, wear tie-dyed or your favorite color,  crazy hair or hat day, decades day, and dress as your  favorite movie or book character. The Solon  Community came together and supported this cause  without a second thought. Thanks to everyone’s generous donations, the Council collected 3 boxes full  of cleaning, health care, and laundry products. Along  with the items, we also collected a grand total of  $1,150.00 to donate to the home. The council is so  grateful to everyone who was able to support this  tremendous cause.