SALT LAKE CITY — Catholic Community Services of Utah will recognize four individuals and organizations for their commitment to serving others at this year’s Humanitarian Awards Dinner on Oct. 27 at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City.
This year’s honorees are the Clark & Christine Ivory Foundation, Goldman Sachs, St. Vincent de Paul Parish and Amy and Aaron Bentley.
“Being a humanitarian is especially important in today’s world because it means choosing to see human beings before divisions – race, nationality, politics, religion, wealth or social status,” said Maresha Bosgieter, CCS’s development director, who invited the community to attend the annual event.Over the past five years, the Clark & Christine Ivory Foundation has provided 363 grants to 164 recipients, totaling $38 million. “The list of those they have supported and the impact they have in the community is awe-inspiring,” Bosgieter said.
The foundation, which was established in 2003, focuses on helping people advance economically through education, affordable housing, sustainable communities and responses to urgent social needs. It also has been a longtime supporter of CCS, particularly its Migration and Refugee Services Program, and has provided grants “to assist with the work we do,” Bosgieter said. 
She added that the foundation has repeatedly helped address needs within the agency’s refugee resettlement and immigration programs.
Likewise, Goldman Sachs also has made a significant local impact through its Utah team, which has been “involved with CCS in every way possible over the last five years,” Bosgieter said.
Goldman Sachs is an international company with more than 46,000 employees worldwide. Locally, employees serve on the CCS Board of Directors and provide funding through community development grants, networking and professional resources.
Each year, Goldman Sachs employees also paint handmade bowls at a local studio to donate to Empty Bowls, a fundraiser for CCS’ St. Vincent de Paul dining hall in Salt Lake City. Employees have volunteered to serve meals at the dining hall; participated in Forced to Flee, a CCS educational initiative; and provided financial education courses for CCS clients and refugee foster youth.
“They are the first to step up whenever they see a need they can help with,” Bosgieter said.
St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Holladay will likewise be recognized for its ongoing support of CCS programs through volunteer service wand donations.
The parish is “an incredible and dedicated partner,” Bosgieter said.
Parishioners volunteer each month at the St. Vincent de Paul dining hall, provide more than 200 backpacks for the back-to-school drive, host a drive for St. Martha’s Baby Project and organize annual coat and hygiene drives for the Bishop Weigand Resource Center, a day shelter for the homeless in Salt Lake City.
The parish recently also opened its facilities to CCS for events and celebrations, including the annual Refugee Services Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner.
“Their team is always welcoming, responsive, flexible and eager to help make each event a success,” Bosgieter said. “St. Vincent de Paul Parish truly goes above and beyond to support the individuals and families we serve.”
Amy and Aaron Bentley, who have served as refugee foster parents for more than nine years, are being honored for their commitment to youth in their care.
The Bentleys have welcomed five young people from Ethiopia, Guatemala, Afghanistan and Brazil into their home.
“From the moment each youth enters their home, the Bentleys embrace them as part of their family and create a safe, stable and nurturing environment where they feel supported, valued and a true sense of belonging,” Bosgieter said.
Humanitarianism begins with refusing to become indifferent to the suffering of others, she said. “Perhaps most importantly, being a humanitarian doesn’t require you to solve the world’s problems. It means refusing to become indifferent to them.”
CCS works to support people experiencing hardship throughout the community, Bosgieter said, but the organization relies on community members to continue that work.
“The tides of public perception, government support and economic barriers change constantly, so now more than ever, it is so important for people to try to make the world a better place by reaching out and uplifting those who need our help,” she said.
“CCS can only do what we do when everyone comes together to support our work through volunteering, donating items or funds or advocating,” she continued. “One person may not be able to change the world, but they can change what the world feels like for another person. And when enough people make that choice, compassion becomes something larger than an individual act—it becomes part of the culture of a community.”
The 2026 Humanitarian Awards Dinner will be Tuesday, Oct. 27 at the Little America Hotel, 500 S. Main St., Salt Lake City. Social hour begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and programming at 7 p.m. RSVP by Oct. 20; visit ccsutah.org/awards-dinner to register. 
For information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Maresha Bosgieter, at [email protected].