Father Gerry Creedon to Posthumously Receive Good Shepherd Housing’s Public Service Award

Alexandria, VA — Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services (GSH) will posthumously honor Father Gerry Creedon, longtime pastor of Holy Family Church in Dale City who passed away in November 2017, with its Public Service Award at the annual Windows Into Wonderland Gala on Saturday, October 27, 2018. The award honors public officials for outstanding and impactful public service actions that have furthered the mission of Good Shepherd Housing in combating homelessness and improving the lives of people in need.

Father Creedon served as pastor of Good Shepherd Church in Alexandria, 1979-91. He was a critical team member in guiding the parishioners who founded GSH in 1974 as a nonsectarian independent agency providing affordable housing. Through his parish assignments, Father Creedon dedicated his life to serving the poor. He served the church and the wider community over the years in numerous capacities, including diocesan director of Catholic Relief Services and the Campaign for Human Development; founder of Catholics for Housing; founder of Gabriel Homes for people with disabilities; diocesan representative on the board of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy; board member of Social Action Linking Together (SALT); strategy team member of Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE); and adviser to the Virginia Catholic Conference.

At the Windows Into Wonderland Gala, GSH will also honor Cathy and Ed Gillespie with its annual Philanthropy Award. Cathy Gillespie, Co-Chairman of Constituting America, and Ed Gillespie, chair of the public affairs practice at Sard Verbinnen, have been supporting GSH’s mission for over a decade, contributing time and resources to helping end homelessness in the community. Cathy has also served on the Board of Directors for GSH, as well as the Resource Development and Gala Committees.

GSH will also honor former GSH Board Member Tofie Owen with the Joseph T. Adinaro Humanitarian Award. The award honors individuals for outstanding contributions that have improved the lives of low-income families and individuals through their work with Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services. Retired from SAIC, Owen has remained an active supporter of Good Shepherd Housing, steadfastly supporting the organization’s various fundraising events and has contributed innumerable support to client families when individual needs have arisen.

About Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services

Since 1974, GSH has been reducing homelessness and enabling self-sufficiency by providing permanent affordable housing, emergency financial services, budget counseling and case management to working-class families in Fairfax County. Earning numerous accolades for their work, GSH received the 2013 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, and was named one of the best nonprofits by the 2014-2015 Greater Washington Catalogue for Philanthropy.

For more information, please visit www.goodhousing.org.