Carter-May Home

Volunteers

Volunteers are a valuable part of our ministry at Carter-May Home/ St. Joseph Residence. Both individuals and groups are welcome. Volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. 
 
Volunteer Opportunities:
Exercise class
Bingo                                                         
Craft class                                                                                                                          
One-on-one visits
Landscaping/yard clean-up
Field trip assistants
Sharing a musical talent
Beauty class-manicures
Outdoor walking group
Garden club
Cooking class
Bible study
Crochet/knitting class
Bridge

Carter-May Home ~ St. Joseph Residence
A ministry of Catholic Charities

  
 A senior ministry of Catholic Charities, Carter-May Home/St. Joseph Residence, provides Assisted Living Services for adults age 60 and older. Our facility consists of assisted living rooms with shared or private baths as well as spacious suites featuring a living room, bedroom, private bath, and kitchenette.  We also have community and private dining rooms, a beauty/barber salon, chapel, activity room, comfortable parlors, and a screened porch. Services provided include 24 hour assistance, personal care services, medication administration, meals, housekeeping, laundry services, recreational activities, and spiritual services. Trained staff are dedicated to providing kind and compassionate care that allows our seniors to continue leading active, meaningful lives.  
  
Our History and Mission
“Catholic Women’s Home”
The heritage of Carter-May traces back to March 17, 1929. It was the dream of the “Cathedral Benevolent Society” members, Monsignor James J. May, his sister Miss Marie May, and Mrs. Patrick Carter to establish the “Catholic Women’s Home” for senior women in need. With the support of Bishop William T. Russell, the home was first located at 120 Broad Street, next to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in downtown Charleston. The first residents were able to attend to themselves, but they needed the security of residential care.  In those early days, the home was financed partially by the distribution of Lenten Mite Boxes and by an annual Apron Sale. In 1963, the Director of Catholic Charities, Father Thomas R. Duffy, was named the home’s director. In 1965 Bishop Ernest L. Unterkoefler changed the name of the home to the Carter-May Home to honor its founders.  Over the years, the home was relocated several times to include addresses such as  117 Broad Street, and the second floor of the Carlton Arms Apartments at 59 Vanderhorst Street.  The last move was made in 1971 to its present location, West of the Ashley, at 1660 Ingram Road, a building originally constructed as a convent for the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

St. Joseph Residence
In 2002, Bishop Robert J. Baker saw the need to renovate the facility and also create a residence with supportive care for the priests of the diocese. He directed the renovation and construction at the home beginning June 2003 and ending November 2004.  The project added St. Joseph Residence, a new wing of suites for retired priests of the diocese and lay people, in addition to a commercial kitchen, six new Carter-May Home rooms, a large screened porch, and additional living areas.  The construction/renovation improved the facility in many ways but one very important change was giving the retired priests a place to call home and an avenue to continue their ministry. 
 
Hospitaller Sisters of Mercy
In 2016, we were joined in ministry by the Hospitaller Sisters of Mercy. The Congregation of the Hospitaller Sisters of Mercy was founded in Rome, Italy in 1812 by the servant of God, Princess Teresa Orsisi Doria Pamphili, with specific charism of “Caring for the Sick” To assist Jesus in His suffering, membership is realized through their service in hospitals and nursing homes where they care for the sick.
The congregation began working in the USA in 1966, administering Our Lady’s Multi-Care Center and Bishop McCarthy Residence in New Jersey. Since 2000, the congregation has also been administering Villa Raffaella, an Assisted Living Facility in Pleasantville, New Jersey. The congregation is now present in three locations in the USA: New Jersey, South Carolina, and Louisiana. At Carter-May Home, the sisters provide support as our facility nurse and medication technicians. Their presence has enhanced our facility in many ways as they share their expertise, commitment to excellence, and dedication to caring for the sick.
  
 
Support Opportunities
As a ministry of Catholic Charities of South Carolina, Carter-May Home/ St. Joseph Residence is supported in part by the Catholic Diocese of Charleston, Inc.  Catholic Charities strives to provide quality care at a reasonable monthly rate. In order to continue this ministry, maintain our facilities, and expand our services, we need the support of our community. 
 
How can you help us continue this ministry?
·         Gifts of cash
·         Honorariums and Memorials
·         Transfer of stocks, bonds, real estate or other assets
·         Charitable gifts, annuities, or charitable trusts
·         Wills
·         In-Kind gifts such as craft supplies, bingo prizes, yarn, seasonal plants.