Maria Zeitler is an Italian immigrant who traveled to the United States with her family when she was only four years old. “My father wanted to come to America first and when he finally saved enough money, he would sent for my mother and my siblings. However, because my mother did not want to break up the family we all came to America together.” Maria recalled. “I remember when we first moved to the United States, we lived in my uncle’s basement for five years.”
Maria grew up in New York and worked in finance. She retired in Fayetteville, North Carolina with her husband and their children. Her husband is a retired U.S. Army Maintenance Warrant Officer. They have two daughters and one grandson. Maria spoke about her best memory with her grandson, “It was amazing to see him being born.”
Maria loves helping people and that is why she has been a volunteer at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh for four years now. “I love it!” Maria shared. “I love helping people. I love seeing the smiles on their faces.”
When asked what is the most valuable service our clients receive at Catholic Charities, she explained, “Counselling and immigration services are so meaningful to our clients and there are so many of our clients who need it.”
For more information about volunteering with Catholic Charities, please contact the office nearest you. A list of office locations can be found here.