By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles

LAKE CHARLES — For many, choosing between rent, groceries, electricity, or medicine is a reality they face on a regular basis.

When the People of Hope Museum rolled into Lake Charles for a two-day stop October 19-20, the nearly 220 visitors could “walk in the shoes” of those facing difficult choices through a variety of scenarios.

Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana hosted the traveling immersive exhibit at the Lake Charles Event Center as part of a nationwide tour highlighting encounters with people in need and the many volunteers who bring hope into their lives.

Funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., Catholic Charities USA launched the museum in the spring of 2026 with its goal of visiting more than 150 communities through June 2028.

Housed in a 53-foot digitally equipped trailer, Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana opened the visit with an appreciation gathering for its local volunteers.

“You all represent many of our closest partners, friends, and supporters in the work of caring for the suffering in Southwest Louisiana,” said Executive Director Sister Marie Josepha Kluczny, RSM.

She thanked Bishop Glen John Provost, who led the opening prayer, for being a strong supporter of the mission at Catholic Charities.

Addressing the volunteers, Sister Marie Josepha reminded them of their mission through service.

“Catholic Charities exists to be the merciful love for those who suffer,” she said. “The love of Christ must be alive and at work in the hearts of those who serve. You are part of the way Christ accomplishes his work through Catholic Charities.”

Seeing the Need Up Close

The museum features an interactive poverty simulator of making difficult choices and experiencing the realities of living on the margins. This was not lost on David and Pam Messina, regular Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana volunteers who witness many struggling to make ends meet.

David drives the refrigerated truck for 10 of the 11 monthly food distributions. He and Pam both help at the Lake Charles distribution site.

“There are situations we see that will bring tears to your eyes,” David said. “When you see what is happening outside your own little bubble, it is eye-opening and life changing. Everyone we serve is very appreciative.”

David does not see his volunteer efforts as a sacrifice.

“I look at this as giving back for all the years we have been blessed and never found ourselves in the circumstances that our clients face,” he said.

Inspired to Serve

Pam said she volunteers for the people who cannot. She is encouraged by fellow volunteers and Catholic Charities staff.

“It is moving to see people come out to help,” she said. “The staff is amazing. Yes, we are helping, but the staff gives their heart and soul every day. They are so passionate about what they do.”

Visitors to the museum were invited to get involved through volunteering and gain awareness and understanding of the many good works of Catholic Charities.

Pam’s advice to people on the fence about volunteering is: “Just do what you can.”

Driving Hope Across Nation

Bringing hope from one city to the next is Corey Boykin of Columbia, South Carolina, who drives the mobile museum. While this is his first experience working with Catholic Charities, he is certain it will not be his last.

Boykin works for the event production and marketing company that built the museum tractor-trailer.

“Most of the work my company does is for Fortune 500 companies. Driving the trailer has had an impact on me,” Boykin remarked. “It is not often in my line of work that I am able to do something that gives back. Being a part of the mobile museum has been enlightening, and I can see myself doing more work like this.”

Among the few encounters that have stayed with Boykin since he began driving the museum in March 2026 happened during a stop in Vermont.

“A visitor was listening to one of the stories at the Stories of Hope Wall,” said Boykin. “She recognized one of the people as someone she knew because this person had helped her daughter who was hearing impaired. The story brought her to tears realizing the impact that Catholic Charities and that person had made in her life.”

Other features in the museum include a learning library, a recording studio, and data wall.

Museum about Hope

Although the museum was only in Lake Charles for a couple of days, Sister Marie Josepha said it was clear that visitors were integrating the experience. 

“There is a part of the museum where visitors can write down what they commit to doing to be a person of hope and clip it to a wall for others to read,” Sister Marie Josepha said. “People wrote about setting aside money to bless someone in need, helping clean the house of an elderly neighbor, or simply complimenting a stranger to brighten their day.”

Expressing her happiness in reading the wall, Sister Marie Josepha said, “It showed me that people were really reflecting on the power each of us has to be a person of hope to someone else.”

To learn more about Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana or how you can volunteer, visit www.catholiccharitiesswla.org. To learn more about the mobile museum, visit www.peopleofhope.us