JoAnn and Matthew Gandolfo met at a wedding in Kentucky that JoAnn was “forced” by her mother to attend. Matthew asked JoAnn to marry him on their first date and nine months later they were married. They lived in Philadelphia while Matthew completed his dental internship at Philadelphia General Hospital and then moved to Boston. In 1972, Matthew purchased a dental practice in Lexington and they returned to Kentucky to raise their family. They have two children: a son, Peter, who works for Mattel Toys in California; and a daughter, Nina who is a social worker. She and her husband, Steven, reside in Boise, Idaho where Steven works for the Boise Stampede Basketball Team. This past June, they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.
JoAnn and Matthew Gandolfo provide “temporary foster care services” for Catholic Charities, which means they provide loving, 24 hour care to infants whose parents are discerning whether parenting or an adoptive placement is the best situation for their child.
JoAnn and Matthew are not intimidated by any situation offered – and have cared for premature babies and those with medical issues. They weather sleepless nights, colicky babies and diaper rash with patience and good humor. They take babies to doctor’s visits and graciously open their home to the baby’s parents, prospective adoptive couples and Catholic Charities staff.
The Gandolfos have not only touched the lives of 28 infants and their families through Catholic Charities, but they have also been extremely active in Lexington and surrounding communities. JoAnn was a board member for Catholic Social Service Bureau and recently served on the agency’s strategic planning committee. She has also been a member of the Baby Health Board, Charity Ball Board and volunteered for the Light of Christ Ministries for over five years. Matthew is Past President and a Board member of the Kentucky Board of Dentistry; has served as an Examining Member of the South East Regional Testing Agency; is a past member of the Western Regional Examination Board; and volunteers for the Mission Lexington Dental Clinic and the Remote Area Medical Team that provides free services for persons needing dental care in Eastern and other parts of Kentucky. They are members of the Cathedral of Christ the King.
JoAnn says she and Matthew have “gotten so much more out of this than we have ever given.” As a result of their warmth and ability to “connect” with people, Matthew and JoAnn have established long-standing relationships with some of the families for whom they have provided temporary foster care. Very recently, one couple asked that they act as God-Parents for their son, placed in their family through adoption. They also receive visits, notes, letters and pictures from families that they have impacted over the years.
The Pregnancy Counseling and Adoption program staffare constantly impressed by the generosity, patience and willingness of the Gandolfos to help parents who need temporary foster care while deciding on the best future for their children.
Catholic Charities is proud to name JoAnn and Matthew Gandolfo as recipients of the 2011 Sister Fran Moore Award.