Benedictine sisters to honor three ‘Angels of Grace’ on Aug. 22

By Natalie Hoefer

Throughout the Bible, three archangels are listed by name: Gabriel, messenger of good news to Mary and Zechariah; Michael, defender of heaven who cast the devil into hell; and Raphael, the traveling companion of Tobias.

The Sisters of St. Benedict of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove have annually identified three women who have heroically served in the roles of messenger, defender and companion, and recognized their service with an “Angels of Grace” award.

The 2026 winners are Dori Sparks-Unsworth, former executive director of Pink Ribbon Connection, for the “messenger” Angel Gabriel Award; Joyce Helfers, formerly of Hope Center Indy, for the “companion” Angel Raphael Award; and Rachelle Gardner, executive director and co-founder of Hope Academy, for the “defender” Angel Michael Award.

The recipients will receive their awards at the Angels of Grace Awards Luncheon at Primo Banquet Hall in Indianapolis on Aug. 22.

Here is more information about the 2026 messenger, defender and companion award winners.

Angel Gabriel Award: Dori Sparks-Unsworth

From December 2008 through May 2025, Sparks-Unsworth served as executive director of Pink Ribbon Connection in Indianapolis. The non-profit organization “strengthens the Indiana breast cancer community by ensuring equitable access to free resources, meaningful education and heartfelt emotional support to ensure no one faces breast cancer alone,” according to its website.

For more than 16 years, Sparks-Unsworth “led a tiny staff and group of dynamic volunteers to make sure that breast cancer patients and survivors across Indiana were given access to free supplies, support and services,” she says.

Prior to her role at Pink Ribbon Connection, Sparks-Unsworth spent her entire career in the service of others. She has led non-profit organizations in Indianapolis committed to affordable housing, greenspace development and accessible healthcare for those in need.

Her personal mission “has always been to make life a bit easier for those who are struggling,” says Sparks-Unsworth. Now at 69, she still enjoys

“finding new ways to support others by being intentional about sharing the love of Christ with all those I encounter.”

For more information about Pink Ribbon Connection, go to pinkribbonconnection.org.

Angel Raphael Award: Joyce Helfers

Helfers served for eight years in various capacities at Hope Center Indy in Indianapolis. This non-profit, Christ-centered organization helps “women survivors of domestic sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, sexual trauma, addictions and other life-dominating issues” by offering “residential care options, a food pantry, outreach initiatives and more,” according to its website.

Helfers was a volunteer for Hope Center Indy before she was hired there fulltime from April 2018 through March of this year. Her roles included volunteer coordinator, campus director, residential administrator and event hospitality coordinator.

She considers it an honor to have been “actively involved in teaching, leading daily devotionals, coordinating events, celebrating baptisms and equipping [Hope Center Indy’s] residents with essential life skills,” says Helfers, always striving to “provide safety, healing, emotional freedom, dignity and hope to those seeking transformation.” She calls herself a “faith builder” whose life “is rooted in Isaiah 58 and its call to be a voice for the voiceless.”

For more information about Hope Center Indy, go to hopecenterindy.org.

Angel Michael Award: Rachelle Gardner

Gardner co-founded Hope Academy, an addictions recovery high school in Indianapolis, in 2006 and has served as its executive director since the school’s beginning.

According to Hope Academy’s website, the school grew from “a critical gap in the continuum of care” Gardner noticed in her role as director of adolescent services for Community Fairbanks Recovery Center in Indianapolis: students who left treatment often struggled to maintain sobriety in traditional school settings.

Hope Academy is one of just 15 fully accredited recovery high schools in the nation. The school provides “teens struggling with drugs and alcohol a place to continue their education while focusing on recovery,” according to its website.

A statement issued by the school regarding Gardner’s selection by the Indiana Business Journal as a 2025 Woman of Influence notes that Gardner “has led Hope Academy with purpose and compassion.” It also states, “Under Gardner’s leadership, Hope Academy continues to set a national standard in recovery education, achieving strong attendance, graduation and post-secondary outcomes while serving students with complex needs.”

For more information about Hope Academy, go to hopeacademyrhs.org.
 

(The Angels of Grace luncheon will be held at Primo Hall, 2615 E. National Ave., in Indianapolis, from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Aug. 22. The cost is $50, or $400 for a table of eight. The event includes lunch, an awards ceremony, a fashion show, raffles for gift baskets and for a vacation at Lake Michigan, and a pop-up shop by Secret Ingredient Boutique. Proceeds benefit the Sisters of St. Benedict of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove. To register, purchase a sponsorship or make a donation, call 317-787-3287 or go to tinyurl.com/AngelsOfGrace2026.) †