Vincentian Volunteers: Newsletter

In March, I celebrated my 25th birthday. Now the reason I mention my birthday is that this year I celebrate a milestone; and milestones of all kinds, not just birthdays, are a well-known concept at my worksite, Places for People (PfP). PfP is a community mental health agency that serves individuals who have severe and persistent mental illness as well as those who may also have co-occurring addiction disorders.

As a Gateway Vincentian Volunteer, I am blessed to work in the Club with an amazingly talented and humorous staff, in addition to the incredibly diverse, passionate, albeit sometimes challenging, consumers of the Club. In the Club we try to encourage, recognize, and celebrate consumers’ achievements in regard to periods of stability with their mental illness and/or addiction(s).

At PfP, everyone—community support staff, administration, Club staff, peer specialists and consumers—all help promote personal recovery, including reaching milestones, for every one of our consumers. We encourage consumers to identify areas for improvement and to acknowledge and build on their strengths. We recognize consumer achievements with an announcement in crew meeting or a handshake/pat on the back. We remind each other that recovery is a process, not an event. Above all, we celebrate milestones of all sizes, whether it is a series of pebbles or a boulder at the top of a mountain.

Although both my degrees are in Social Work and I have had previous experience working with individuals who have mental illnesses, spending this year with the wonderful people at PfP has left me with a renewed sense of what life should be about. It’s about seeing the Godspark in others, cultivating peace and kindness in relationships with one another, and recognizing that ALL PEOPLE, including those most oppressed by society, deserve to be treated with dignity and given the chance to live out a happy existence.

This year, with the help of the Gatekeepers, two additional donors, and the Sisters of Mercy Health Ministry, we were able to offer a match on all donations received from the end of January through the end of March up to a total of $12,000. The names listed below are those who responded to our appeal with great generosity. We thank you all for helping to spread the mission of St. Vincent DePaul to young adults. This program would not be possible with YOU! Each of you is a blessing to the GVV program.

Anonymous
An Anonymous Vincentian
An Anonymous Vincentian
Rev. Louis Arceneaux, C.M.
Ascension Health “Jeans Day”
Eugene Bachmann
Suzann Barry
Larry & Amelia Berra
Wally & Nina Bryans
John & Mary Ann Capellupo
Kevin Carbol
Briana Colton (GVV 05-06)
John & Jennifer (GVV 03-04) Courtney
Dennis & Susan Cuddihee
Rev. Martin Culligan, C.M.
Daughter of Charity of the Jacobson Residence
Bob & Beth (GVV 01-02) DeBoo
Rev. Peter J. Diliberto, C.M.
Rev. Jeremy Dixon, C.M. (GVV 03-04)
Paul & Amy (GVV 03-04) Dossett
Janel Esker
Steven (GVV 09-10) & Katie Falk
Ted & Penny Fiedler
John & Carolyn Fogarty
Rev. Jerome Fortenberry, C.M.
Rev. John Gagnepain, C.M.
Br. David Goodman, C.M.
Lauren Gulley (GVV 08-09)
Paul Heidemann
Maria Martinez Hernandez (GVV 09-10)
Rev. Walter Housey, C.M.
Molly Jacob (GVV 03-04)
Evan & Christine (GVV 09-10) Jones
Rev. Michael Joyce, C.M.
Brian (GVV 03-04) & Megan Kelly
Joseph Komadina
Vernon & Joyce Knobbe
Robert & Emily LaBarge
Ron & Noel Ladd
Martha Lane
Tamara Lane
Rich & Tammy LaPlume
Christy Leming (GVV 03-04)
David & Elaine Leming (Parents of GVV 03-04 Christy Leming)
Ken & Marian Lemp
Bob & Fran Lenhart (Parents of GVV 01-02 Sarah Wiederkehr)
John & Margaret Lottes
Annie McCance (GVV 05-06)
Tim & Wanda Mohan (Parents of GVV 07-08 Jenny Mohan)
Robert & Emily Meyer
Jerry & Karen Mueller
Rev. Ed Murphy, C.M.
Br. Tim Opferman, C.M.
Paul Payne
Teresa Peaches (Grandmother of GVV10-11 Ashley Peaches)
Rev. Mark Pranaitis, C.M.
Shaun & Nichole (GVV 01-02) Purvis
Frank & Pat Rebholz
Rev. John Richardson, C.M.
Steve & Becky Roarick (Parents of GVV 01-02 John Roarick)
Dr. Fred Rottnek
Jim & Geri Ryan
Sharon Ryan
Elizabeth Sain (GVV 02-03)
Toshio Sato (GVV 04-05)
SSVDP Conference of Ste. Genevieve du Bois Parish
Bill & Mary Lou Schicker
Lonnie Schneider (Mother of GVV 01-02 Nichole Schneider Purvis)
Sisters of Mercy Health Ministry
Brady Sones (GVV 09-10)
Rev. Tom Stehlik, C.M.
Rev. Paul Sisul, C.M.
Halbert & Jean Sullivan
John & Tricia Thiel
Nathan & Suzette (GVV 05-06) Thompson
Carrie Tucker (GVV 07-08)
Tony & Sue Tumminia
Dennis & Stephanie Turek
The Vincentians of Lazarist Residence
The Vincentians of Apostle of Charity Residence
The Vincentians of Murray Residence at St. John’s University
Joseph & Kathleen Vitale
Rev. James Ward, C.M.
Grace Whalen
Gerald & Joan Wentzel
Steve (GVV 00-01) & Sarah (GVV 01-02) Wiederkehr
Paul & Christine (GVV 02-03) Woody
Alan & Diana Zajicek (Parents of GVV 10-11 Rachel Zajicek)
Patrick Zerkel (GVV 09-10)

GVV 10-11 Ellie Hanson and all volunteers
from Jeff Hanson (Ellie’s father)

GVV 10-11 Christopher Hampson
from Bob & Suzanne Iverson (Chris’s grandparents)

The GVVs of 07-08: Danny, Karen, Laura, Lisa, Carrie, & Christine
from Jenny Mohan (GVV 07-08)

The great work of the GVV program
from the SSVDP Conference of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish

Rev. Jeremy Dixon, C.M. and Toshio Sato, C.M.
from Kellie Willis (GVV 02-03)

Henrvk Debinski
from Waldemar & Ewa Debinski (Parents of GVV 10-11 Beata Debinski)

Phyllis Lockhart
from Ted & Gail Hampson (Grandparents of GVV 10-11 Christopher Hampson)

Dulcinea Arellano Martinez
from Robert and Delores Martinez Hernandez (Parents of GVV 09-10 Maria Martinez Hernandez)

Bob & Lydia Hillier; Alan Cole
from Carl & Melissa Hillier (Parents of GVV 10-11 Drew Hillier)

Below are the names of those donors who contributed after our December newsletter but before our Matching Gifts Appeal began at the end of January. Thank you all for your great generosity! We are so grateful for your support of the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers Program.

An Anonymous Vincentian
Maryilyn Abkemeier
Delbert & Agnes Bohnert
Dennis & Susan Cuddihee
Steven (GVV 09-10) & Katie Falk
Paul Heideman
Rev. Bob Jones, C.M.
Martha Lane
Michael & Deborah Lane
John & Margaret Lottes
Jeff (GVV 01-02) & Rebecca Maciej
Rev. John Richardson, C.M.
Dr. Fred Rottnek
Grace Whalen
Steve (GVV 00-01) & Sarah (GVV 01-02) Wiederkehr

GVVs Mark Buehrle, Christine Bentz Jones, Brian Kelly, Christy Leming,
Karen Schumacher, Suzette Smith Thompson, & Kellie Willis who participated in the Vincentian Lay Missionaries Program
from Jessica Werner and the Vincentian Lay Missionaries Program

Edward & Lucille Mack
from Mike & Linda Backs (Parents of GVV 07-08 Carrie Tucker)

We also sincerely thank our donors who have asked to remain anonymous. If we have inadvertently omitted your name from our donor list, please accept our sincere apology AND let us know so that we can correct the error!

Idon’t care. You think I care about this stuff? Forget it. I’m sick of you and I’m never coming back to this school.

I hear this every day. Every day, the students of Marian Middle School express their skepticism that education can affect their lives. It’s heartbreaking to see a jaded 10-year-old. It’s tragic to know that by 8th grade, many students lose hope that education can improve their futures.

Daily, I arrive at my service site and am humbled by the awful effects of the achievement gap. Students who are born into poverty are starting with an incredible handicap. Lack of parent resources, poor nutrition, overworked or absent parents, and unstable neighborhoods are some of the issues that constantly plague low-income communities.

As a result, low-income students are academically behind when compared to their more economically privileged peers even before entering kindergarten. This lag in student performance is called the achievement gap. Although the achievement gap has been recognized and tracked for years, thus far no measures have been effective at bridging the disparities. That is why private schools and dedicated individuals have stepped in to try to provide greater support to students living in poverty.

This is where the mission of Marian Middle School was conceived. It is a beautiful mission: gather together young women living below the poverty line and educate them in a structured, loving, Christian environment with an extended school day, mandatory study hall, and extracurricular activities. Watch the girls flourish. It is an absolutely amazing program and the impact the school has on our young women’s lives is unquestionable. However, as a volunteer stepping into a middle school classroom for the first time since 8th grade graduation, it was a little overwhelming at first.

During my time at Marian Middle school, I ran a gauntlet of experiences. I burst into tears in front of a student, patiently coached a struggling student through her math homework, and, just today, watched in bafflement as a student pulled a bleached raccoon skull out of her backpack while claiming her grandpa ate the brain.

I was called “flat butt” (better than “fat butt,” but not by much) and “the best teacher ever.” I celebrated with a student who is making straight C’s for the first time in her life instead of straight F’s. I received the sweetest notes and the most sincere hugs. Above all else, the most important experience I have had so far is realizing that these students do not need teachers who are heroes. Instead, the most genuine moments this year were when I completely failed.

Every morning when my alarm buzzes, I hit the snooze button, roll over, and pray that today is a good day. Today, everything goes great and I measure up. I know that every individual seeks the approval of others and as a result, we seem to go through life doubting and guessing our own worth. I know that I often ask myself, “Am I worthy enough, good enough, talented enough, enough enough?”

Tragically, the answer is emphatically, no. No, I am not enough for every need or want that is requested of me that day.
I fall short and inevitably, I find myself muddled in mistakes, misunderstandings, and incompetency. When faced with such dismal outcomes, it is easy to feel completely mired down by failure and disappointment.

The great news is that, regardless of my own worth or ability to keep it together, I am 100%, absolutely “enough” with the grace of God. Our small, hectic, and loving school is enough with the grace of God. Parents who are lacking resources, time, patience, and community support are enough with the grace of God.

By its very definition, grace is an unmerited gift freely given by God. We cannot earn it. Often, we fail to recognize it. But we desperately need it. We need God’s grace to effect any change whether it is building an education system that serves all students equally or tumbling out of bed in the morning without having recourse to the snooze button. With God’s grace, our young women will maintain faith in the power of education and break the cycle of poverty by closing the achievement gap.

It is hard for me to put into words why I am doing this, and why this is so important to me. I am usually a very private person, and not fond of letting others see a lot about me, so bear with me. Since becoming part of the Vincentian Family through my year with the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers, the Vincentian charism has become very important in my life. I truly believe in living in solidarity with the poor in a way that respects and provides dignity to, and works toward social justice, for all. This to me doesn't necessarily mean living in the exact same way as every poor person I encounter; we are all poor in our own way. To me this means seeing people as they are, and finding common ground with everyone. In my work last year, a conversation with someone at the food pantry at which I worked often seemed more important than giving out the food. To me living in solidarity with the poor is sharing myself and my experiences, and allowing others to share their experiences with me. As I stated earlier I am not very good at this, haha, but I'm working on it. The things I learned and people I encountered in St. Louis continue to impact me. I hope to learn and grow even more on this new journey, which is exciting and scary all at once. It is more than just going to serve others, but allowing myself to be served, which is probably the most challenging thing I encountered in my year as a GVV; letting go of that barrier between "me" and "them." I'm hoping that this will be another baby step for me, and everyone with whom I go to see the face of Christ in everyone I encounter.

The 8th Annual Gateway Vincentian Volunteers Golf Tournament
Friday, June 10, 2011
Normandie Golf Course
$100.00 per player; $100.00 hole sponsorship

My ears are constantly ringing. Ringing phones, visitors ringing the doorbell, the fax machine ringing as we receive an unending stream of paperwork; some days it feels like it never ends. My ears ring with the sound of laughter coming from the gym, the voices of our Kindergartners lifted in song, and the hurried but enthusiastic cries of “Good Morning, Ms. Emily!” These are the sounds I hope never end.

My heart rings, too. While volunteering at St. Louis Catholic Academy, a Catholic elementary school in urban North St. Louis, I have experienced joys and frustrations I have never known before. Understaffed, overworked, and full of possibility, SLCA has been a gift to me these past seven months. I have had the opportunity to learn and grow in many ways, thanks to many people. I’ve learned more about myself, my calling, and the realities of non-profit work from a dedicated group of teachers, administrators, and volunteers. I’ve learned the importance of hope and commitment from a group of hard-working, inspiring parents. I’ve learned patience and the difference a simple smile or hug can make from 181 students, with 181 unique talents, struggles, and stories.

With 85% of our students meeting the guidelines for the federal free and reduced lunch program, I have also learned some of the struggles of poverty. By providing the opportunity to receive a strong educational and spiritual foundation at a Catholic school, SLCA helps low-income children overcome some of these unique challenges.

Working as Parent Liaison to the families of these children gives me a unique perspective and enables me to use my creativity to find solutions to problems that may not be what they seem on the surface. For example, if a student is struggling in the classroom, some might assume that he or she might lack the intelligence or drive to succeed. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes it could be because the family can’t supply breakfast, so the child can’t focus, in which case I can communicate information about our school’s breakfast program. Maybe the reason a child isn’t succeeding is because they can’t see the board, but his or her family can’t afford glasses. It’s situations like these that enable me to reach out to families on a personal basis and connect them with resources all over the city.

St. Vincent said that we must “love our neighbor as being made in the image of God and as an object of His love.” At St. Louis Catholic Academy, I see images of God all around me, not only on the walls of our classrooms, but in the faces of my co-workers and our students. They are the people I have come to call my friends. They have helped make SLCA an object of my love. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful place. While many parts of my day are challenging, every moment is worth it, including the constant ringing.

We are blessed with the kindness and generosity of so many people! We would also like to thank the following special people for their gifts to the GVV program.

The incredibly generous people who provided the match for our Matching Gifts Appeal.

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost 12 years since three Vincentians—Fr. Ed Murphy, C.M., Fr. Tom Esselman, C.M., and Br. Jim Donlevy, C.M.—had an idea about starting a St. Louis-based volunteer program for young adults. They dreamed that such a program would truly pass on St. Vincent’s mission to young adults. They believed that inviting young people to work and live with them in community would totally engage these young adults in Vincentian service and spirituality. They knew that the hearts of these young people would be transformed as they served people in poverty. When the then provincial, Fr. Bill Hartenbach, C.M., and the Provincial Council approved the plan, the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers Program was born.

Today, the GVV program continues to thrive and its mission is met each year. And many, many people make that possible. When we look at all the names listed in this edition of the newsletter—so many generous people who support the GVV program—we know that we are truly blessed! It has been and continues to be a privilege to direct the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers program.

Fr. Ed Murphy, C.M., President
Mr. Rich LaPlume, Vice-President
Ms. Tricia Thiel, Treasurer
Mr. John Capellupo
Fr. Jim Cormack, C.M.
Janel Esker
Martha Lane
Joseph Komadina
Sr. Rosa Lee Kramer, D.C.
Fr. David Nations, C.M.
Sr. Kathy Overman, D.C.
Jim and Geri Ryan, Directors

Working, Praying, and Living in the Spirit of Vincent DePaul