Alumi commit to justice, faith as volunteers

"Once you become an Eagle, you commit yourself to being a man or a woman for others. The year or two after graduation is a perfect time to live out that commitment by focusing on a specific issue or population that interests you," said Shelagh O'Donnell, BC '08.

O'Donnell is one of 11 Boston College alumni who have chosen to fulfill the call to serve others as volunteers in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC), a program committed to working for social justice and peace for the poor and marginalized. Volunteers live in apostolic communities in different locations around the United States and internationally for a time commitment of one to two years, carrying out their mission guided by the cornerstones of the JVC: social justice, simple lifestyle, community, and spirituality.

JVC was founded in 1965, when the first volunteers, in partnership with the Jesuits of the Oregon Providence, began serving the native people of Alaska in Copper Valley. Since then, the JVC has evolved into a national and international program operated by five regional offices.

An integral aspect of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps is, as the name suggests, the strong influence of Jesuit ideals in shaping the way volunteers carry out their mission by integrating a life of prayer with active work.

Maggie Conley, JVC national project manager, said Jesuit ideals influence the group's work: "The way we ask them to be contemplative in action. Asking them not just to do the work, but to think about what that means."

The volunteers also attest to the dynamic presence of the Jesuit faith tradition in their own experiences. "The Jesuit and faith aspect of the program provides a way for us to reflect upon a meaning beyond the work itself, and allows all of us both inside and outside the program to truly connect with one another and the world around us," says Christine Zosche, BC '08, a current international Jesuit volunteer.

The Jesuit Volunteers' commitment to living directly among the people they are serving is another central attribute of the program.

"The Jesuit ideal of 'men and women for others' is being changed to 'men and women for and with others," said Matthew Carroll, BC '08, referring to the JVC's commitment to serve not just the poor and marginalized, but to live among them and work with them to overcome the obstacles posed by social injustice.

Carroll volunteers with Homeboy Industries, the nation's largest gang intervention program that assists formerly gang-involved and at-risk youth in becoming contributing members of the community. Living in the same Los Angeles neighborhood as his clients, Carroll said, shapes the way he relates to the people he works with.

"If I weren't living with the people I'm working with and for, my experience would be nothing," Carroll said.

The JVC's hands-on approach allows volunteers to more deeply explore the root causes of social injustice in the community. "Living and working as a JV means exposure to the complexities of the systemic injustices faced by the disenfranchised in a way that is impossible simply through statistics and stories," said the JVC Web site.

Molly Dane, BC '07, is an international volunteer who said that the commitment JVC demands can be challenging at times. "JVC or JVI is a lifestyle - it is what I do when I am awake, or sleeping; it is what I do whether I feel like it or not - and so, I have had to learn to integrate the values that I hold and the values of the program into my daily existence. That has not been easy," Dane said. Dane is currently serving her second year at St. Martin de Porres School and parish in Belize City, Belize, as the school librarian and a pastoral administrator.

"I believe that I will leave Belize a person whom I could not have fathomed upon arriving," Danes said of her challenging experience.

Conley said, "Once you've been a Jesuit volunteer, you really can't look at anything the same again. Perhaps ways you were comfortable before in situations not doing anything. You can no longer be comfortable in some of those situations. You'll feel called to action and feel compelled to be involved."

A majority of Jesuit Volunteers choose to pursue careers related to the struggle against social injustice after serving as a volunteer. The 11 BC alumni currently serving as volunteers have considered career paths in teaching, law, and government policy, among other disciplines.

"My commitment to JVC, its values, mission, and continuation, does not end in August of 2008, 2009, or any other August for that matter. All I've ever really tried to do in and through JVC is live well and lovingly. That is my personal mission, goal, prayer today, and likely for the rest of my life," said Allison Rabik, BC '07, who plans to pursue a teaching career after her JVC work at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore.

Jesuit volunteers, 85 percent of whom are recent college graduates, has increased by 10 percent within the United States this year. There are currently 237 Jesuit volunteers in the four regions across the country.

Rabik said she thinks universities play a key role in encouraging students to pursue service-oriented programs after graduation. She said this is especially true at BC, where service is integrated into the curriculum as something essential to a complete education.

Many of the BC alumni participating in JVC said that while at BC they were involved in clubs and projects with a shared mission of serving others such as Appalachia Volunteers, Pedro Arrupe immersion trips, 4Boston, CURA, and Kairos.

Carroll said he gives students interested in service the advice, "Don't be afraid to free fall. My greatest fear was that my friends were going to move forward after graduation at the speed of light, like in a race, and I'd be just getting out while they were way ahead. Don't be afraid of not having a life plan past the year, or even month, you commit to a service project. Don't be afraid of opening yourself up to God's work."

A representative from JVC Northwest will be visiting BC Oct. 17-19 to discuss with students her experience as a volunteer and information on how to get involved.