August 2014 Newsletter

MERCY VOLUNTEER CORPS Transforming Lives, Perspectives, and The World

Recruitment Find out how you can help for our recruitment season

Feature

Read about our new presence in Pittsburgh, PA

Alumni 23 alumni came to Commissioning Mass in Chicago

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Sr. Rosemary at Misericordia

Orientation in Chicago

Arizona Alumni at Commissioning

Our New Home In Pittsburgh A reflection on our new service sites Home to Heinz ketchup, Clark Bars, the first Sister of Mercy foundation in the United States, and now three Mercy Volunteers, Pittsburgh has become the tenth national city with a Mercy Volunteer Corps presence. Our new home in Pittsburgh has been an exciting journey for both the MVC team and volunteers alike.

We are thrilled to announce that our volunteers will be working with three different non-profits: Reading is FUNdamental, Acculturation for Justice, Access and Peace Outreach (AJAPO), and FOCUS+ Pittsburgh. These three service sites bring new diversity to our already growing program and each mission has given our volunteers insight into the unique dynamics of working in a city as culturally and economically diverse as the city of Pittsburgh.

As our volunteers settle into their new city and our staff celebrates the accomplishment of this big move, we have taken time to reflect on the potential Pittsburgh has for Mercy Volunteer Corps.

These sites we are now affiliated with are among some of our most economically disadvantaged sites. This alone has helped us create new energy around our mission to provide service opportunities to work with people who are poor and marginalized.

It is with this new excitement and energy that we extend an overwhelmingly heartfelt thank you to everyone at McAuley Ministries who believed in our mission and supported us in making this possible.

McAuley Ministries has not only allowed us to settle in Pittsburgh, but also to increase our capacity to enable these nonprofits of

Pittsburgh to meet the needs of the clients in their community.

It is through the generous grant provided by McAuley Ministries that Mercy Volunteer Corps has initiated our goal to establish a long-term relationship with the communities and organizations in this wonderful city. We are beyond thrilled to start this new journey in collaboration with McAuley Ministries and are looking forward to the many possibilities for our future in Pittsburgh.

Through this move, we have been reminded of the strength of our Mercy Community. We thank each of you who have given your time and talents to create a dynamic support team for these volunteers. We truly could not have done it without you, so to all of you, thank you for keeping the Spirit of Mercy alive!

Photo from left to right: Reaghan Wirley, Jonathan Flowers, Hannah Friskney

Recruitment

MVC grows with 42 volunteers this year

(from left to right) Jess Sparks, Annie Golemboski, Monica Phillips, Matthew Guiffré

It’s that time of year again: Recruitment Season! Our future 20152016 volunteers will mark Mercy Volunteer Corps’ 37th year. This year we have 42 volunteers in 11 cities, and we are more excited than ever as our organization continues to grow!

This growth is not possible without your help and support and we value every conversation you have about Mercy Volunteer Corps.

As we start this new recruitment season, here are a few ways you can help spread the mission of Mercy Volunteer Corps:

Encourage Perspective Volunteers to Apply! (from left to right) Meagan Usselman, Kelly Fyffe, Shannon Chisholm, Maureen Paley

Perspective volunteers can receive more information and even connect personally with a staff member by visiting our website and submitting a request for an application. This year, our application will be available on Friday, September 12th.

Tell your Vollunteer Story to Everyone! (from left to right) Christine Cirillo, Alyssa Keller, Jennifer Park, Quetzalli Rocha

Telling your story about your year volunteering or even your experience within the Mercy Community ‘plants the seed’ for future volunteers.

Let them know about Mercy Volunteer Corps and how they can help support our mission.

Sponsor a Volunteer!

(from left to right) Kathleen Kelley, Elizabeth Jahr, Grace Yi, Bianca Huerta

As we continue to grow your support has become even more vital to our mission. Each of our 42 volunteers has created a personalized website to let you know more about them. Please visit our website to sponsor them during their year of service to ensure future placement opportunities! mercyvolunteers.org/support-mvc

Tell us your Ideas!

(from left to right) Sonia Soto, Alex Pierlott, Lauren Tatanus

Do you have an idea on recruitment? alumni involvement? a story for our newsletter? or perhaps fundraising? We would absolutely love to hear from all of our MVC supporters to help further our mission! Please contact our Communication Specialist with all of your ideas: elizabethmacneal@mercyvolunteers.org

(from left to right) Kirsten Fisher, Mariah Iapicco, Erin Dunne, Victoria Niedzielski, Mary-Kate Begin, Karen Paz

MVC Alumni Take Chicago 23 alumni attend Commissioning Mass in Chicago

(from left to right) Emily Hindenburg, Cristina Carrillo, Marianne Macaluso, Anneka Vanderveen

August 10, 2014

August was a month of many blessings here at Mercy Volunteer Corps! Not only did we have the chance to spend a full week at Orientation with our 2014-2015 volunteers, but we also had the unique opportunity to reconnect with 23 of our alumni! These 23 women and men came out to help send off our volunteers at our Commissioning Mass on Sunday, August 10th.

It was absolutely wonderful to see you all again and hear about your new adventures in life. It is our goal at MVC to continue to deepen our relationships with our alumni and so we have created several new opportunities for you to reconnect with your Mercy Volunteer Corps family!

Please take this opportunity to reach out and update us on your accomplishments, adventures, and ongoing commitment to mercy and service. We would love to hear from you! Stay tuned for updates on fellow alumni, events in your city, and leadership opportunities.

Contact: Angie Carlton acarlton@mercyvolunteers.org

(from left to right) Chyna Glover, Jessie Biser, Lauren Stokes, Sara Meyer

(from left to right) Kate Ulfers, Kaytlin Heckler, Rich Samartino, Ella Walzer

Alumni Opportunities Beginning in September opportunities regarding employment, graduate school, and volunteering will be posted on the alumni section of our webpage. Until then be sure to check out postings on our Facebook alumni group and also on the Catholic Volunteer Network website!

(from left to right) Lynesha Caron, Alexis Park