~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

November, 2019     

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giving Thanks for Our Community Partners
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      
New England Ignatian Volunteers make a difference by assisting in neighborhood, church and community organizations seeking to confront poverty and marginalization in our society. Our 45 volunteers currently serve with 31 New England non-profit agencies in ten Massachusetts and Rhode Island cities and towns. Each of these agencies is committed to bettering the lives of those whom they serve. Each is a light shining in times of darkness.

As the holidays approach, consider making a gift to one of these IVC partner organizations, or, better yet, join one of them as a volunteer in the coming year! Our partner agencies are listed below. IVC volunteers currently working with these organizations are noted after the organizations in the descriptions below.

To all of you and to your loved ones, may you enjoy a blessed Thanksgiving!
  • A Faith That Does Justice (Boston): an ecumenical program seeking to raise consciousness about social issues affecting the most vulnerable: A Faith That Does Justice (Bill Sheehan).
  • Bethany Hill Place (Framingham): providing affordable, independent housing with educational opportunities within a climate of respect, inclusion, and acceptance: Bethany Hill (Shauna Downey).
  • Casserly House (Roslindale): founded by the Boston Sisters of St. Joseph as a ministry of presence in a diverse neighborhood populated by a large number of new immigrants: Casserly House (Mary Beth O'Sullivan, Sheila Rourke, Mary Gearty).   
  • Community Prep (Providence): serves culturally and economically diverse students grades three through eight, seeking to help them succeed in college-prep programs and to become community leaders: Community Prep (Maurice Lynch).
  • Cotting School (Lexington): seeking to enable children with special needs to achieve their highest learning potential and level of independence: Cotting School (Ron Nix).
  • Cristo Rey Boston High School (Dorchester): a co-educational Catholic school, offering students of multicultural backgrounds and limited economic means a rigorous college prep program in a nurturing environment: Cristo Rey Boston  (Peter Lyons, Larry Feeney, Joan Martin, Jerry Sheehan, Jerome Meier). 
  • Elders Living at Home (Boston): located at Boston Medical Center, this program assists elderly, homeless clients with applications for safe, affordable, permanent housing: ELAHP (Nancy Brown).
  •  ESAC (Jamaica Plain): a community-based social service agency striving to improve the quality of life for Boston and Eastern Massachusetts residents through programs in home ownership, education, and community service: ESAC (Brigid Sheehan).
  • ETHOS (Jamaica Plain): promotes the independence, dignity, and well-being of the elderly and disabled: ETHOS (Patricia Jay).
  • Family Aid Boston (Jamaica Plain): seeks to empower families and caregivers to secure and sustain housing and build foundations for their children's futures: Family Aid (Bob Sliney).
  • Father Bill's & Mainspring (Brockton/Quincy): seeks to help homeless people obtain a home by giving temporary shelter and food, finding safe and affordable housing, and providing permanent housing with supportive services: Father Bill's & MainSpring (Carol Armstrong/Larry Loh). 
  • Genesis Center (Providence): providing refugees, immigrants, and low-income adult learners with English language skills, literacy, job skills, early education for their children, and other supports toward independence: Genesis Center (Karen Lynch, Larry Loh).
  • Haley House (Boston): celebrating more than 50 years of accompanying those made vulnerable by the effects of inequality toward wholeness and economic independence: Haley House (Jim Nagle).
  • Hearth, Inc. (Boston): dedicated to the elimination of homelessness among the elderly through prevention, placement, and housing programs designed to help elders find and succeed in homes of their own: Hearth, Inc. (Jim Tracy, Magalie Brunache, Diane Ericksen).
  • Highlander Charter School (Providence): seeks to use innovative education as a catalyst for social change, ensuring that all students have opportunities to meet their full potential: Highlander (Joe McCarthy). 
  • Ignatian Spirituality Project (Boston/Providence): provides spiritual retreats to women and men in recovery and currently experiencing or having experienced homelessness: Ignatian Sprituality Project (John Butler, Patricia Dunn, Kevin Ryan). 
  • Irish International Immigrant Center (Boston): a multi-service center for immigrants of all nationalities, offering advice and support on legal, unemployment, housing, and substance abuse issues: IIIC (Nancy Verseckes, Jane Leonard).
  • Irish Pastoral Centre (Boston): assisting Irish and other immigrants in facilitating their positive transition to life in America: Irish Pastoral Centre (Anne Finn).
  • Matthew 25 (Worcester): provides quality, affordable, rental housing to families in need: Matthew 25 (Tom Lucci). 
  • My Brother's Keeper (Easton): committed to "bring the love and hope of Jesus Christ to those we serve" through food and furniture assistance and other programs: My Brother's Keeper (Leslie McCarthy).
  • Nativity Preparatory School (Boston): a tuition-free, Jesuit middle school serving boys of all faiths from low-income families residing in Boston: Nativity Boston (Susan Carroll, Jim Power).
  • Nativity School of Worcester : a tuition-free, independent middle school for boys living in the vulnerable, low-income neighborhoods of Worcester, MA: Nativity School (Jim Foyle).
  • New England Culinary Arts Training (Boston): assisting students to receive culinary training to prepare for and attain employment after graduation: NECAT (Jon Braley).
  • Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School (Lawrence): providing a Catholic, affordable, culturally sensitive, college preparatory education with work experience for young men and women from families of limited income: Notre Dame Cristo Rey (Joan Byrne).
  • Project Hope (Roxbury): a multi-service agency providing low-income women with children access to jobs, education, housing, and emergency services: Project Hope (Ann Bersani).
  • Rostro de Cristo (Braintree): a Catholic program providing spiritual and educational opportunities for people of faith to live out gospel values with the people of Ecuador: Rostro de Cristo (Jerome Meier).
  • Saint Francis House (Boston): a safe, caring, and respectful refuge offering basic services - food, shelter, clothing, medical care, mental health, substance abuse counseling, and other services to all who enter its doors: St. Francis House (Rosemary Balady).
  • Saint John's Parish (Worcester): a spiritual mission to combine the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and daily acts of charity for all: St. John's Worcester (Jerry Kelley, Cheryl Letson).
  • Sophia Academy (Providence): with a mission to change the lives of girls from low income homes through empowering middle school education: Sophia (Colette Cook, Helen Key).
  • SouthSide Elementary Charter School (Providence): providing a diverse group of kindergarten through fifth grade students with a solid step toward college and community leadership: SouthSide (Johanna Shaghalian).
  • Urban Collaborative (Providence): seeks to intervene in the lives of adolescents having serious difficulty in school to help them obtain the academic and social skills needed for success in high school and in life: Urban Collaborative (Fran Murray).
Though our year has begun, IVC New England still has openings for latecomers. Check out this list  and contact our office for information and an application.

O r Help the Helpers - Consider a Gift to IVC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each of the agencies above are very worthy of and needful of your support. Please take a few moments and go to the websites of those that most align with your interests. It is amazing what they are able to do. 
 
Some may also want to help IVC more directly as we help our partner agencies. There are now more than 600 volunteers nationally in 21 IVC programs, including new sites in New Orleans, Albany, and Portland, Maine. IVC New England is one of the largest. We continue to grow. Your gift to IVC helps us support our volunteers and defrays the cost to the agencies of hosting our volunteers.  
 
The recently launched the Ignite Campaign is one way in which you can help us handle our growth and improve the quality of what we do. Ignite was launched as part of the celebration of our 25th anniversary year. Click here for more information, to donate, or to make a pledge. Learn about our college and university partnership initiative. Help us in our effort to support the good work of our partners.
Follow Us on Facebook
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just a reminder that, though it is only in its beginning stages, IVC New England does have a Facebook Page. If you have a Facebook account, type @IVCNewEngland in the search bar, then "like" us and "share" us with your friends. Thanks.

fb_like_thumbs.jpg
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(617) 571-3838/ [email protected]/ www.ivcusa.org/new-england
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join Our Mailing List 

 

  

 

Find us on Facebook