Province News

Six Jesuit volunteers work in and around Chicago as part of largest Catholic lay volunteer program in U.S.
Tuesday, December 04, 2001

Members of the JVC Chicago community welcomed friends to their new home on the north side this fall.
More than 7,000 young men and women have put off graduate school and careers to spend a year or two working for the materially poor in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC). JVC is presently the largest Catholic lay volunteer program in the United States.

JVC has five national regions, East, Midwest, Northwest, South, and Southwest. Volunteers in these places all work to serve the homeless, the unemployed, refugees, people with AIDS, the elderly, street youth, abused women and children, the mentally ill and the developmentally disabled. This year, Chicago is blessed to have six wonderful Jesuit volunteers who live on the north side and work for various organizations and institutions around the city.

Mr. Peter Nguyen, SJ, support person for the Chicago Jesuit volunteers, welcomed them to Chicago this fall. Since then he has worked to insure that all their basic material needs are met. In addition he meets with the volunteers when they gather for community evenings to discuss such topics as community and spirituality. He also serves as a resource for spirituality and prayer issues for the six volunteers, each of whom commit to live by four values: community, simple living, social justice and spirituality.

This years Chicago Jesuit volunteers are:

Meg Duffy
Originally from Belle Mead, NJ, Meg has been a Jesuit Volunteer in Denver for the past year. Meg’s degree in Elementary Education from St. Joseph’s University helped prepare her to teach fourth grade at Loyola Grade School, a small, inner-city school that caters to the needs of students with learning and achievement problems through a specialized academic environment.

Mt. Peter Nguyen, SJ, chats with guests and volunteers at the JVC Chicago open house this fall.
Meg brings her education and teaching experience to her work as R.E.A.C.H. Program Facilitator at Friends of Battered Women and their Children. This program, Relationship Education – A Choice for Hope, takes a proactive role in preventing the development of violence in teen relationships through presentations in Chicago schools. Meg’s responsibilities include facilitating all components of the dating violence prevention program for junior high and high school students and co-facilitating a support group for youth who have witnessed domestic violence.

Kathleen Celio
A California resident, Kathleen comes to the Midwest from Fullerton, CA. Kathleen graduated from Santa Clara University in CA, where she earned a BA in English and a BS in Commerce and Finance. While in college, Kathleen was a member of the NCAA Division I Soccer Team and Athletes in Action. She also volunteered in many capacities, as a Math and English tutor, delivering Meals On Wheels and as an ESL instructor at Sacred Heart Community Center.

Kathleen brings her enthusiasm to her work with Chicago Legal Aid to Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM), where she works as a Jail Programs Coordinator. CLAIM was founded 15 years ago to provide legal aid and client education to imprisoned mothers, primarily on issues affecting their children. Kathleen conducts intake interviews and consults with the supervising attorney to determine a course of action for clients. Kathleen also organizes Jail Project classes and assists in the training of other volunteers.

Annie Urbanski
Annie grew up in Philadelphia, where she also attended St. Joseph’s University. In addition to completing her Bachelors of Science and dual certification in Elementary and Special Education, Annie was very involved while at St. Joseph’s. She worked with her sorority to raise funds for the American Heart Association and participated in several service trips to Appalachia and to Native American reservations in the Southwestern United States.

Annie joins the staff of Esperanza Community Services as a Training Counselor Assistant in the Coleridge Adult Training Program. Esperanza, which means "hope" in Spanish, offers an innovative, holistic method of education and training to children and adults with developmental disabilities. Annie is responsible for assisting the Workshop Instructor in implementation of individual goals for trainees and accompanying students to special activities including swimming, gym, festivals, and music. Annie also companions students on field trips and supports their participation in Special Olympics.

Jeana Visel
Jeana grew up in Winnebago, IL and recently graduated from Kenyon College in Ohio with a BA in Religion. She spent a semester of her junior year in Rome, where she conducted an independent study on Jubilee Year pilgrimage, which she presented at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research. Jeana was very involved in the church while in college, serving as a Confirmation teaching assistant, a cantor for mass, and President of the Newman Club at Kenyon.

Jeana works for the Howard Area Community Center as an Adult Education Specialist where she assists low-income individuals and families in the north Rogers Park area to stabilize their lives and to develop the social skills necessary to become effective community members. Jeana prepares and teaches adult basic education and computer literacy classes, works one-on-one with special need students, assists with recruiting and placing literacy volunteers, offers emotional support and motivation to ensure student retention, and provides career counseling.

Mary Warin
Originally from Omaha, NE, Mary recently graduated from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN with her degree in Sociology. Mary has spent time as a Family Advocate at a homeless shelter, as well as served as a mentor and tutor. While at St. Thomas, she also served as a Student Ambassador and the Environmental Chair for her residence hall.

Mary is an Employment Services Case Coordinator at Trilogy, Inc., which assist about 400 persons a year with psychiatric disabilities achieve their fullest potential, quality of life and community integration. Mary meets with clients to plan their program, develops treatment plans and assists them with managing their responsibilities and monitoring progress.

Rebekah Ray
Rebekah returns to the Midwest from Washington, DC where she served as a Mickey Leland – Bill Emerson Hunger Fellow. Rebekah graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI, where she received her BA in English and Lain American Studies. She has been very active in social justice and community organizing, including work with the Calvin Committee for Social Justice and Capital Area Food Bank.

Rebekah’s networking and organizational skills are a great asset in her work as a Training and Technical Assistance Provider for the Chicago Mutual Housing Network (CMHN). CMHN is Chicago’s only non-profit advocacy and training organization for affordable housing cooperatives and is dedicated to expanding home ownership opportunities for Chicago’s low-moderate income families. Rebekah conducts programs and training for and technical assistance to existing and in-formation affordable cooperatives and mutual housing associations.