November 2016

BALTIMORE, Md. and PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 4, 2016 – A dozen Santa Clara University alumni have recently embarked on full-time service with two Jesuit Volunteer organizations, Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) and JVC Northwest. 

As full-time volunteers with two Jesuit Volunteer organizations, these graduates commit to the dignity and well-being of all people, particularly those on the margins of society. Living a life rooted in a faith that does justice, each young person lives and serves within a reflective community alongside other Jesuit Volunteers (JVs).

Volunteers with JVC (pictured above):

• Trevor Baker, Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
•  Francesca Cappellini, East Bay Community Law Center, Berkeley/Oakland, CA
• Jonathon Colarelli, Public Justice Center, Baltimore, MD
• Jordan Enos, Catholic Charities of Central Texas, Austin, TX
• Andres Kenney, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, San Antonio, TX
• Jenna Lipman, Project HEAL, Belize City, BZE
•  Allie Mitchell, Orleans Public Defenders, New Orleans, LA
• Grace Ogihara, The Advocates for Human Rights, Minneapolis, MN

Volunteers with JVC Northwest (pictured left):

• Gus Hardy, The Poverello Center, Missoula, MT
•  Eddie Kelinsky, Northern Plains Resource Council, Billings, MT
• Julia Tawney, Sitka Conservation Society, Sitka, AK
• Molly Schuller, YMCA of Grays Harbor, Aberdeen, WA

Santa Clara University graduates are some of the 148 JVC Northwest JV/AmeriCorps members serving in 25 Northwest communities, and 283 Jesuit Volunteers from JVC serving in 50 communities across the world.

JVs serve hundreds of thousands of people each year, addressing significant social issues including hunger and homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, end-of-life care, mental health, and food justice. These young leaders commit to a faith that does justice while accompanying many communities, including Indigenous communities, schools, health clinics, and advocacy organizations across the country and world.

“On behalf of our entire community, I am excited to welcome another amazing cohort of courageous young women and men, including graduates from Santa Clara University, who are committing one or two years of full time work with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps,” said Tim Shriver, president of JVC. “Our JVs bring tremendous energy and passion, challenging questions, and a commitment to letting their faith inspire action toward building a more just and hopeful world. They enter humbly and boldly into communities around the world, committed to living intentionally and authentically in relationship with those on the margins of society.”

“Jesuit Volunteers generously share their gifts, enthusiasm, and skills to meet the most urgent needs in local communities and generate positive change. For 60 years, JVs have formed strong relationships with those with whom they serve, developing social capital and building up the common good,” says Jeanne Haster, executive cirector of JVC Northwest. “We are grateful and humbled to welcome this year’s group of passionate and Spirit-filled JVs to this community during our 60th anniversary of JVs in the Northwest. JVs inspire all of us as they embody commitment, empathy, a desire to change the world, and the courage to spend one of the most exceptional and challenging years of their lives in service and in intentional community with other JVs.”

About JVC Northwest
Established in 1956 in Copper Valley, Alaska, JVC Northwest connects individuals with one or more years of volunteer service focused on the core values of community, spirituality, simple living, and social and ecological justice. Each year, JVs serve over 150,000 people living on the margins in urban, rural, and Indigenous communities, as well as fragile ecosystems throughout the Pacific Northwest. When the various JVC regions joined as one organization in 2009, JVC Northwest discerned to remain independent and locally based to best serve local and regional communities in the Northwest. JVC Northwest is a National Direct AmeriCorps program with 142 JV AmeriCorps members. For more information, visit www.jvcnorthwest.org.

About Jesuit Volunteer Corps
Based in Baltimore, MD with communities across the country and the world, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps offers young women and men an opportunity to live and work full-time for justice and peace in 37 U.S. cities and 6 countries abroad. More than 250 organizations across the world partner with JVC to provide vital service with and for the poor and marginalized. JVC offers volunteers an experience, rooted in faith and sustained by community, which opens their minds and hearts to live always conscious of the poor and committed to the Church’s mission of promoting justice in the service of faith. Learn more at www.jesuitvolunteers.org.

Media Contacts
JVC CONTACT: Kevin Breen, Recruitment Manager, (443) 873-3254 or kbreen@jesuitvolunteers.org
JVC NORTHWEST CONTACT: Christie Costello, Recruitment and Marketing Manager, (503) 335-8202 or ccostello@jvcnorthwest.org