 Cecilie Kern graduated in 2012 from Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA, where she majored in Diplomacy and World Affairs and Spanish Literary Studies and minored in Cognitive Science. She is originally from Palo Alto, CA. Last year Cecilie served as a Loretto Volunteer at CARECEN in Washington DC, where she worked as an immigration paralegal. This year she is doing a second year of service with the Loretto Volunteer program.
What have you been doing at your placement? This year I am serving as the as the Loretto Community's assistant NGO representative to the United Nations. As the international community finalizes its post-2015 development agenda, Loretto and other values-based civil society organizations play an important advocacy role, ensuring that the voices and the rights of the people at the grassroots are included and protected in global policies. We do this by organizing and actively participating in events to draw attention to important issues, and creating documents and other resources that can be shared with policy-makers. I really enjoy the atmosphere of partnership that exists between the different NGOs as we work together to tackle issues relating to international migration, the rights of girls, mining (which combines sustainable development and human rights) and financing for development. I also love sharing our work at the UN with the broader Loretto community, whether it's inviting students and community members to come to New York for the annual Commission on the Status of Women in March, or by managing our website and social media.
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 Michelle Schlaubitz Garcia is the Wellness Coordinator at Family Care Heath Center in St. Louis MO. Family Care Health Centers is dedicated to providing comprehensive primary health care services to the residents of St. Louis. With two state-of-the-art facilities in the metropolitan area, Family Care also works to improve the overall health of the communities it serves by reducing barriers to health care. (From the website: http://www.fchcstl.org)
What have you been doing at your placement? As the “Wellness Coordinator” at Family Care, I do a lot of different things. One of my biggest tasks has been keeping patient medical records up to date with their immunizations and other screening tests they might need. I am the Spanish PI (primary investigator) for a Washington University research study about different contraceptive methods available to women. I work closely with the pediatricians to give fluoride treatments to children when they come in for their checkups. I am also planning a health fair for children for December. Additional tasks include changing the bulletin boards in the waiting room areas every month, sending out monthly newsletters, translating for Spanish-speaking patients, and helping out around the clinic wherever I am needed.  Eleanor Humphrey works at Marian Middle School, a school that serves adolescent girls of all religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. From Marian's mission statement: "We are committed to breaking the cycle of poverty by fostering comprehensive development as a foundation for college readiness."
What have you been doing at your placement? I work at Marian Middle School as the Language Arts Teaching Assistant and spend most of my time with the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Language Arts classes. I observe class, lead small group activities, tutor, teach, and grade classwork. The rest of my time is spent supervising recess, serving as librarian, proctoring study hall, and helping out with choir. As a volunteer at Marian, I’ve benefited from the awesome opportunity to try many different aspects of middle school education. One of the projects that I’m currently working on with 6th grade is a writing portfolio project in which each student presents 3-4 pieces of polished writing that she has been working on all quarter.  Kyleah Frederic is the Volunteer Associate at DOORWAYS, an interfaith non-profit organization which provides housing and related supportive services to improve quality of life and health outcomes for people affected by HIV/AIDS.
What have you been doing at your placement? My interview told me that I would be "building a volunteer program." My name tag tells me that I am a "Volunteer Associate." In reality I feel that I am several different people all doing different things simultaneously. I guess that is what people mean when they say that their position "wears many hats." Working at DOORWAYS and creating a program for them has given me the opportunity to be a Manager, a Supervisor, a Human Resources Department, a Public Educator, a Creative, a Researcher, a Friend, an Administrator, and much much more. Daily.  Catholics United is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting the message of justice and the common good found at the heart of the Catholic Social Tradition. Catholics United accomplish its mission through online advocacy and educational activities. Jes Stevens is currently serving at Catholics United as an Organizing Fellow. You can learn more about Catholics United here.
 We are looking for a Grassroots Organizing Fellow to work on the campaign to expand Missourians' access to Medicaid -- a timely policy issue in today's political climate. The Fellow will work closely with the executive director of Missouri Health Care for All to organize on healthcare access issues -- mobilizing volunteers, building relationships with coalition partners, developing a healthcare story bank, and more.
This position will provide an exciting opportunity to learn new skills, develop as a leader, and network with other progressive leaders in St. Louis and across the state of Missouri. And we want to find a motivated and experienced volunteer to do this important work. The Loretto Volunteer priority application deadline is February 1 - so get started on your application today. For questions about this or any of our available positions, email Claudia Calzetta, Assistant Volunteer Coordinator at ccalzetta@lorettocommunity.org  The mission of the D.C. Employment Justice Center is to secure, protect and promote workplace justice in the D.C. metropolitan area. Their advocacy work on behalf of low-wage workers includes legal advocacy, policy and legislative reform, community organizing and education.
And for the first time this year, the Loretto Volunteer Program is offering a position there, a Workers' Rights Clinic Outreach Coordinator. This volunteer will support EJC's successful Workers' Rights Clinics, which offer walk-in legal support to low-wage workers with workplace legal concerns. The Loretto Volunteer will help expand access to this service by implementing their mobile clinic project - helping to identify communities in need of their services; developing partnerships with other nonprofits to establish mobile clinic sites; coordinating the on-site logistics of the clinic; recruiting volunteers; and working with clients. As the majority of their clients are Spanish speakers, Spanish fluency is required for this position. This is a great opportunity to gain experience in the fields of worker justice, community organizing and legal services. The Loretto Volunteer priority application deadline is February 1 - so get started on your application today. For questions about this or any of our available positions, email Katie Jones, Loretto Volunteer Coordinator: kjones@lorettocommunity.org. Cathy Jaskey is a Loretto Volunteer serving as a staff associate at WATER, the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual. She recently graduated from Dominican University in River Forest, IL.  What have you been doing at your placement?
I am so lucky to be at WATER with Mary Hunt and Diann Neu, brilliant, inspiring women and amazing models of hospitality and welcome. WATER has a profound huge history, reach and impact, but I would say we have a smaller office than my other housemates. It has been a great blessing to have had the chance to do a wide range of things. WATER really focuses on helping interns grow and get to know the details of running a small non-profit. What is one thing you love about community living? After a stressful day, a long day, or a fantastic day, I love coming home and having people here - a committed group of friends to share joys, questions, struggles, and laughter. I love that our community is having companions on this journey. Catherine is a Loretto Volunteer serving as associate producer at Interfaith Voices, a weekly public radio show. Originally from Tulsa, OK, she is a 2012 graduate of the University of Tulsa.  What have you been doing at your placement?
Booking guests, researching stories, editing interviews, adding production value, and doing other odd tasks to make an awesome weekly public radio show about religion. What is one thing you love about community living? Learning about my community members. They have great stories, intriguing interests, and valuable insights to share. Cecilie is serving as an immigration paralegal at CARECEN, the Central American Resource Center, one of our Washington, DC placements. Originally from Palo Alto, CA, she is a recent graduate of Occidental College.  What have you been doing at your placement?
As an immigration paralegal, I help clients to apply for a wide range of immigration benefits, from temporary status to citizenship. I am involved in the process from beginning to end – from intake screenings, to collecting information for immigration forms and translating documents, to finally sending applications to the relevant government agencies. I love that I get to interact with clients every day and use my Spanish skills to help the community. |
