Loretto Volunteers work in service and justice organizations in cities where Loretto Community members live and work. Some of these organizations are directly connected to Loretto; all of them promote the social justice values of the Loretto Community.
Denver, Co
ANGELICA VILLAGE *FIlled for 2020-2021*
Angelica Village is a non-profit social services agency that provides housing and intentional community for refugees, unaccompanied minors, families experiencing homelessness, and more. The Loretto Volunteer at AV will contribute to their mission as a small non-profit, and will observe a unique community living model. The volunteer's main roles will be to assist with volunteer coordination and program development for our sustainability efforts in gardening and food autonomy. Additionally, the volunteer will assist residents through advocating local resources, mentoring, and tutoring. As the volunteer's relationship with the residents deepen, they may collaborate on tasks in the residencies such as preparing meals, helping with child care, attending youth events, receiving donations of food and clothing, and more.
WOMEN'S BEAN PROJECT *FILLED FOR 2020-2021*
Women's Bean Project is a non-profit organization with the mission to change women’s lives by providing stepping stones to self-sufficiency through social enterprise. WBP hires women who are chronically unemployed and teaches them to work by making nourishing products and offering relevant professional development opportunities. The Loretto Volunteer may serve as a Volunteer Coordinator or a Marketing & Sales Intern.
escuela de guadalupe
Escuela de Guadelupe is a K-8 Catholic school founded in 1999 in response to the community’s determination to confront increasingly frequent incidents of youth violence, teen pregnancy and high dropout rates. Ninety percent of Escuela students receive some level of tuition assistance. By making quality education financially accessible to families throughout the Denver metro area, Escuela works to ensure that children of all ethnicities and economic means are given the opportunity to reach their full potential as compassionate leaders and agents of change. The Loretto Volunteer at Escuela will serve as the Student Services Assistant, helping families navigate school services, providing bookkeeping assistance, and interacting with students through the school's front office.
Urban Peak *FILLED FOR 2020-2021*
At Urban Peak, the LoVo will serve as an Outreach Volunteer, connecting with youth on the streets and in the Drop-In Center to build healthy and strong relationships in order to empower them on their path to self-sufficiency. The Outreach Volunteer acts as a liaison to inform youth, the community, and businesses about the
services offered by Urban Peak to promote the health, safety, and well-being of homeless and runaway
youth and to assist them in permanently exiting the streets into safe and stable housing. This is
accomplished through milieu supervision of the Drop-In Center, outreach on the streets and to other
Denver area service providers, intensive and basic needs case management, and facilitation of groups,
classes, and activities. This position will ensure that interactions, interventions and environments at Urban Peak are trauma informed and emphasize the physical and emotional safety of youth and staff.
services offered by Urban Peak to promote the health, safety, and well-being of homeless and runaway
youth and to assist them in permanently exiting the streets into safe and stable housing. This is
accomplished through milieu supervision of the Drop-In Center, outreach on the streets and to other
Denver area service providers, intensive and basic needs case management, and facilitation of groups,
classes, and activities. This position will ensure that interactions, interventions and environments at Urban Peak are trauma informed and emphasize the physical and emotional safety of youth and staff.
hAVERN sCHOOL *FILLED FOR 2020-2021*
Havern School creates confident learners through a comprehensive education program for elementary and middle school students with diagnosed learning disabilities. With a 4:1 student to staff ratio, teachers, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and a school psychologist provide a research-based program of intervention services in conjunction with a full academic curriculum. The Loretto Volunteer will serve as the Marking Assistant. Their role is to help promote the school in a variety of ways, including maintaining alumni relationships and marketing the school for enrollment, fundraising, hiring and general community awareness. With the assistance of the Director of Education, the LoVo will determine a way to connect with students through teaching or assisting in a classroom or after school activity.
The Gathering Place
The Gathering Place is the only daytime drop-in center in metropolitan Denver that serves women, their children, and transgender individuals who are experiencing poverty, many of whom are also experiencing homelessness. The Loretto Volunteer at TGP will serve as a Family Resource Advocate . In their role, the LoVo Advocate will work to ensure that children and parents feel welcome, wanted and connected, and that they have the knowledge and access to resources that directly benefit them.
El Paso, TX
CENTER AGAINST SEXUAL AND FAMILY VIOLENCE (CASFV)
The Loretto Volunteer at the Center Against Sexual and Family Violence (CASFV) serves as the organization's Youth Facilitator. This involves planning and implementing Youth Services presentations and Teen Intervention Prevention Program classes with teens and families impacted by sexual and/or family violence. In addition to prevention programs, CASFV provides emergency housing, transitional housing, counseling, and legal assistance to survivors of domestic and sexual assault. Spanish proficiency desired.
LAS AMERICAS IMMIGRANT ADVOCACY CENTER *FILLED FOR 2020-2021*
The LoVo at Las Americas serves as Assistant to Managing Attorney. This organization serves low-income immigrants of all backgrounds, including refugees, survivors of domestic violence, trafficking survivors, asylum seekers, DACA eligible adults, victims of crime, and families seeking reunification. Their clients come from over 60 countries seeking a wide variety of legal services. The Loretto Volunteer will help the Managing Attorney with client communications, detention center visits, and community outreach.
Kelly Memorial Food Pantry *FILLED FOR 2020-2021*
El Paso is reported to have 90,000 residents living in a state of food insecurity. Kelly Center for Hunger Relief is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting hunger in El Paso, Texas. Kelly provides a monthly distribution of supplemental and/or emergency food. They also partner with a local farm to provide local, nutritious food. One of Kelly's programs is the Fresh Start program, which focuses strongly on food assistance, case management, and healthy eating and active living as components. The Loretto Volunteer will serve as the Fresh Start Intern, helping members secure access to resources, education, and support. The Fresh Start Intern will provide continuity of service to Fresh Start members, including assisting with intake process, case management and food management. The Fresh Start program recognizes that hunger is not just caused by a lack of food, but also lack of human capital (including education, employment, and income), social support, and social capital. Any attempt to improve long-term food insecurity requires more than just short-term food. It also seeks to develop strong and active partnerships with related social services providers.
OPPORTUNITY CENTER FOR THE HOMELESS *FILLED FOR 2020-2021*
The Opportunity Center exists for all people experiencing homelessness without distinction of race, ethnic origin, language spoken or religious beliefs, and regardless of mental, drug and alcohol problems. The OC operates a day resource center/emergency overflow night shelter where homeless people can gather and where members of the El Paso Coalition for the Homeless can provide on-site services. The Center also strives to create a system of care for the most needy among this population through the development of transitional and long-term supportive housing. The LoVo position at the OC is based on their skills and interests, but works closely with the OC's Social Services Director.
Villa María *FILLED FOR 2020-2021*
Villa María provides a home for women who are homeless and without children where can transition from crisis to self-sufficiency while living within a beautiful, safe, supportive and spiritual community. The Loretto Volunteer at Villa María serves as Housing and Employment Counselor, working closely with the organization's Executive Director and Case Manager to assist residents with education, job opportunities and affordable housing searches.
Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services (DMRS) *FILLED FOR 2020-2021*
The mission of DMRS is to "provide legal services to immigrants and to engage in public advocacy and community outreach to advance justice and protect the rights of those we serve in the spirit of gospel values." The Loretto Volunteer at DMRS will serve as a Caseworker, helping build capacity for the organization by providing much needed support for one of the Removal Defense attorneys. The volunteer will assist the attorney with initial informational intakes, putting files together, translating case documents, visiting clients in the immigration detention centers in the area, and assisting with data input for necessary reports, among other things.
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"The Opportunity Center is a no-barriers shelter meaning that they serve anyone regardless of age, gender, religion, documentation status, etc. I worked primarily with single men and women who were experiencing homelessness and connected them with resources from housing to mental health services to education. I LOVED my job this year. [Serving at the OC] would be an amazing experience [for anyone] interested in social work, criminal justice, psychology, or anyone just looking for work experience that is new, challenging and different each day. The community at the OC is incredibly welcoming and has encouraged me to really get out of my comfort zone and immerse myself in the justice work that they engage with every day." - Amy Maltz - LoVo 2018-20 |
Amy with Loretto Community member JoAnn during Orientation 2019. Photo by Amy Maltz.
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New York, NY
Loretto AT THE UNITED NATIONS
**ONLY SECOND-YEAR LORETTO VOLUNTEERS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS POSITION**
As Assistant UN NGO Representative at the Loretto's UN Office, the LoVo will assist in the representation of the Loretto Community at the United Nations by advocating for peace and justice on a global scale. Loretto Volunteers have had the opportunity to engage in various projects and issue areas including participation on NGO committees, attending high-level UN dialogues and briefings and reporting on those events for Loretto’s larger network, coordinating delegations of students from Loretto affiliated high schools to the UN to participate in the annual Commission on the Status of Women, and creating materials/presentations to highlight the international work of Loretto.
As Assistant UN NGO Representative at the Loretto's UN Office, the LoVo will assist in the representation of the Loretto Community at the United Nations by advocating for peace and justice on a global scale. Loretto Volunteers have had the opportunity to engage in various projects and issue areas including participation on NGO committees, attending high-level UN dialogues and briefings and reporting on those events for Loretto’s larger network, coordinating delegations of students from Loretto affiliated high schools to the UN to participate in the annual Commission on the Status of Women, and creating materials/presentations to highlight the international work of Loretto.
Don't see a placement that matches your interests and skills?
DON'T LET IT STOP YOU FROM APPLYING!
We are constantly finding new placements to partner with - email us for the latest updates!
If your organization would like to work with a Loretto Volunteer, please contact lorettovolunteers@lorettocommunity.org.
Note: We place around 15 volunteers per year, so not all of these positions will be filled. Due to natural shifts in funding and management, not all placements are available each year.
Note: We place around 15 volunteers per year, so not all of these positions will be filled. Due to natural shifts in funding and management, not all placements are available each year.
"I have come to understand that what is asked of us as advocates is that we work for the good of those we will never meet, whether they are living now on the opposite side of the globe or their birth is seven generations down the line."
- Theresa Blumenstein -
LoVo 2013-14 & 2015-16
- Theresa Blumenstein -
LoVo 2013-14 & 2015-16
