Special to The Catholic Spirit
By Terry Griep
Ginny Walzer works six hours per day, two days a week. Cheryl Dugan’ works a total of about 600 hours each year. Both work in professional jobs -- but neither receives even a penny for their work.
For both of these women, payment comes in the form of job satisfaction, giving of themselves and knowing that they are helping others, while at the same time experiencing personal spiritual growth. They are part of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, a national, Jesuit-affiliated organization whose goals are to make a difference for the poor, for community organizations that serve them and for the senior citizens who staff their volunteer positions.
"It makes me feel like I'm doing something and not expecting money in return," Walzer said. "It's just nice to be able to give of yourself."
She performs all the tasks normally associated with adult daycare: bathes clients, monitors diabetes, does finger sticks and takes part in an exercise program with her clients. A 66-year-old registered nurse, Walzer will soon complete her third year working in the senior adult daycare program at East Side Neighborhood Services in Minneapolis. East Side Neighborhood Services has several departments, including those for childcare, an alternative high school and a seniors' work program. The organization is devoted to serving people of all nationalities, from a variety of careers, backgrounds and educational levels. There is a sliding-scale fee and bus service for clients.
And although she is not paid, Walzer works right alongside paid professionals. In fact, since she is a registered nurse, she updates medications and charts for the rest of the staff. The staff appreciates her enough to have nominated her for an award for her work there. She is a member of St. Thomas More in St. Paul.
Dugan’, 60, who spent her paid career working in corporate America, works with tutors and as a volunteer coordinator at the Sabathani Community Center Adult Life Skills Program in Minneapolis. She is working to develop a process and system that supports volunteers and she also helps in the development, training and scheduling of volunteers.
"I like IVC because (the program) matches your skill set to the job. I wanted to apply in a volunteer setting where I could give back and have it be a reflection of what I did in my life work," she said. "They ask for a significant time commitment, and with that I have the ability get in there and do something and really make a difference."
Dugan’ said that the spiritual aspect of IVC is the most important, and that is finding God in all things. The blending of the spiritual with ministry is unique in volunteerism, she said.
"There is a real focus on St. Ignatius' idea of finding God in all things. (IVC volunteers) get together monthly and talk about our experiences and how God is involved in this work. I wanted to work on my spiritual development and become closer to God in my retirement years," she said. She is relatively new to Catholicism, but has always had a special relationship with the Jesuits, she said. She belongs to Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville.
Walzer and Dugan are two of the volunteers who belong to the Twin Cities community of the IVC. Founded nationally by two Jesuit priests in 1995, the local program came to Minneapolis/St. Paul in 2002. It is made up of retired or semi-retired men and women who want to give of themselves as a way of thanking God for the blessings and love in their lives. IVC has programs in 16 metropolitan areas, where over 300 volunteers serve in more than 225 agencies and give more than 180,000 volunteer hours. It is estimated that this is a value of $3.4 million dollars annually.
Kathleen Groh, the regional director of IVC, described Twin Cities' volunteers as "the silent missionaries of the city." She was invited by Mickey Friesen, director of the Center for Mission, to speak at three parishes as part of the annual appeal of the Missionary Cooperative Plan, thus acknowledging that IVC volunteers are truly missionaries.
Groh explained how the program works. IVC looks for partner nonprofit agencies that serve the poor and vulnerable who need additional help to fully provide services. IVC then recruits volunteers who discern which service site would benefit most from their skills. The service site gives a nominal partnership fee to IVC, which is used to help sustain the program, provide volunteer training and cover costs such as spiritual direction and other spiritual growth opportunities for volunteers.
The program is unique in that its spiritual support component encourages reflection on three levels:
- Private: Reflecting on service experiences through journaling and prayer.
- Individual: Meeting privately every month with a spiritual reflector who is trained in Ignatian Spirituality.
- Communal: Sharing and developing spiritually with other volunteers through prayer, reflection and discussion.
IVC in the Twin Cities serves Catholic Charities, CommonBond, AMICUS, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Union Gospel Mission, East Side Neighborhood Services, Inter-Tribal Elderly Services, Sabathani Community Center, Hospitality House, Little Brothers: Friends of the Elderly and Customized Options.
For more information about becoming an IVC volunteer, or to become a work site sponsor, please contact Kathleen Groh at 651-777-0991 or kgroh@ivcusa.org.
