By Ann Augherton
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 3/27/03)
In its 40th year, CNVS is a clearinghouse of information for volunteers looking to spend as a little as a week to more than a year volunteering for organizations in the United States and abroad.
Although CNVS ministers to its member organizations, which number 235, its catalog and Web site (www.cnvs.org) are invaluable resources for anyone looking "to give something back."
The Web site asks prospective volunteers a series of 20 questions, and with the searchable database, people can narrow down their placement options on their own. The catalog, called "Resource," has an alphabetical listing of the member organizations, and an index that lists different volunteer fields, such as arts and music, or evangelization, or even physician-related "jobs."
A section lists options according to short-term or long-term assignments, for those under 18, or over 55, for married couples with or without dependents, and even for those outside the United States who need assistance obtaining a visa.
Those wanting to set sail for the open sea should check out Mercy Ships in Garden Valley, Texas, where the interdenominational group sails to West Africa, as well as Central and South America to minister to the poor.
The Jesuit Volunteer Corps, one of the larger member organizations, places volunteers domestically, as well as in Micronesia, Tanzania and other poor countries. International placements run for two years, and the participants live in community with other Jesuit volunteers. The work centers on justice and peace, and may include farm-worker outreach, homeless advocacy and sexual assault counseling.
In the heartland of the country, specifically Red Bud, Ill., the Roman Catholic Adorers of the Blood of Christ Volunteer Program needs help with catechetical work, nutritional training, home renovations, and food distribution in Illinois, as well as in Bolivia, Guatemala, New Mexico and Kentucky.
Liat Segal, a Jewish woman living in Arlington, volunteers with the Notre Dame Mission Volunteers, affiliated with Americorps, as a teacher at the Washington Middle School for Girls in Anacostia. It is the only all-girls school in South East, D.C., and even though it is not technically a Catholic private school, it follows a Catholic curriculum and is free for the students.
According to Jim Lindsay, executive director of CNVS, about 80 percent of the member organizations are Roman Catholic, and the other 20 percent are a combination of about a dozen different denominations.
For each of the last two years, approximately 9,600 volunteers have been placed through CNVS.
A fulltime CNVS recruiter attends volunteer fairs on college campuses, and CNVS representatives appeal for financial help at about 25 parishes each summer, according to Lindsay.
He said funding is the biggest challenge to the organization. The member dues, $450 per year, make up only 20 percent of the overall budget, he said. CNVS is a national organization, and not a direct-service group. Lindsay believes people often prefer to donate to service groups, and those in "their own back yard," and that even being a faith-based group can negatively affect donations. "So we have to be creative," he said.
Some funding comes from foundation grants and individual donors, but with the economy struggling, these sources have been affected.
CNVS began in 1963 when Father George Mader, then a pastor in Cedar Grove, N.J., formed the International Liaison of Lay Volunteers in Mission. Now an affiliate of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, CNVS is also a member of the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps in Washington, D.C. It is through this association that CNVS is able to offer health insurance to volunteers. With a staff of about a dozen people, CNVS not only helps member organizations recruit volunteers, but an annual conference covers staffing and operational issues, as well as providing networking opportunities and prayer time. A Lay Mission Handbook compiles chapters solicited from authors that address topics of concern to the members.
CNVS sends out a list to its members every two weeks with demographics on the volunteers looking for placements, such as their educational background, work history and where they might fit into a program. The member groups can then follow up with the volunteers.
In Northern Virginia, there are several member organizations, including St. Charles Lwanga House, Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry Program and the Josephite Volunteer Program.
Since Father Gerry Creedon, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Arlington, returned from his four years as pastor of the diocesan mission in the Dominican Republic, he has received several phone calls from college students looking for opportunities for mission outreach. He put them in touch with CNVS, since "the diocese does not have a mission office.
"We see increasing support of the missions with time and talent, not just financial help," Father Creedon said, explaining that the new term, missiology, describes how the approach to mission and the nature to mission have changed since Vatican II.
As the CNVS mission statement reads, the organization "promotes opportunities for men and women of all backgrounds and skills to respond to the Gospel through domestic and international volunteer service to people in need."
With all the options in the catalog, the world is wide open for volunteers eager to find their niche. For more information call 1-800-543-5046 or go to www.cnvs.org.
Copyright ©2003 Arlington Catholic Herald. All rights reserved.
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