Catholic Charities released “The Joy in Serving” as a call to
parishioners to increase their involvement with ministries of
the Arlington Diocese and volunteer programs in their
communities. The video is designed to “spark a desire to
volunteer” among the more than 450,000 registered Catholics
in the diocese through emphasizing the impact that service
has on faith.
Sally O’Dwyer, director of volunteers for Catholic Charities,
said in her position she sees how many people have a desire
to serve. She hopes this video will connect them to the more
than 150 volunteer opportunities available through Catholic
Charities, “to find something meaningful to give back and
fulfill their role as a good Catholic.”
Morgan McKean, development associate for Catholic Charities,
said volunteers are “a priceless asset” for the organization.
“We wanted to create a video that illustrates how volunteers
are bringing mercy to the margins,” she said.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a multinational accounting firm
with offices in Arlington, McLean and Washington, encourages
its employees to volunteer in their communities through
annual paid service days where they are able to spend a
workday volunteering with a charity of their choice.
Ten PwC employees recently volunteered at Christ House in
Alexandria, lending a hand with gardening, cleaning and
preparing meals.
Christ House serves as a food pantry, transitional housing
for adult men, and also has a thrift store on site. Founded
in 1973, the house provides meals as well as physical and
psychological care to empower those in need to attain
self-sufficiency.
Nicole Janik, PwC executive assistant, grew up in Alexandria
and said volunteering at Christ House opened her eyes to the
amount of homelessness in the area – something she had not
considered previously. She said through volunteering, she
hoped to make an “immediate impact” in her own community.
Sister Annie Juan, Christ House volunteer coordinator, said
the house would not be able to provide all of its services
without the help of volunteers. For every staff member, there
are 15 volunteers, she said. “So they’ve really got an
important role.”
She said the efforts of volunteers make the individuals who
come to Christ House feel valued and loved. “(The volunteers)
really make a difference in the lives of other people; they
don’t realize how much joy they bring.”
Sister Annie said the act of volunteering is not simply about
enhancing the lives of others, but also enriching one’s own
life and faith. “The volunteers really participate in the
mission of Christ and the teaching of the church,” she said.
“They always say they experience fulfillment in helping us
here.”
O’Dwyer echoed this sentiment. “We find fulfillment through
volunteering and serving others,” she said. “I personally
feel that Catholic Charities is a vehicle for making this
world a better place. If we all did a little bit more, the
world would be an amazing place, like Jesus wanted it to be.”
“The Joy in Serving” was created and produced for Catholic
Charities by Maniglia Media LLC., Tysons, VA.
Husar can be reached at [email protected]
