Alumni Update: Mary Ireland
University Name, Year Graduated: Fordham University '04 Current Work / Volunteer position: I am currently the "Social Justice Volunteer" for a church in Manhattan (Jan Hus Presbyterian Church (www.janhus.org) (The church used to be involved in the sanctuary movement, helping Salvadoran refugees during the war). I live in a semi-intentional community in the building next to the church. My 9-5 is in the church's Homeless Outreach and Advocacy office. I provide our clients with food, clothing, mailing address and voice mail services, counselling, help with job searches, referrals to shelters and detox programs. I am the coordinator for the dinner program we have once a week. I also work on a newsletter written and edited by homeless clients. We are connected with the East Side Homeless Network, which advocates for more just laws and policies that directly affect the population we work with. I am also the staff person for the church's Global Concerns Committee. This year we're planning a "fair trade holiday fair," an immersion type trip to Haiti, small lectures and discussions (I'll be doing the first one about the current situation in El Salvador), and a teach-in in the spring about how our movement (progressive, leftist, non-violent peace movement) can unite under a common vision and how we can improve our tactics to be more creative and bring about more effective social change. Any Casa alum who's in the NYC area or looking to make the move here should think about joining the resident staff -- really cheap rent in a nice neighborhood...working with a church with a strong committment to social justice. Email is still betterthancats@yahoo.com |
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