Med school on hold while Philly's poor take precedence in Albany woman's life

In the shadow of the Liberty Bell, among burned-out and abandoned buildings, the 1997 graduate of Siena College in Loudonville and parishioner of St. James Church in Albany is in her second year in the Franciscan Volunteer Ministry Program working with the homeless, addicted and mentally ill.

"It's an amazing opportunity, and I feel blessed to be a part of it," she said.

Giving to others

"I spent the summer in Peru at a shanty town," she said. "I knew I wanted to be a healer in a Catholic Christian community, and I realized there are so many ways to be a healer."

Now working at St. Francis Inn, a Philadelphia soup kitchen sponsored by the Franciscans, Miss Turley is doing a different kind of healing.

"This kind of work is what I ultimately want to do," she said. "I want to work with the disenfranchised. Right now, I do a lot with the children. They are children who have nothing but drug-addicted parents or parents in prison."

Thousands like her

That figure is only a fraction of the actual total, she added, since only half of the 180 member organizations have supplied statistics thus far.

"Faith-based volunteer service programs have been very popular," she said. "There are now more programs than ever before."

Goaded by faith

While the JVC and other faith-based service organizations provide students an opportunity to deepen their faith by living the Gospel values they also help young adults with their future plans.

"Our volunteers get a lot of clarity about what they want to do professionally," Ms. Haser said. "They have clarity about what the needs are out there. They may still go to law school, but they might decide to focus on poverty law."

Works of mercy

"My primary responsibility is the soup kitchen," said the parishioner of St. John/St. Ann's parish in Albany. "We serve 300 to 450 people meals a day."

In college, her duties might have been called retail, distribution and networking: She picked up donated items for the thrift store, delivered food baskets on Sundays and worked at the women's day center. The experience has helped her develop skills that she hopes to use in the business world.

"I improved my interpersonal skills because every person here is different," she said. "I also learned how to adapt. It's a fast-paced environment."

Meeting poverty

Miss Smith would like to go into business and possibly go to law school. She believes volunteering at St. Francis Inn can help her in the business world.

"I could become an advocate [for the poor] in the business community," she said. The poor are "a large part of our country that we hear about but don't see."

Miss Turley agreed, noting: "Volunteering shatters the stereotypes about who the poor are. Some have jobs, some are war veterans, some are retired, and some are immigrants. We're working with a cross-section of people. There's a fine line between their world and my world."

Growing spiritually

"We're a Eucharist-based community," Miss Smith explained. "We have Mass each day. To develop and grow spiritually was a goal for me. To be able to say, `This is my faith; this is what I believe' and have people be supportive is amazing. Because we are a Eucharist-based community, it brings us to the focus of why we're here. We become poor and are on an equal level."

Miss Turley has found volunteering is a way for her to live out her faith. "It's an opportunity to live the values I always professed," she said. "We're nourished by God through Holy Communion, and we nourish others through that."

Gaining perspective

Said Miss Smith, "A really bad day in school -- all of that can be salvageable. A really bad day here -- a lot of this is unsalvageable. What we do here impacts people's lives. The problems people face here are `Am I going to have dinner today?'"

While many young people leave college with the belief that they are going to change the world, Miss Smith has a different perspective. "I can't change the world by myself," she said. "I can make a difference for one person -- and that's the most fulfilling thing."

Boosters

"I would encourage it," Miss Smith said. "You don't have to do it for a year. You can do it for three months, six months or a summer. You need to listen to what your heart tells you."

(For more information on the Franciscan Volunteer Ministry, call 215-427-3070. For information on the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, call 215-232-0300. To contact the Catholic Network of Volunteer Services, call 800-543-5046.)

(11-19-98) [[In-content Ad]]