IVC service corps member John Gradowski, now in his sixth-year volunteering at partner agency Friendship Place in Washington, D.C., knew from the start that his placement there felt right. The agency works with those experiencing homelessness and unemployment to help them obtain stable housing and jobs and rebuild their lives. John thought he could make a real impact there, and he has.
Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, a mosque and Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, provides extensive social services to a vibrant and diverse Muslim community. With a congregation of over 3,500 members representing over fifty countries, the Center’s comprehensive support programs include career training and placement, a food bank, dental care and serving thousands of hot meals annually. Recently, the Center has taken on a new and urgent role: supporting newly arrived Afghan refugees.
IVC members Lynda and Larry Dendtler bring a lifetime of experience to their volunteer service at Pathway Homes, an IVC partner agency that provides stable, permanent home settings for adults with disabilities, mental illnesses, and co-occurring substance abuse disorders.
Jim Kelley, who served IVC for over twenty years as a service corps member, regional director and regional council member, and who oversaw the expansion of IVC into Northern Virginia, died November 1 in Fairfax, Va. He was 86.
On September 18th, the Ignatian Volunteer Corps honored Dr. Anthony Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Christine Grady, Ph.D., Chief of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, with the inaugural Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Award for Exemplary Public Service at IVC’s annual Evening of Gratitude.
