IVC-NCA’s Rebecca C. Ruiz has served as a spiritual reflector in Northern Virginia since 2016. We asked her a few questions about her role with IVC, and what she enjoys most working with our Service Corps members!

IVC Service Corps Member Ann Johnson brings not only a lifetime’s worth of skills to her administrative position with partner agency Catholic Charities Diocese of Arlington Migration & Refugee Services (MRS), but a personal touch as well!  An IVC volunteer since 2006, Ann began her service with MRS in 2009 and over the years has assisted clients in such ways as driving them to appointments, delivering supplies, and completing forms for services.  And all while focusing on managing paperwork for a busy social services agency.

At St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School in Camp Springs, Md., IVC Service Corps members Flavia Favali, Maureen McMahon, and Maria Otoo are not only volunteer staff members – they are also considered part of the school family. “We’re very grateful to them,” says Mr. Raven A. Wilkins, Sr.,  the school’s principal. “They go over and beyond, and our students and teachers love having them here.”

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.