Experience Making a Difference

Experience Making a Difference

Stories from Philadelphia/South Jersey

IVC Philadelphia/South Jersey Member Profile: Bette Ann Binstead

IVC Philadelphia/South Jersey Member Profile: Bette Ann Binstead

At Morton McMichael School in the Mantua neighborhood of Philadelphia, there hasn’t been a library for students since draconian budget cuts eliminated most public-school libraries in the city decades ago. But IVC volunteer Bette Ann Binstead, working with the West...

Alphabet Soup: IVC and the UAPs

Alphabet Soup: IVC and the UAPs

After retiring from a career in the creative arts as artistic director of Philadelphia’s Beacon Theater Productions, Georgina Dietz was not certain what was next.

IVC Philadelphia/South Jersey Member Profile: Tom Volkert, NETWORK

IVC Philadelphia/South Jersey Member Profile: Tom Volkert, NETWORK

Many IVC volunteers want to work with organizations that provide direct service to individuals, but for others, their IVC commitment is a chance to be part of an effort to change the system itself. Tom Volkert, for example, moved from a volunteer hospital ministry to...

IVC Philadelphia/South Jersey Begins Its 2022 Program Year!

IVC Philadelphia/South Jersey Begins Its 2022 Program Year!

Why join IVC when you could just go volunteer someplace? The answer to that question was on full display during September’s retreat at A.D.R.O.P. (Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor, an IVC placement in South Philadelphia), when 22 members of our Corps...

For Ignatian volunteers, experience makes the difference

For Ignatian volunteers, experience makes the difference

Volunteers are the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations, but the constant cycle of recruiting, scheduling and orienting newcomers can be a challenge to forward momentum. Similarly, for many individuals seeking to donate their time and talent, it’s not enough to fill a slot on a schedule; they long to contribute in meaningful ways.

For when I was hungry…

For when I was hungry…

In the midst of the civic unrest and anxiety about the coronavirus, we can lose sight of the ongoing crisis of food insecurity. Defined as “the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources,” Katie Fitzgerald, Chief...