Experiencing Manhattan by Subway, Bus and Ferry

Saturday, Sister Charlotte led the group on a subway, bus and ferry tour that included Central Park West, Columbus Circle, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Times Square, Bryant Park, Grand Central Station, Staten Island Ferry, the South Street Seaport, and the High Line.

The subway tour took place the day after the farm experience, so using public transit was a great way to put into practice what we learned from Sisters' Hill Farm about environmental sustainability.  Volunteers also commented that it was enriching to see the city "from the inside out--with and through its people."  

Encountering Vegetables

Reflections by volunteer, Adrienne C., age 23.

Adrienne just completed her Masters in Education at Boston College, where she also received a B.A. in Education and Spanish. She will be teaching Spanish at a junior high in a suburb of Boston this fall.

Stanfordville, NY- June 3-4
There is something incredibly humbling about doing manual labor on the farm. It’s good, honest, dignified work that is 100% dependent on natural processes. I can’t really think of any other work that connects workers so intimately with nature. If the crops don’t grow, there’s nothing to pick; thus, there is no work. Despite human attempts to analyze the hell out of things like weather patterns, crop growth, volcanic activity, etc., we are still ultimately subject to the whims of Mother Nature.

At the end of 3 or 3.5 hours harvesting, plucking, weeding, cutting, we were sweaty, tired, and ready for a break. Fortunately, the beauty of upstate New York and the pool at St. Margaret’s awaited us. As I was running along the back roads of Stanfordville, I thought about all of the men, women, and children who have no choice but to labor in the fields day in, day out. We are in New York-- they are in Southern California and other areas where the climate is more temperate and the sun’s rays more determined. We get to escape to air conditioning and return to our comfortable quarters while they retreat to crowded apartments, overzealous immigration officials, and the imminence of getting up and doing the same thing for ten or more hours the next day. I hate to use the separating language of “we” and “they” that draws attention to migrant farm workers’ “otherness,” but it is naïve to go through life thinking that there is a common set of experiences for all people.

What do I take from this? An appreciation that goes into each piece of fruit, ear of corn, and glass of juice I consume. Someone, somewhere labored to afford me this privilege. Chances are, they worked for something lower than minimum wage and toiled for more hours than is permissible by law. Additionally, and of more importance, I am in a unique position to influence hundreds, if not thousands of young people through my chosen career path. By educating my students about the injustices that many people endure so that a nice, ripe Dole banana could be eaten for breakfast in a kitchen in Acton, Massachusetts, I have a small hand in making the world more just. After all, someone taught even the greatest of leaders, from Dorothy Day to Cesar Chavez to Barack Obama, before they grew into successful, influential adults.

View more farm photos.

Ecountering the City's Youth, St. Aloysius School

After our tour of the school library at St. Aloysius, we visited a kindergarten class who recited the following poem for us:

I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--

I, too, am America. 

Reflection on St. Aloysisus elementary by 2010 Program Assistant and former volunteer, Sabrina

Sabrina is a graduate of Mount St. Vincent and is studying mental health counseling at Columbia University Teacher's College.

There is a phrase that goes something along the lines of, “it just keeps getting better and better." This is truly what I can say for Charity in the City program this year. It never ceases to amaze me how many new experiences, along with the challenges, that I have gained since volunteering in this program two years ago. Even though I may be part of the staff this year, it does not limit me in terms of learning how to give to others in this life of charity. Thus, when I was asked what has touched you over the past two weeks, it was difficult at first because a lot of these experiences touched me. However, the one experience that really inspired me the most was our visit to St. Aloyisious’s School in Harlem. Even though we visited the school for about two hours I was left with something that I will never forget and that is pride.

We often define pride as a quality of someone who is boastful. The pride that I speak of is that of is that of being an African-American woman. Sr. Margaret took us to visit one of the kindergarten classes in the school. When we came in the children sang the song they were going to sing for graduation “Welcome to first grade."  Then they recited in loud and clear voices "I, Too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes. Nothing has touched me more than hearing these kids recite this poem. It brought such joy to my heart that I was actually moved to tears. These children may be too young to understand what this poem means, but for the people who lived during the Civil Rights Movement, the poem signifies a dream that many fought and sacrificed their lives to see fulfilled. Many fought for this dream so that all of us in this world could have the opportunity to interact with other cultures both academically and socially without the rules of segregation.

It saddens me to know that many children in today’s society are not receiving the proper education in the classrooms due to budget cuts, increasing rates of teacher unemployment, etc. Too often I have seen children out of school because of these factors, and also hanging out with the wrong crowd. Thus, many students will not receive the history of those who came before them and never understand why they are so important to us.

Later on that morning, I was blown away by the play put on by the second graders called “I Can Soar Too,” in which every student portrayed characters from Black history such as Martin Luther King, Hattie, Carver, Owens, Obama, etc. It was absolutely amazing to see from a different perspective how each individual in history is constantly climbing on the shoulders of those before, and it is because of those that came before that this new generation can fly. St. Aloysius School has provided a multicultural curriculum to the students in this school and I felt so proud that these children have such a wonderful opportunity to learn about their history. I felt such extreme joy and pride to be an African-American woman. To know how far we have come and how much more we have to go is a blessing, and instilling these values of freedom in the younger generation starts with us.

View more photos of St. Aloysius School.

Experiencing the City's Youth, Elizabeth Ann Seton Pediatric Center

Reflections on Visiting the Elizabeth Ann Seton Pediatric Center by volunteer Jacqueline

Jackie is a junior at the College of Mount Saint Vincent studying special education.

Charity in the City was an experience that I will never forget. All the places that we visited left a strong impression in my heart, but the one that touched me the most was the John Coleman School inside the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center. The John Coleman School's mission is educating students with disabilities. I have always wanted to be a teacher who leaves footprints on her students' lives. As many people have told me, the field of special education might be rough, but it is truly rewarding.

During the visit, I got the privilege of sitting in one of the preschool classes in the John Coleman School.  When the teacher found out that I was going into Special Education, she got so excited and said, "That's great; we need more special education teachers out there." I could tell she cared so much about her students even while simply going to each student's assigned area to draw a fish for them to color. One of the boys in the class was coloring in a circular motion rather than straight lines, which is a positive sign of development. One of the girls I was working with had such a lively personality and a contagious smile. She also seemed really sweet because she gave me a sticker.

The school's music teacher also came into the class and did some exercises with the students. He played music and gave out bells for the children to ring, which I thought was a great way to get the students involved with the lesson. I was going to participate in a counting activity in which all the adults would assist the students, but unfortunately, right when it was going to start, our group was leaving. I felt bad because the student I was working with wasn't going to have her own adult to do the activity with her, but there was nothing I could do. When I left the school, I was already aware that it was amazing in so many ways, particularly because of the positive attitude and commitment of the teachers.  I would love to visit the John Coleman School again and get to know the students well.

Experiencing East Harlem, On Foot

Sister Charlotte accompanied the volunteers on a walking tour of East Harlem, where she worked for 18 years. Highlights included visits to the Fox House and to the Little Sisters of the Assumption Health Services building, which houses a thrift shop where three volunteers will work the second week of the Charity in the City program.
See more photos of the tour.

2009 Experience

Melissa Falle, volunteer from the 2009 program and communications specialist for the Sisters of Charity Halifax, wrote the following article for the Sisters' publication.

"We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give."
--Winston Churchill.

When S. Kati Hamm first mentioned the two-week volunteer program she was directing as part of her new position with the Sisters of Charity New York, I knew in an instant that I wanted to be a part of it. The Charity in the City program offered a chance to live and work with Sisters in their ministries to the poor, especially women and children, new immigrants and the homeless. Promotion for the program said, "No experience needed, just a desire to help and a willingness to live simply." Sounds easy enough, right? I thought so, too, until I suffered separation anxiety from my laptop the moment I left home. I admit, I was nervous. I thought I might not fit in with the other participants and that I'd be a loner for two weeks. To my relief, those fears were erased immediately when I met the other eight young women at the opening night reception. We ranged in age from 18 to over 30, we came from various parts of the United States and Canada, and all shared the desire to be of service. Being of service meant getting up early (and by early, I mean 5:30-6:00am!) and going to bed around 10. It meant pushing our personal boundaries when we found ourselves in situations that were outside our comfort zones. It also meant living in community.

For the first week, S.Kati arranged for us to visit various ministries. We did art with medically fragile children at Saint Elizabeth Pediatric Centre. We made sandwiches and prepared toiletry kits for people who are homeless and then toured the city giving them out during the Midnight Run. We boarded a mobile soup kitchen and gave out meals to anyone in need. We pulled vegetables and helped get ready for Saturday distribution at Sisters' Hill Farm, an organic farm run by the Sisters of Charity-New York.

We also held a prayer service at a homeless shelter with S. Dorothy Gallant, the co-founder and director of Life Experience and Faith Sharing Association. What stands out most for me that day was the generosity of one homeless woman in the prayer circle. She gave $20 to a Charity in the City participant who was celebrating her 21st birthday! It was a humbling experience for all of us and with S. Dorothy's assurance, we left knowing that it empowered the woman to be able to share. The second week we each chose a specific ministry. Jessica Gaffney and I went to Saints Peter and Paul School in the Bronx. We sang songs with pre-kindergartners, read to first-graders, and helped with classes in church and at recess. The first grade teacher, S. Carole Ruf, asked her students to write us thank you letters. Perhaps my favourite read: "Dear Melissa, Thank you for visiting us. I love you with all my hart [sic]. I love your reading. From Janeth."

That's just a snapshot of the activity that S. Kati organized for us. She did a fantastic job of keeping us focused and reminding us why we were there. Other Sisters invited us into their homes for meals and some Sisters volunteered their time to show us around the city. Sisters reminded us that our youthful spirits were revitalizing,especially for the elder Sisters we visited at the retirement communities. This exchange went both ways,because we left the program more inspired by the work of the Sisters and with a deeper understanding of the spirit of charism."

More photos from the 2009 program.