First Class of St. Joseph Workers Announced!

June, 2009 - We are delighted to announce the very first class of St. Joseph Workers for our new year-long volunteer program in New Orleans, Louisiana! These four young women will join recently-named Program Director Jackie Schmitz, CSJ on July 31, 2009. Their volunteer year will end June 30, 2010.

Rebekah Clark graduated from West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV in May, 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. While gaining experience as a telemetry nurse in a hospital setting, she is also passionate about education and care for those who cannot afford healthcare. She has volunteered as an Emergency Relief Worker with the Red Cross. Born in Minneapolis, she has also lived in Chicago and Hampton, Virginia. She loves spending time with family and friends, and is a supporter of animals and the environment. Rebekah will be working as a nurse care manager at the Carrollton Medical Center as well as visiting other healthcare locations for training, orientation and professional experiences.

Becky Kleive graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN in May, 2009 with a double major in Women’s Studies and Environmental Studies. While in college, Becky also engaged in an off-campus study experience called “The Oregon Extension,” which is a program teaching intentional community-building in a remote, mountainous environment. Her creative leadership at St. Olaf’s included co-directing the Vagina Monologues, hosting a radio talk show and educating audiences around the environment. Becky is passionate about education, community organizing and direct service work. This summer, she spent some time visiting her father (who is in the Peace Corps) in Samoa. Becky will be working with the St. Vincent De Paul Adult Learning Center for Empowerment.

Rian Kistner graduated from the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH in May, 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Music. Rian is passionate about using her gifts and leadership skills to assist in community growth. In recent years, she has used these gifts in many ways, from serving as a Team Leader for the Teens Encounter Christ program and Music Ministry Leader in Dayton’s Campus Ministry Department to serving as President of Dayton’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineer’s and as an International Living and Learning Community Member. As a St. Joseph Worker, Rian will work with the Community Center of St. Bernard as a Community Service Advocate as a direct contact with community members seeking assistance to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Traci Salisbury graduated from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY in May, 2008 with a major in International Business and a minor in Global Studies. Traci’s optimistic nature and zest for life support her passion for “servant leadership” and community involvement. Traci has served as a hospitality assistant at a women’s shelter with the Mercy Volunteer Corps, a facilitator with Just Faith Ministries for teens, a Soup Kitchen Volunteer, and a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. Traci will be working with Lowernine, an agency dedicated to teaching home rebuilding to volunteers and community residents; facilitating access to social services; working with youth; and experimenting with models of sustainable economic development in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, LA.

The St. Joseph Worker Program (SJW) is a new sponsored program of the Congregation of St. Joseph. SJW is a year-long volunteer program for single women between the ages of 21-35 who are committed to social change. This program is based on the St. Joseph Worker program the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet began seven years ago in St. Paul Minnesota that has since grown to two very successful houses in the Twin Cities as well as an alumni house.

The Program trains and supports women to be agents of change as they provide direct services to the communities they serve. The core of the program includes development in leadership, community, justice and spirituality. This is done through training programs, retreat days, living together in community, ministry experiences, and interaction among themselves, the sisters and associates of the Congregation, and others they meet.

The program is founded on the values of the Sisters of St. Joseph. The women who become St. Joseph Workers partner with us by:

Working within diverse communities that address the needs of the poor and marginalized

Developing leadership skills for social change

Deepening their spirituality and relationship with God with the support of local sisters and associates as well as with others whom they meet.

Developing within the St. Joseph Worker House an intentional living community that is committed to living simply and to just relationships.

Each volunteer is assigned a full-time placement with a not-for-profit agency that offers an environment, mission and clientele that match the program’s mission and values. Placement of volunteers is dependent on the woman’s skills and interests and the needs of the work site.

In addition to their work placement, women in the program spend one night a week in “Sharing the State of their Hearts” (a Sister of St. Joseph practice) which allows them to listen and to learn from one another. The Program also includes retreats, training programs, and other opportunities to help make the year a truly life-changing experience. The St. Joseph Worker program offers a model for volunteerism and service to people in need that embraces justice, care, compassion, and community.