Concern for the Poor
Four SMC Lasallian Volunteers Going the Extra Mile for Their Ministry
Four Saint Mary’s alumnae who took their marks among 45,000 runners at the Oct. 7 Chicago Marathon had a shared incentive for finishing the grueling 26.2-mile race through the Windy City. Jahmese Myres ’06, Adriana Rodriguez ’05, Sandra Sanchez ’06 and Casey Wilson ’06 raised money for the Lasallian Volunteers, which places recent college graduates in Christian Brothers’ schools and service agencies in low-income neighborhoods across the country. The program continues the tradition started by Saint John Baptist de La Salle, who in 17th-century France taught poor children who wouldn’t otherwise receive a quality education. All four women running in Chicago are current or recent Lasallian Volunteers. More than 100 Saint Mary’s alumni have served the program as teachers, tutors and translators since 1988. These service assignments require substantial commitment and energy from the volunteers, who are called upon to fill several roles. “Some days I was filling in as a substitute teacher in the classroom, other days I was in a counselor role, some days I was a test administrator,” says Rodriguez, who worked at the Martin de Porres School outside Queens, N.Y. from 2005 to 2007. “As far as the kids, they loved having extra people around, mostly because they really loved the individual assistance and attention.” The marathoners’ goal was to raise at least $26,200 ($1,000 per mile) for the program to help recruit, train and sustain more volunteers for these Lasallian ministries.
Read a blog from one Oakland-based Lasallian volunteer preparing to run in the Oct. 7 Chicago Marathon.