September 1, 2010

CVV increases volunteers, opens second house

By Julie Filby

Colorado Vincentian Volunteers have established a second community home, increasing their number of volunteers that serve local agencies from 12 to 20.

CVV is a group of men and women, age 22 to 30, who live together for one year while working full-time at nonprofit and charitable organizations. Since forming in 1994, the volunteers have resided in the Capital Hill neighborhood at 1732 Pearl St.

In July they finalized a rental agreement on a second house, just two blocks away, at 1544 Pearl St. CVV founders and directors, Bill and Mary Frances Jaster, became aware of the property on their daily commute.

“We knew (the house) was empty, because we’d drive by it all the time,” Bill said. “They’d been trying to sell the property for two-and-a-half years.”

The home is owned by Archdiocesan Housing, an affiliate of Catholic Charities. Originally built as a duplex in the 1900s, it served as their administrative offices until 2007 when they moved to Charities’ new headquarters at 4045 Pecos St.

CVV converted the space back into a home accommodating 10 residents, by adding a shower, two hot water tanks, and a back screen door. The house has 10 bedrooms, a large dining room, living room, kitchen and chapel. The bulk of the furniture was donated by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, also a Vincentian community, when they closed their convent at Denver’s Annunciation Parish earlier this summer.

“It really does look like a home,” said Mary Frances. “The Denver community and our board of directors really came together to transform it and get it furnished.”

While the second house allows CVV to provide extra help to agencies in need, it also provides additional opportunities for young adults.

“There’s an increased interest in young people to serve,” said Mary Frances, who is also on the Catholic Volunteer Network board. “It’s an opportunity for young people to recognize they have something to offer, and that the people they serve have something huge to offer them.

“They go out to ‘change the world,’” she said. “But really they change their own lives.”

Volunteer Danny Walsh, 23, from the Denver suburb of Lone Tree and graduate of Creighton University, is working at the St. Francis Center, a homeless day shelter downtown.

“Adding more volunteers illustrates the growing injustice of homelessness and poverty in the area,” he said. “On the other hand, it also displays the passion and desire of our nation’s 22- to 30-year-olds to serve others and work towards justice.”

According to a January 2010 survey “American Millennials: Generations Apart” commissioned by the Knights of Columbus, American Catholic adults under 30 share the commitment of older generations when it comes to philanthropy and volunteerism.

“It’s sad we have a growing problem, but it also creates opportunities to compassionately serve with others,” Walsh said.

One goal of the Vincentian mission is to live in solidarity with the poor. Volunteers were made acutely aware of poverty in the area their first night in the new house.

“A homeless man had made our handicap ramp his bed,” explained volunteer Chelsea Clearman, 22, a graduate of Bradley University from East Moline, Ill., working at Sacred Heart House shelter for women and children. “He was sleeping next to a bottle of vodka, and a circle of vomit.

“We were scared at first…but realized if we aren’t comfortable with the homeless sleeping outside our house, how can we commit a year of our life reaching out to them?”

This year CVV placed the 20 new volunteers with 21 agencies, though they received requests from 35. In their 16-year history, CVV has served 55 programs including emergency assistance centers, homeless shelters, health services, schools, childcare programs, and senior service centers.

Colorado Vincentian Volunteers
Online: www.covivo.org
Call: 303-863-8141
E-mail: cvv@covivo.org