Tag Archives: Weekly Service Sites

Weekly Service Sites Archive

Reflecting on Citizenship

– April 24, 2012Posted in: Blogs, Featured Events, Formerly Featured Events, Weekly Service Blog

Written by: Maureen Boyce (freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences)

Volunteering at the Juan Diego Center this semester has changed my views on the immigration process. It gave me the unique opportunity to see this process from the perspective of an immigrant going through the arduous journey of gaining citizenship. It’s inspiring to see the people work so hard to overcome their language barriers, which is often the hardest part of the whole process. Because they must answer questions in English, it forces them to learn a specific vocabulary not used in everyday language. But they still come to the center even when they are tired after a long day at work. Many have the additional burden of having to overcome health issues in order to practice for their test. They persevere because they believe that it is important.

In some ways the test provides an interesting peek into what the government believes is important for immigrants to learn before they become citizens. Sometimes the questions are a bit strange but most are about the unique rights and privileges that one has as an American citizen. One of the participants, a man from Cuba, told a volunteer that the difference between his country and America is that in Cuba things (such as healthcare) are free, yet they, the people, are not free. But in America, though things are not free, we are free. His statement reminds me how fortunate we are to live in America, where our rights are protected by our Constitution.

It’s easy to forget the enormity of an immigrants’ decision to become an American citizen. Looking at the application and the questions they are asked reminds me about the sacrifice they are making to become a citizen. It’s a moving experience to ask an immigrant if they are willing to give up loyalty to all other countries in favor of America. But they are ready to take the oath of allegiance to the United States because they truly believe that their lives will be better as American citizens. Volunteering at the Juan Diego Center is a great experience and I recommend it to anyone looking to serve the community.

The CCSJ blogs are meant to be a place for Creighton students, faculty, staff, alumni/ae, and friends to reflect on their experiences with programs sponsored by the office or related to its mission. The views expressed in these reflections, and all other blogs found on or linked to from this website, are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of Creighton University, the Creighton Center for Service and Justice (CCSJ), or any of the University’s affiliates. The University and the CCSJ are not responsible for the actions, content, accuracy, or opinions expressed in these blogs.

Tags: Migration, Reflection, Weekly Service Sites

Encountering an Amazing Community Here in Omaha

– April 12, 2012Posted in: Blogs, Featured Events, Weekly Service Blog

By Matthew Taira, ‘15

It has been just over a month since I came back from my Spring Break Service and Justice Trip, but not one day passes without thinking about the great experience I had at both Pixan Ixim and One World in South Omaha.

At first, I was a little disappointed that I was staying here in Omaha for my spring break; however, it was nothing short of amazing! I was just a few miles from Creighton, and yet the people, city, culture, and the overall feeling were different than my normal experience.

After being touched and moved by the warm hearts and welcome from the Mayan Community of Pixan Ixim, my entire service trip group and I have decided to go back every Wednesday night to help with the English as a Second Language (ESL) classes Pixan Ixim offers to immigrants – documented or not.

The best part of this weekly service site is that you do not need to know Spanish to have a great time. There are opportunities for volunteers who speak varying levels of Spanish to help those who are learning English, but even for those who cannot speak any Spanish, there are opportunities to work with children from infants to the age of twelve. I personally do not speak Spanish but love working with the little kids.

The benefits of volunteering at Pixan Ixim are feeling one with the community, seeing both the children and the parents grow, and realizing the strength of the parents who commit themselves to learn English despite all of the struggles – some have to translate from the native Mayan language (Q’anjob’al) to Spanish, then finally to English. Another perk of volunteering with Pixan Ixim is learning about the immigrants’ journeys in coming to America. If you don’t believe me, sign up for Pixan Ixim, come out and see how warm-hearted and strong these people are.

Students volunteer at Pixan Ixim on Wednesdays from 6:20-9:00 PM. For those interested in attending, contact MellissaHollabaugh@creighton.edu or MaureenBook@creighton.edu.

Tags: Migration, Omaha, Service & Justice Trips, Weekly Service Sites

A Morning At Holy Family Church

– March 8, 2012Posted in: Blogs, Featured Events, Service & Justice Trips Blog

SIena/Francis House group with statue by local artist depicting Jesus as 1st century traveling preacher.

The Siena/Francis House service & justice trips group spent the morning at Holy Family Catholic Church. They took a tour of the church and made sandwiches to be handed out as part of lunch to the homeless guests.

Tags: Community, Poverty, Service, Service & Justice Trips, Weekly Service Sites

CCSJ Weekly Update: Feb. 20 – Feb. 27

– February 20, 2012Posted in: Featured Events, Formerly Featured Events, Upcoming Events, Weekly Update

Featured Events:

Savor the Flavor Dinner
Project CURA is a Creighton student-run organization that sends medical supplies and Creighton medical students to provide free medical care to underserved communities around the world. Savor the Flavor is the primary fundraiser for Project CURA. Please join us for an elegant evening including a Silent Auction featuring items from local businesses. Visit with Creighton faculty and medical students and enjoy ethnic food from each CURA supported country. Cocktail Attire is required. Tickets are generally $30, $10 for students, and will be available for purchase at the door. For more information, please visit
http://medicine.creighton.edu/projectcure/Project_CURA/Home.html.

Events this week:
FoodNet Information Meeting
Lakota Hand Game
West Virginia Service Learning Course Information Meeting-Sunday
Transition Omaha Monthly Meeting
Archbishop George Lucas Speaking at St. John’s
The Function and Role of Traditional African Music
West Virginia Service Learning Course Information Meeting- Tuesday
Pixan Ixim Weekly Service
Collaborative Ministry Praying Lent 2012 Website
Day of Remembrance
Encuentro Dominicano Interest Session
Faith, Justice, and Economics Lunch Discussion
Volunteers Needed for Ollie Webb Center
Savor the Flavor Dinner

Events More than One Week Away:
Spring Break Service Trips Send-Off Service

Friday, February 17
FoodNet Information Meeting
A member of the Creighton Community is trying to bring FoodNet to Omaha. This program gathers up perishable food donations (milk, eggs, meat, vegetables, etc…) from local stores like Trader Joe’s and local cafeterias such as CUMC, and distributes them out into the community. An informational meeting will be held at 12 pm at the Heart Ministry Center. Volunteers will be needed to help pick up food, serve food, and put food packages together. For more information, please contact Savannah Hobbs at savannahhobbs@creighton.edu.

Saturday, February 18
Lakota Hand Game
The Native American Studies Department will be hosting a Lakota Hand Game at 7 pm in the Harper Center Auditorium. Join them in playing, singing, dancing, eating, and general enjoyment. The host for this event is Alexandra Merdanian, Oglala Lakota and Miss Oglala Nation for 2012. All are welcome to attend this event.

Sunday, February 19
West Virginia Service Learning Course Information Meeting- Sunday
Are you interested in a certified writing, senior perspective, service learning course in West Virginia? If so, please come to an informational meeting in the CCSJ (Harper 2067) at 4 pm. Students in this class will travel to West Virginia and live with a community that serves those in the area through various forms of outreach. There is limited availability for this class. Applications are due by March 15. If you are interested, have questions, or would like an application, please contact Alice Smith at (402) 280-3623 or by sending an email to alices@creighton.edu.

Transition Omaha Monthly Meeting
Are you interested in solutions to help stretch dollars in the current economy? Transition Omaha meets monthly to engage the community and heighten awareness in moving from oil dependency to local resilience. This event will be held at the First Unitarian Church of Omaha, 33114 Harney St. from 2-3:30pm.

Archbishop George Lucas Speaking at St. John’s
The Catholic Student Organization is proud to sponsor a speaking event with Omaha Archbishop George Lucas on Sunday, February 19th at 7:30 pm in Lower St. John’s. Everyone is invited to come and hear as the leader of the Catholic Church in Omaha discusses the current status of the Church in the 21st Century and also the upcoming Lenten Season. This event will take place from 7:30-8:30 pm in Lower St. John’s. For more information, please contact John Roller at johnroller@creighton.edu.

Monday, February 20
The Function and Role of Traditional African Music
The Creighton University Black Studies Program presents: “Non-Western Culture Activities: the Function and Role of Traditional African Music” by Alhaji Papa Susso, Balla Kouyate and Baba Jallow, Ph.D. This event will take place from 7-8 pm in Harper Ballroom C. For more information, please contact Ngwarsungu Chiwengo at chiwengo@yahoo.com.

Tuesday, February 21
West Virginia Service Learning Course Information Meeting- Tuesday
Are you interested in a certified writing, senior perspective, service learning course in West Virginia? If so, please come to an informational meeting in the CCSJ (Harper 2067) at 8:30 pm. Students in this class will travel to West Virginia and live with a community that serves those in the area through various forms of outreach. There is limited availability for this class. Applications are due by March 15. If you are interested, have questions, or would like an application, please contact Alice Smith at (402) 280-3623 or by sending an email to alices@creighton.edu.

Wednesday, February 22
Pixan Ixim Weekly Service
Due to Ash Wednesday, the Pixan Ixim service group will not be going to the site this week. Instead, the coordinators will be offering an immigration movie in the CCSJ, beginning at 6:30. For more information, please contact Maureen Book or Melissa Hollabaugh at maureenbook@creighton.edu or melissahollabaugh@creighton.edu.

Collaborative Ministry Praying Lent 2012 Website
The Collaborative Ministry Office has been updated the Praying Lent website, which can be found by Google Searching “Praying Lent 2012.” The new site includes daily prayers for each day of Lent, the Triduum and Easter Week, resources for preparing for Lent and experiencing it in every day life, audio retreats around Lenten themes (including three by Fr. Larry Gillick), weekly audio commentary on the Lenten readings, a Lenten arrangement of the online retreat, and Stations of the Cross in harmony with the Spiritual Exercises. Check out the site this Lent, http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent.

Thursday, February 23
Day of Remembrance
You are invited to attend the annual Day of Remembrance event held at Creighton University in conjunction with the community sponsor, the Japanese American Citizens League and a number of on-campus co-sponsors. The Day of Remembrance events around the country help to raise awareness of the significance of the incarceration of Japanese Americans in camps during World War II and its legacies for the present and future. The focus of the event is on the campaign for redress and reparations that were given to the victims 40-50 years later. Please join us for this panel presentation with Hon. Raymond Uno and Mr. William Yoshino as they share their life experiences and knowledge in this area. This event will take place from 7-8:30 pm in Harper room 3028.

Encuentro Dominicano Interest Session
Are you interested in learning about studying abroad in the Dominican Republic? Come meet the Encuentro Dominicano Board members and alumni to learn more about this study abroad opportunity. This session will take place at 7 pm in Harper Center 3027.

Friday, February 24
Faith, Justice, and Economics Lunch Discussion
On Friday, February 24th from 12:30-1:15, all are welcome to a lunch discussion in the CCSJ on the intersection of faith, justice, and economics. Please bring a lunch and willingness to listen and engage in conversation. A short article will be the springboard for conversation. If you are interested, please contact Michael at rossmann.michael@gmail.com.

Volunteers Needed for Ollie Webb Center
Volunteers are needed to assist with a Disability Awareness Training entitled: “Awareness: The Key to Friendship.” This program is directed towards elevating elementary student’s awareness of and sensitivity to the day-to-day obstacles faced by people with disabilities. Through the program, each student will experience a learning disability, hearing impairment, physical disability, and visual impairment by engaging in 4 different activity centers. Volunteers are needed to assist with running the centers. Please contact Lisa Dougherty if you are available to assist by calling (402)346-5220 ext. 22, or by sending an email to ldougherty@olliewebbinc.org.

Savor the Flavor Dinner
Project CURA is a Creighton student-run organization that sends medical supplies and Creighton medical students to provide free medical care to underserved communities around the world. Savor the Flavor is the primary fundraiser for Project CURA. Please join us for an elegant evening including a Silent Auction featuring items from local businesses. Visit with Creighton faculty and medical students and enjoy ethnic food from each CURA supported country. Cocktail Attire is required. Tickets are generally $30, $10 for students, and will be available for purchase at the door. For more information, please visit http://medicine.creighton.edu/projectcure/Project_CURA/Home.html.

Upcoming Events:
Spring Break Service Trips Send Off Service
(Thursday, March 1)
Please join the CCSJ as we reflect on the work that out students will do over spring break serving a variety of communities across the country. Each group will receive a blessing, and share song and prayer before they depart. The Send-off Service will take place from 9-10 pm in St. John’s Church.

Tags: Catholic Social Teaching, Economic Justice, Get Involved, Service, Service & Justice Trips, Weekly Service Sites

Through My Eyes as a Citizen

– January 31, 2012Posted in: Blogs, Featured Events, Formerly Featured Events, Justice & Advocacy Blog, Upcoming Events, Weekly Service Blog

Brian Kuehner, freshman student in the College of Business, reflects on weekly service at Catholic Charities’ Juan Diego Center:

Over the course of the past semester, my volunteer service at the Juan Diego Center has profoundly impacted my views on immigration. Every Tuesday I would go with the CCSJ and help immigrants study for their naturalization tests. My initial thought was, “this test can’t be all that hard. It’s probably just common sense.” Feeling confident in my knowledge of the American government (especially after passing the AP U.S. Government test last year), I was humbled to find out that I struggled with some of the questions just as much as the people I was trying to help.

In addition, I learned that many of the immigrants suffer from stress disorders that negatively affect their learning abilities. This, combined with the language barrier, makes it difficult for them to study for the test; however, I have yet to meet a person who does not persist and give their very best to master the material. I often reflect on this experience and realize that at times I have taken my citizenship for granted while in the meantime, others are struggling each day just to become members of our society. My experience volunteering at the Juan Diego Center has been a memorable part of my time at Creighton and I would highly encourage my peers to partake in a similar form of service.

Tags: Community, Education, Get Involved, Migration, Omaha, Reflection, Weekly Service Sites