On April 12th 2015, Trinity Volunteer Corps celebrated their 3 year anniversary! During the 11:15 mass at Old St. Patrick’s Church, Fr. Hurley announced our special occasion and a few Trinity Volunteers participated during the mass by taking up the offertory gifts. It was wonderful to celebrate mass together in remembrance of how Trinity Volunteer Corps began and how much has been achieved during the past 3 years!
Additionally, in celebration of our 3 years, Trinity Volunteer Corps participated in a “Feed Our Community Day” with generous funding from LaGrange Community Memorial Foundation. This pilot project involved over 250 volunteers ranging in age from 4 to 83. Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities were paired with children, college students and adults to complete pack pasta meals for needy families in the Chicagoland area. The volunteers collaborated with Illinois-based organization Feed6 to pack 25,488 pasta meals in a single afternoon.
The event, hosted at St. Louise De Marillac in La Grange Park, was organized by Dominican University seniors Julia Guimond and Sara Scheler as part of their Schmitt Scholar leadership project. Scheler said, “The goal of the event was to create a day of friendship and ability.” Guimond and Scheler reached out to organizations in the area to recruit volunteers. Helping Hand Center, Aspire and Community Support Services were among the organizations that participated. Several Dominican University students attended to volunteer and serve as table captains for the day. Guimond said, “It was a community effort and we are thankful to have worked with great organizations like Trinity Volunteer Corps. The packaged meals where filled with love–that’s for sure.”
A handful of volunteers came from Trinity Volunteer Corps, a non-profit organization that provides volunteer opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Trinity Volunteers can be seen across campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays doing a handful of jobs, including the upkeep of the greenhouse and secret garden. Therese Diola who is the current program coordinator for Trinity Volunteer Corps said, “This event was a great way to celebrate Trinity Volunteer Corp’s 3 year anniversary. Looking around the room and seeing the teamwork in the room was incredible!”
As you can see from the pictures, the feeling of joy and a great sense of accomplishment was undeniable!
Thanks to Dan Pels Photography for these beautiful photos!
