Placement Spotlight: Casa Marinella

An emergency shelter for immigrants and people seeking asylum, the houses that make up Casa Marianella provide a home, a community and a hope for its residents. Its sister organization, Posada Esperanza is shelter for immigrant women and children. In many cases residents of both shelters have no where else to turn, they have no income and are struggling to make ends meet. 

Opening in January 1986, Casa Marinella was named after human rights lawyer Marinella Garcia Villas, who was murdered in El Salvador by death squads. Housing up to 30 residents per night, Casa works to help residents to form roots with the United States. Providing daily English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, case management and community meals. 

Casa also serves as a community center for current residents, past residents and community members in need of information. They assist with: 

• accepting and distributing donations of clothing and household goods
• acting as a liaison between employers and workers from Casa (to announce jobs, help with wage claims, etc.)
• helping political refugees seek asylum
• referring those in need to appropriate organizations in and around Austin (according to Casa Marinella Web site) 

Additionally, Posada Esperanza, is an emergency shelter for immigrant women and children located in East Austin, Posada helps moms and their children to get back onto their feet and receive the necessary care for themselves and their families. Providing a safe environment for its residents, Posada also provides education tutoring, resource assistance and guidance for its residents and families. Many of the families who are part of this community have suffered in ways unimaginable by most and yet Posada provides its residents with hope, care and support which these women in turn give to each other. 

The community displayed in these two emergency shelter programs is unsurpassed by the majority of other emergency shelter programs. An example of this atmosphere can be found in the monthly celebration, appropriately named Convivio which is held each month at Casa. Convivio, which means "with life," is a celebration for all those who are part of the Casa community. A mixture of current and passed residents, current and passed staff members, friends and family of staff or anyone who found themselves with an invitation can find themselves in for a treat. Last month's Convivio featured home cooked specialities, live Hispanic music and documentaries about Casa. 

Some of the documentaries about Casa are through a project out of the University of Texas Film School called East Side Stories. The project asks students to focus on different non-profits, companies or individuals that make East Austin what it is; several stories have been done on Casa. They can be found on the East Austin Stories Web site. 

A Day Without Shoes

When asked to make a list of items taken for granted, most people will list - a roof, a good meal and clothes. But once a year, individuals from across the United States take off their shoes and walk around bare footed for the day. Learning a vary valuable lesson - just what is means to go sans shoes.

UT Longhorns & Austinites

on the step of the UT Tower.

A Day Without Shoes, in a national event which is publicized and some what organized by TOMS. TOMS is a company who has truly adopted the one-for-one business approach. For each pair of TOMS shoes you purchase, a pair is donated to a child who otherwise would not be able to have shoes. Mostly serving third world countries, the company also donates shoes for shirts, sweat shirts and other items purchased. With this ideal in mind, the company started A Day without Shoes. Last year, I adventured around Spring Hill without shoes on my feet, even making it to Carpe Diem Coffee & Tea Company. My feet hurt a little during my adventures around the Hill and even more the next morning. The feeling of shoes wrapping around my feet the following day was unlike any other experience. However, nothing prepared me for this year.

Outside the Capitol.

I woke up early and took the bus into work, adventuring from my house in the chilly Texas air to arrive at the bus stop way to early - for fear that walking barefoot would delay me, so I left plenty of time to walk slowly to the bus. For fear of early morning arguing with the bus driver I placed my shoes on my feet, and got on the bus. I removed my shoes during bus number two and hid them away in my bag - never to be used again that day. My work day was fairly normal with not too many comments wondering where my shoes were. I worried a bit that my clients would find my actions demeaning to them or belittling of those who cannot affording shoes. But I was fortunate in that no one accosted or accused me of such actions. The real challenge came when Pamela and I left work.

Towards the end of March, I had found via the TOMS website an event going on at the University of Texas (UT), where students were walking from the Tower at UT to the Texas State Capitol where non-profits from around Austin and individuals from the ONE campaign would join us to raise awareness about a variety of issues around Austin, the United States and on the greater scale about issues around the planet. I sent an e-mail around our house inviting my housemates on this walk to me. And that’s part of how Pamela became interested. So she called me that day and suggested that we walk from my office to UT.

Pamela and I at Capitol Hill. 

An adventure that would normally be fairly simple was complicated by nothing being between me and the sidewalk, the road or anything laying in my path. I learned pretty quickly, that the quickest way to cross the street is by walking on the white stripe outlining the pedestrian crosswalk. My second lesson is that no matter the temperature, sometimes grass is the best place to walk and finally that the gutter portion of the street is a God send when the only other option is a gravel / concrete combination. The 4.2 miles that Pamela and I adventured quite simply made me so thankful for my feet, but also thankful for the shoes that so frequently encompass them.

A few hours without shoes can help anyone to realize the true importance of a shoe and it sole; but more importantly it can the human soul a world of good. So take off your shoes and challenge yourself to living life barefoot and to its fullest.

For more information, check out the TOMS website, the One Day Without Shoes website or my photoblog.

Placement Spotlight: Saint Louise House

Jesuit Volunteers (JVs) are usually individuals who want to make a difference in their community, to be a voice for those who are voiceless or even those who find themselves passionate about one particular issue in today’s society.

One of the Austin placements is Saint Louise House, an organization that helps women and children overcome the cycle of homelessness. Just recently developing from a transitional housing to a permanent support housing organization, Saint Louise House helps women and children break the cycle of homelessness and begin living again. Owning two apartment complexes in Austin, allows for the Saint Louise community to house over 40 families. For many of these women, they are just trying to turn their lives around and provide the best they can for their children.

Saint Louise House is rare in the extreme care and love the show their families. The organization has offices at both apartment buildings that are staffed full time, allowing their families to have someone to talk with about any problems they may encounter. Additionally, the mothers have available to them “deeply affordable housing, case management, counseling, employment services, life skills training and programs for children,” according to Saint Louise House. When the women first open the door to their own apartment, it comes fully furnished. For many of Saint Louise’s residents they are experiencing having their own home for the first time in quite a while.

The community created by the residents, staff and volunteers of Saint Louise House helps support these women and the changes they are taking on in their lives. The organization also provides classes to the women with childcare for their children. Providing a stable environment for these families is a beginning steps to beginning a new life.

For more information take a quick look at Saint Louise House or check out their Web site.

What We Do

JVC: South Members at Orientation

August 2010 - Pinehurst, Texas

Ever wondered what Jesuit Volunteers (JVs) do around the United States? Serving in over 20 states and over 34 cities, JVs work in a variety of areas from Case Management to working in homeless shelters to being Radio DJs. Speaking of Radio DJs, Mike O’Sullivan, a current Jesuit Volunteer serving is St. Francis, SD puts together a weekly radio show for the St. Francis Mission; where he and his three house mates live and work. 


In the particular episode we are highlighting, Mike took his show to the Jesuit Voluteer Corps: South retreat and asked JVs what they are doing. Listen to Mike’s show to learn a little bit about what we do.


Whether you are interested in joining JVC or if you just want to know where we work. Pop a squat a listen and never be afraid to ask us questions. For those of you pondering JVC for next year, the last round of apps are due March 10; so get to reflecting, writing and pondering what it means to be “ruined for life.”

"I'm No Superman"

“I’m No Superman” came across my Pandora station, the little album cover on the screen is of the Scrubs cast; but taking a moment to hear the lyrics after a specific Community Night at the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC): Austin house, I was reminded that indeed “I’m No Superman.”

I may want to fix all the problems in the world; homelessness, lack of education, hunger and so many more. But I have to remember, that I unfortunately can only lay the footsteps for change. I cannot expect change to happen overnight.

January’s JVC: South retreat was social justice focused. For many, it felt like the rehashing of college lectures, just in the beautiful West Texas area of Leakey, Texas. For others, it reminded us of why we are here, doing a year of service. For even more, it reminded us what we can do to lay the groundwork for change.

At one particular part of the retreat, we, as current Jesuit Volunteers (JVs) were broken up into groups based on our work placements. I was part of the “feeding the hungry” group as a result of of my working in the pantry at Catholic Charities. There were also groups that focused on AIDS, homelessness, teenage pregnancy and many others. During the course of the weekend, we were asked to provide solutions for the issues we represented. Some solutions were as simple as awareness. Others were more complicated like sex education in classrooms. Several individuals who work with AIDS patients found that the general population does not know enough about AIDS and that through knowledge less discrimination would happen.

Following our four days of retreat, we returned to our cities and returned to work with a rejuvenation and excitement for the rest of our JV year. The following Thursday, Joel organized a community night; little did we know, in many ways his activity was a continuation of our retreat.

Social problems web. 

He had each of us grab a sheet of a colored construction paper and write out issues that were important to us. I wrote about education, children’s care and metal health to name a few. Once we had written out these issues, we cut them out and laid them on our kitchen table. Those that were similar or identical we placed next to each other. Once all the issues were on the table, we linked them by orange strips of paper, creating a web. At this particular stage we connected the obvious problems - teenage pregnancy to lack of education, isolation to depression. Lastly, we filled in all the open spaces. It was at this point that we realized, that all of the problems we were focusing on were linked; social justice related, financial or social are all linked in ways that most would not notice.

The unofficial JVC motto is “ruined for life.” Originally, started by a very grumpy young man who felt his time with JVC literally ruined his view of the world, the motto grew to be joke; because once you have dedicated your life to social justice, simplicity and solidarity it’s hard to look forward and to not remember the homeless you have served, the young mother who could not make ends meet or the veteran who is looking at living on the streets. Unfortunately, no one has the power to change the whole, but if we each pick a place where we think change is needed, we then must be confident in knowing that the changes we make will effect the world as we know it now.

The Value of a Roof

We’ve all been there, the terribly long day where you feet hurt and all you want to do is go home, snuggle up and go to bed. Imagine not having a home at the end of a difficult day, but instead you shift into the backseat of your car and curl up and sleep for the night. Your seven-year-old child wakes you up at some point and tells you he’s cold. You curl up and go back to sleep. The last straw to the situation is when you turn on your car to see the low gaslight comes up for the second day in a row.

Unfortunately, homelessness is a major issue within the United States, but what is even more amazing is the variety of people that are homeless. It is not just the addiction stricken individual or people who choose to live on the streets, but so frequently its families who cannot make ends meet and even people who have served our country.

According to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), homelessness is defined by an individual or family who is residing in any of the following situations:

• Place not meant for human habitation (car, storage facility, abandoned building, campsites)
• Emergency shelter, transitional housing program or supportive housing
• House “doubled up” with family or friends
• Hotel or motel

With such a broad definition of homelessness, the issue becomes even more apparent. In the Austin and Travis County area, there are approximately 5,200 homeless individuals on any given night, according to HUD in 2007. Additionally there were over 600 homeless households with children in Austin in 2007; they represented over 40 percent of the overall homeless population. According to the Austin Independent School District, between 3,000 and 5,000 students are homeless.

Unfortunately, the average age of a homeless person in Austin is seven years old, according to Green Doors organization. Think of where you were in the second grade, for most of us our memories of home do not include living out of the family car. 84 percent of families experiencing are female-headed.

As the problem of homelessness is approached, the “why” question becomes particularly frequent. Two major causes of homelessness are poverty and lack of affordable housing, according to St. Louise House, a program that helps women and children to break the cycle of homelessness. In 2007, a single parent with one child needed to earn $17 an hour to make a living wage, resulting in $33, 819 each year, according to Community Action Network.

Next time you see a homeless individual, do not assume you know how they got there or why they are there, but instead throw a thought out there they may find a roof for the night and some food for hope. 

I am the voice for the voiceless...

Lilly, Emily and I at the 

Saturday Street Fair.

Less than three months ago, three of us (Emily, Lilly and I) adventured to Columbus / Ft. Benning, Georgia for the annual School of the Americas Protest and Vigil. The three of us drove into the Ft. Benning area knowing the Protest and Vigil from three different perspectives: for Emily this was her third year; for myself, my second year and for Lilly it was her first.

This year’s events were the first without the Ignation Family Teach-In For Justice happening consecutively. The Teach-In is a weekend of social justice focused events and lectures for the benefit of students at Jesuit colleges and high schools. This year, the Teach-In was in Washington, D.C. to allow students to the opportunity to meet with their Congress people and truly have a chance at voicing their opinions to people in high places. But in some ways, the decrease in numbers at Ft. Benning helped make a larger statement. The few that were able to travel to the events over the weekend were able to hold firm into their belief that the School of the Americas should be shut down and to their reasons as to why the program should no longer exist.

As I dragged myself into work on Monday morning, word worked its way around the office that I had in fact been in Georgia less than 36 hours before hand. “What’s in Georgia;?” was easily the most asked question I had that day. My answer of course was “the Schools of the Americas.” Which led directly into my explanation. School of the Americas, now known as Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, is a program who’s whose international headquarters are at in Ft. Benning, Georgia. Beginning as a program to bring Latin American soldiers and leaders to the United States to learn basic U.S. Military training and military techniques, the program has morphed into a program for people to take the knowledge and instead torture and kill thousands of innocent people at the hands of School Of Americas graduates.

Poster size design of the beeswax cloth.

This past November, hundreds made a stand and asked for the School of the Americas to be closed. Saturday, the entrance to Ft. Benning was lined with non-profit organizations and individuals, each with a case to represent asking you to listen, everything from protecting the Appalachian Trail and Coal Mines to Veterans for Peace. The street was covered with quiet individuals who just wanted to learn about the environment, a beeswax art cloth of the path of coal from mountaintop to human use and informational tables on United States policies of a variety of issues. The quiet Saturday afternoon put the three of us on edge when twenty plus individuals were arrested for taking the “protest outside permitted areas.” However, the protest was not taken outside the designated area in any way. If any individual stood still for more than a few seconds, they ran the risk of being considered actively protesting. After making a beeline for the car, the three of us took a quick breather and decided to go to the Columbus Convention and Trade Center to hear testimonials, to watch documentaries and to hear talks about a variety of situations around the world. During our time at the Center, we heard a talk about Roman Catholic Women Priests and the excommunication they face with their ordination; we watched a documentary on the foundation and growth of one of the largest Salvadorian gangs in Los Angeles, Cali. and heard about a variety of other social justice issues across the world. 

My cross in memory of 

Juan Carlos Garcia.

Sunday, we woke with anticipation of the vigil ceremony. Lilly had never been and did not know what to expect when she would see the gate entrance to the base covered in crosses, each with a name of an individual who died at the hands of a School of the Americas graduate. My cross bore the name of a gentleman whose mother worked with Emily when she spent her Mardi Gras 2010 break on a Service and Learning Trip in El Salvador. He died because he was the driver for a group of United Nations officials who were visiting El Salvador in attempts to help the country after its civil war.

Crosses in memory of 

those who have passed. 

Through the course of its 59 years in existence, the School of the Americas has trained “over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refugee by those trained at the School of” the Americas (School of the Americas Watch Web Site).

The weekend reminds us that El Salvadorian people live their life in fear, fear that something will happen to their family members and they will know, fear that they will be tortured, fear of life. The vigil reminded us that people exist around the world fearing, fearful of no water, no food of their government. The vigil reminded us to be the voice for the voiceless, to stand tall for those who are no longer with us and to be Presente for all who have been lost.