Embracing the spirit of community and connectedness, we’re excited to bring you closer to the heart of the Catherine McAuley Center with our ongoing message, “Know Your Neighbors.” In the same way we’ve shared the stories of those we serve, we believe it’s equally important to shine a spotlight on the passionate individuals working tirelessly behind the scenes – our amazing volunteers.
With April marking National Volunteer Appreciation Month, it’s the perfect time to get to know some of the incredible volunteers who are the driving force behind CMC’s impact in the community. Each of them play a crucial role in furthering our mission and enriching the lives of our neighbors – refugees, immigrants, adult learners, and women healing from trauma – who seek services at the Catherine McAuley Center.
This spring, consider making a contribution to CMC, not just as a donation, but as an investment in the community we’re all a part of. Your gift helps to support our free educational and supportive services and sustains the efforts of our dedicated team of staff and volunteers.
Thank you for supporting CMC!
“You really develop a connection with a lot of the students that come in regularly. It’s really rewarding to see a student that you are working with develop or progress. To see something click for them on what they are working on, I really love seeing that.” – Xalen Onyemelukue, Language Lab Volunteer
“For me, it’s fun, it’s not work. Although I work in Salesforce all day long at my job, to come here and do the same thing, it just feels freeing and fun.” – Karen Matthews, Office Volunteer
“I just think [English language learners] are so brave…it is very intimidating and frightening when you don’t speak the language. And I just think they are so very, very brave to come here and do that every day.” – Rosemary Biderman, Citizenship Tutor
“It personally feels good and I also feel like I am making a little bit of a difference in somebody else’s life. I don’t know any other languages so I have a great respect for people who come to the United States and learn a whole new language. It is very difficult.” – Sue Erbes, Online English Tutor
“It’s getting a chance to work with people who I feel like don’t have a lot of connections with American people. They come here and I think they’re in a lot of cases isolated because of language and cultural barriers. So, it’s a chance to interact with them and get to know them.“ – Ron Rohrssen, English Tutor
“It’s been such a privilege to get to know the different residents and to hear about their experiences here and how CMC has helped them. Hearing about the incredible stories of these women who have come so far…seeing how strong and how dedicated they are to their own recovery, it’s just really inspiring.” – Elyse Keefer, Women’s Services Intern