- What is/are some relationship(s) that have stood out for you during your time as a Precious Blood Volunteer?
- What are some of the experiences that have stood out for you during your time as a Precious Blood Volunteer?
- How have you grown during your time as a Precious Blood Volunteer?
Below are the answers from former Precious Blood Volunteer Lota Ofodile.
Leah Landry, John Lee, Hector Avitia and Lota Ofodile at Orientation
At the start of my volunteer commitment, I had expected to develop close interpersonal relationships with certain people such as my co-volunteers and housemates, especially considering the emphasis the program placed on community living. But there was no way for me to imagine the level of trust and friendship that blossomed throughout the course of this experience. I am most grateful for the KC volunteers who were just a delight to live with. John, Alia and Martin—thank you for your patience, openness and willingness to accept me for all my flaws and differences, and for making me feel comfortable enough to share my life with you. Fr. Garry Richmeier and Fr. Dick Bayuk who are essentially parents to us, to the point that the house always felt incomplete whenever any of them travelled. I am grateful to Tim Deveney for always being the guy to count on, who facilitated and fostered these relationships and made it easy for us to let our guards down and truly be one with each other. I am also thankful to the Kansas City based Jesuit Volunteers, especially Katie Love who contributed to making my time at KC CARE Clinic memorable and gratifying.
John Lee, Fr. Garry Richmeier, Fr. Richard Bayuk, Lota Ofodile, Alia Sisson, Juan Martinez, and Tim Deveney enjoying a beautiful evening in Kansas City
It’s hard to pick out specific experiences that stood out because the entire experience has been so remarkable. But generally, I would say:
- Family dinners – I don’t know if you have heard, but both Fr. Dick and Garry have culinary skills that I feel guilty for partaking in free of charge. But beyond that, it meant so much to be able to come home from work, especially after long days, and have a nice meal with everyone (including Juan whenever he could make it), and talk about our day, the news, share past memories, laugh, and just unwind.
- Spirituality night – Once a month, Tim would come over to the Gaspar house, and we would all reflect on whatever the theme and reading for that month was. It was an opportunity to hear each other out, as well as an avenue for open, honest and non-judgmental conversations about our personal beliefs and experiences. This tradition, in my opinion was key in maintaining the sense of community we had with each other.
- Working at the clinic – As an aspiring physician, I couldn’t be more grateful for my time at KC CARE. It is widely accepted that being a good physician is being able to care for people, not just as it concerns their physical health, but also seeing them as they are, and caring for their whole person. Everything about the clinic from our patient demographic to our commitment to serve the marginalized, and the character of my colleagues has definitely helped me develop my character in that light.
Precious Blood Volunteers Martin Echtler, Lota Ofodile, and Alia Sisson with Tim Deveney
In so many ways! Most significant is my personal spiritual growth which was important to me coming in, and which this year has definitely enhanced. Besides more regular personal prayer and easy access to Mass, which is literally in my backyard (St Francis Xavier Parish), I have come to realize that faith without works is indeed dead. I have come to understand that almost any activity we engage in, can be a form of prayer as long as there is a God-consciousness to it. The intentional community living aspect of this experience has made me more conscious of my personal habits and attitudes, and I believe has made me more open and accommodating of others. Lastly, working at the clinic has exposed me to such a diverse group of people, which constantly challenges me to dismiss the prejudices I had about individuals with backgrounds and lifestyles that are different from mine. I am also convinced, now more than ever, that despite the many social ills and injustices in our world today, the only way to progress involves selflessness, mutual respect and seeing God in each of us.
On the whole, I can definitively say that this experience has been so enriching on so many levels. I certainly got more out of it than I predicted, and I am eternally grateful for all of it, and everyone, friends, family, colleagues and the entire Precious Blood family who have in one way or another, contributed to my experience. Peace and blessings!
Lota served as a Precious Blood Volunteer at KC CARE Health Center from August 2017-June 2018.
To learn more about becoming a Precious Blood Volunteer go to www.preciousbloodvolunteers.org.
When we first arrived, there was a line out the door. A lot of people were complaining about having to wait outside in the cold. This fueled him a little and he took part in the complaints. We made it in, and after having his documents checked, we had to wait in another line to have his picture taken. With only two more people ahead of us, the DMV announced that we had to wait in line while the staff went on lunch! He just about lost it and almost walked off. At this point we had stood in line for about an hour and a half. After the lunch break he was able to finally get his picture taken, but the clerk had him retake his picture six times because the facial recognition technology was not capturing all the points on his face. At this point, we were tired of standing, tired of waiting, and hungry, but we were not done. 
Part of being trauma-informed is recognizing that when a person who has experienced extreme trauma acts out or behaves in such a way that most of us would consider immature or unreasonable, that those behaviors have been influenced by an intense negative experience. Once we judge someone and assume too much about him or her, we lose patience because we believe that the only thing missing for this person to succeed is drive. We also assume that drive is directly linked to that person’s self-worth and morals. By thinking this way, we no longer feel like there is anything to do except for that person to “grow up”. In our trainings, we learned how the brain is affected by trauma, especially in younger people. One traumatic experience is enough to change the development of the brain forever, but many of the folks we work with have ongoing trauma. Having this awareness and knowledge has allowed me to act in a more compassionate way. By taking away the judgmental part of me out of the equation, I am able to step back and try to figure out how this individual has been affected by trauma and what I can do to help them overcome their obstacles. This, in turn, has improved my patience with everyone I encounter. I have not reached the level of understanding and compassion that I want, but I am very proud of the progress I have made.
Stand out experiences for me have all revolved around the people I most care about here. First, I was honored to be invited to Tim’s mother’s home in St. Louis for Thanksgiving and to share that singular experience with Tim’s family and Martin. More fond memories were having the Jesuit Volunteers over for dinner, the farewell parties for John and Martin, and celebrating my confirmation, to name a few. I also enjoyed our spirituality nights, retreats, and trip to Chicago. Some of my favorite memories from Kansas City are when my parents and best friend from college visited. It was so much fun to show them the city that I have grown to love (and of course stuff them with that famous Kansas City barbeque). Any time we get off our devices, break bread, and share our spirits makes me very happy.