2023-2024 Precious Blood Volunteers: Anna Nowalk

2023-2024 Precious Blood Volunteer, Anna Nowalk

Meet Anna Nowalk! She’s one of the 2023-2024 Precious Blood Volunteers.

Anna graduated from Fordham University in Manhattan, New York. She is the first graduate of Fordham to serve as a Precious Blood Volunteer. Anna earned two degrees one in music, and the other in theology and religious studies. Anna is from Arlington, Virginia. She will be serving at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR) in Chicago, Illinois.

Why do you want to volunteer?

“I want to volunteer because I want to put my skills at the service of a mission I believe in and spend my time in a way that both fulfills me and helps the world. Additionally, last year I was particularly concerned about orienting myself outward before I study theology in grad school. I think accompanying people who are marginalized will ground my theological education and work in what matters.”

Why do you want to volunteer with Precious Blood Volunteers?

“I was drawn in by the restorative justice happening at PBMR! I think there’s such promise in a practice like this, one that focuses on healing and relationship.”

What are you looking forward to about your volunteer experience?

“I’m looking forward to simple living in community and growing spiritually.”

Learn more about Precious Blood Volunteers at preciousbloodvolunteers.org.

 

The Joy of Cooking

Hector Avitia


By Hector AvitiaPrecious Blood Volunteer 
Last week my community had its first house meeting. We divided up the chores and the first floor of the Formation House in Chicago (my floor), was assigned to dinner duty on Wednesdays. Up until this point I had been able to avoid cooking for the whole house because two of our community members took care of most of the cooking. I decided to bite the bullet and I volunteered for the first scheduled dinner for our floor this week. I don’t remember the last time I was this nervous about dinner. I wanted to get home early enough to cook patiently and diligently but that did not happen. When I got home I got so nervous about cooking that I had to get my mother on video chat to help walk me through the process. So there I am, making a mess in the kitchen while I spoke Spanish with my mom and dad over video chat, rushing and managing several pots and pans all at once. It was definitely a sight  to behold in a house that is usually calm and quiet.

PBVs Hector, Leah, Lota and John cooking with Lucia


Thanks to God who, through my mother’s love and direction, allowed me to make a full meal that consisted of chicken enchiladas (garnished with freshly cut lettuce, tomato from the garden at PBMR, and avocado), rice, and beans. The kitchen didn’t burn down and the portions I made were enough to feed the whole house. I have always been uncomfortable about cooking, but not until I thought back to our cooking class at Orientation and the reflection given by Lucia, the facilitator of the cooking class), did I really figure out why I was such a nervous wreck. Preparing a meal is a very deep way that we connect with friends and family. In a way, I was sharing an intimate, a spiritual, part of me by cooking a meal for the house. I think we all seek acceptance when we open ourselves up to others like that, and making this meal made me vulnerable to the other guys in my house. Thanks to the support of my housemates, I am excited to cook again for my house when my turn comes around.
Hector is a current Precious Blood Volunteer serving at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation in Chicago. To learn more about becoming a Precious Blood Volunteer go to www.preciousbloodvolunteers.org
 

Engineer builds foundation for life as postgrad volunteer

 

Vanessa Steger with students from Cristo Rey Kansas City

When Vanessa Steger graduated from Notre Dame in December with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.A. in History, she already had a job offer and second interviews with some of the world’s largest companies. But she wanted something more.
“Mysterious inward promptings drew me to the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and Kansas City after attending the Fall Postgraduate Service Fair,” said Steger, who is from St. Louis.
Steger’s volunteer calling took her to Cristo Rey Kansas City (CRKC) where she shares her passion for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with urban high school students.
“I was looking for something immediately after graduation and the Precious Blood Volunteer program had the flexibility to accommodate my schedule,” she said. Also appealing was one of Cristo Rey’s 2013 Strategic Plan goals: Develop and enhance robust curricular and co-curricular STEM programs.
Located in Midtown Kansas City, Missouri, CRKC is one of 26 Catholic, college preparatory high schools in the Cristo Rey Network. CRKC serves a culturally diverse student body with high economic needs and limited educational opportunities. “A school that works,” CRKC offers an innovative Corporate Work Study Program to offset tuition costs where students gain real-world work experience. The school also boasts a 100 percent college acceptance rate.
“These kids really want to be here,” said Steger. “97 percent of boys and girls attending Cristo Rey qualify for the federal free and reduced lunch program. Our student body is about 60 percent Hispanic and 35 percent African American, many of which are first generation immigrants.”

From L-R: Nate Balmert, Nora O’Connell and Vanessa Steger

Precious Blood Volunteers receive a small stipend while living with priests and other volunteers at Gaspar Mission House. As a group, they share morning prayers, dinners, stories, all while developing bonds that will last a lifetime. Community living is a central part of the experience of being a Precious Blood Volunteer.
“Being at the mercy of a bus schedule and listening to the daily conversations of other riders, especially those struggling to find work, puts life into perspective,” she said. “I’m also realizing I can live off very little. My true needs are easier to see when those material extras are unavailable.”
Gaspar Mission House is in a unique, yet safe, environment to grasp the true essence of Kansas City’s engaging community and rich history explained Steger. A couple of blocks in one direction will take you to a nice middle-class neighborhood, while just east is the racial dividing line of Troost Avenue.
“When I talk to my friends who pursued employment straight out of college, I don’t get the feeling that their work gives them joy. I’m blessed my volunteer experience gives me joy every day.” she continued.

Vanessa guiding the Cristo Rey Robotics Team

Most of her eight-hour day at Cristo Rey is spent “creating a safe space” for students to learn. As a STEM volunteer and coordinator, Steger coaches the Robotics Club and supervises seniors taking online science courses. She recently chaired CRKC’s first-ever Science Expo. Filling in as a substitute teacher two to three times a week, Steger also has daily lunchroom monitoring duties. Before the end of her placement in June, she is designing a plan for a city-wide STEM summer camp program for CRKC.
“This experience has given me a way to put my faith into action,” said Steger. “I have had the privilege of learning so many of these kids’ stories and to hear how they suffer in ways I can only imagine.” Through firsthand knowledge, she is discovering that education can break the cycle of poverty in our country.
“None of us have all the answers to life,” she concluded. “Money isn’t everything. Building character and defining life skills are the things that will truly carry you through life. If you don’t quite know what you are looking for, and this sounds challenging and scary at the same time, chances are the Precious Blood Volunteer program is for you. I would make the same choice a million times over!”
For more information on Cristo Rey volunteer opportunities or other Missionaries of the Precious Blood placements in Kansas City, visit www.preciousbloodvolunteers.org or contact Tim Deveney, volunteers@kcprovince.org; (816) 781-4344.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]