The reception was held on Monday, April 26, 2010 at 6:00 PM in the McGinley Center Faculty Lounge at the Rose Hill Campus.
In addition, LIFT-The Bronx was chosen as the Outstanding Community Partner of the Year. Site Coordinators Danielle Egic and Katie Eddins accepted the plaque from Fordham University President, Reverend Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
As an alumna of Fordham University and LIFT Site Coordinator, Danielle Egic was asked to be the guest speaker at the event. She shared her work with LIFT and how those experiences have shaped her worldview and future career plans.
Betty Gilmore, Program Director at LIFT-The Bronx said, “We are so pleased to be recognized in this way by Fordham University as they are one of our strongest community partners. So many of our LIFT volunteers over the years have been Fordham students who continue to remain connected to LIFT even after they have graduated.”
Read below for an excerpt from Danielle's speech.
It did not take most of us long to start getting involved—I jumped at the chance to take part in the HOPE Count or help plan the Hunger Banquet. But, I, like many of you, wanted more than those one-time service opportunities. I started volunteering my second semester freshman year at St. Rita’s Center for Immigrant and Refugee Services. I helped elementary school aged children with their homework as most of their parents were non-English speaking non citizens. I did not feel like it was the right fit for me so I started volunteering as a teacher’s aide in one of their ESL classes. I was instructed to observe in the back of the class, but I did not feel like I was “making a difference.” I approached the wonderful people at the Community Service Program office (now the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice) and told them I needed something else—I needed to find a place where I could feel productive and become deeply involved and rooted in the Bronx community. That’s when I found LIFT.
As soon as I started with LIFT, I felt at home—like many of you probably did when you found your place in your respective service sites or communities!
We all have our memorable stories to share. While at LIFT, I worked with Pamela, an elderly woman from Korea, who was looking to move out of less than stellar living conditions.. After two years of meeting with Pamela regularly, looking at apartments, calling landlords, working with the Section 8 office, and much listening and support, Pamela was finally able to move into a better apartment. I worked with Patrick, a client who was looking for a position as a security officer. We met every single Tuesday at 1:00pm for an entire summer. He had the certifications and experience, but looked a little older than his co-security guards, so most employers would not give him a chance. We worked on his resume and applied for over 75 jobs. It was gratifying when Patrick walked in on my last day in the office that summer with a big smile on his face and a security badge in his hand.
While there were these success stories, not all of the clients I worked with had such luck. I worked with Angela, who received a notice from her landlord saying she owed over $16,000 in back rent. After much digging, we discovered Section 8 had not been paying their portion of the rent for 7 years! I worked with clients who did not have a computer in their household or did not know how to create an email. Clients come to LIFT where volunteers work patiently alongside them as they learn together how to navigate complex systems.
Most of us came to our service sites right from high school where we were used to getting immediate answers. It was a culture shock when we later learned that you may never get all of the answers! I always say that I learned more about the real world at LIFT than I did in my classes (Fordham academics are great; but there is only so much you can learn in the classroom)! In our classes at Fordham, we learn about theories of poverty, race and class. Theories are important to learn, but you also need practical experience if you are going to fully understand the impact of these theories.
This is why you are being honored today—you have chosen to delve into such theories. You read in class about the recent NY Times article that discusses the NYC Housing Authority’s $45 million budget gap and having to revoke rental assistance vouchers from thousands of low-income New Yorkers. You discuss the effects of this increase on low-income families who will lose their apartments and become homeless due to this budget deficit. You challenge your classmates to talk about the cycle of poverty in which these now homeless families will enter the already overcrowded shelters. While this stays a theory to many of your classmates, YOU have decided to put the theory into practice and learn about the daily struggles faced by many New Yorkers. You confront it in the face. You learn that many families will try to enter the shelter system, but be turned away because they “technically” have a place to go. You know that this place to go is doubled up with another family member where they will be sleeping in an already overcrowded apartment on a couch. At LIFT and your service sites, you have confronted these situations face-to-face with the people involved. Being exposed to daily life in a county that has one of the highest poverty rates in the country, you break down stereotypes and put a face to the theories—you see every day, hard working individuals and families. You also learn about the people, culture, and beauty of an often ignored borough!
Being a volunteer supervisor and working with college students who are learning about these theories has definitely been a unique experience. There are days where the frustrations set in. Despite the very small and dismissible frustrations, students’ commitment, passion, and drive overshadow the minute details and instead the bigger picture becomes clear. You are relentless; you seek out the resources and—you won’t give up until you have an answer.
For example, Maryann Rosa, a two year veteran volunteer worked with a family who was about to be evicted. They owed some back rent, but because the living conditions were so horrific, they could not continue to live there. Maryann worked with this particular client for over a year, diligently calling rental assistance agencies and landlords explaining her dire situation. She had a Section 8 voucher, but landlords kept saying they would not accept it. Knowing that it is illegal to reject someone based on their income, Maryann worked tirelessly to ensure the clients’ needs were met. The family ultimately moved into a new apartment.
Carmela Dormani has been working with her client (let’s call her Sally), who was in need of a job, on a weekly basis. Carmela helped Sally apply for tons of jobs every week until finally they had a lead. The employer was looking for a child care provider (in Sally’s expertise), and was interested in meeting with Sally. Sally did not feel comfortable with her English speaking skills and so Carmela (on her day off) ensured there was a bilingual advocate to attend the interview with Sally.
There are many other stories about tenacious volunteers and I could go on forever.
At LIFT, I am in a remarkable place where I am able to observe our volunteers grow from that place of disappointment then questioning to that moment of clarity and then to the realization of where many of you are today. The realization is that it is not going to take one year, or four years at Fordham to find justice and rid the world of poverty. It isn’t even going to take a lifetime. It is a constant growing process and the services you provided to the Bronx and Fordham communities are only the beginning. You will find your place in different communities and you will delve in to them. You will not be “helping people,” and you will not find all of the answers, but instead you will be learning and exploring and gaining deeper insight into the struggle. You are the ones who are willing to acknowledge the struggle and learn what is needed for social change. You know that it is not going to be instantaneous, but you will continue on your paths of learning and remember that your time in the Bronx community at each of your service sites—at LIFT, at Concourse House, at POTS, and your involvement in social justice have laid the foundation for where you will be after graduation.
Each of you is transitioning into something new. It is a bittersweet feeling, but now you have insights from each other and your clients or students or community members. I hope you will take what you have learned in your service and commitment to social justice and continue to use it to grow and challenge yourself and the world around you.
Thank you all for being here tonight. It is a privilege to be in the presence of so many people fighting for social justice and change.
