Lasallian Volunteers assist in the operations of both the soup kitchen and shelter and provide assistance as needed to the guests. Glenna Krzyzanowski, 2nd year LV, Joshua McElwee and Kaitlin Depuydt (All provide hospitality, food and lodging to the homeless. In addition, Kaitlin is youth minister at St. James Parish; Glenna does family and child advocacy for Operation Breakthrough; and Joshua is an intern for National Catholic Reporter.)
Each volunteer also serves in another part-time ministry in Kansas City. Karen serves as youth minister and volunteer coordinator at St. James Parish; Danny provides tutoring, after school programming, and transportation at Cristo Rey High School; Glenna serves as an advocate for homeless families through Operation Breakthrough.
Holy Family Catholic Worker House chooses to live a simple lifestyle, with the poor as their neighbors, for whom it provides emergency services for human needs and dignity, and advocacy for greater justice in the systems and structures which oppress the poor. Located in a deteriorating neighborhood in the central city, Holy Family offers shelter and meals for homeless families. Holy Family is also available to the poor of the neighborhood for various emergency needs. Guests at the shelter must be families and are mostly single parents with small children, a mix of Caucasians and African Americans. Supper guests are an unpredictable mix of single men, women, elderly, and families. The community offers a simple presence to just listen and be with its guests, model nonviolent conflict resolution and resistance, and advocate actively against local, national, and global injustice.
Volunteers also take part in the Migrant Farmworkers Project, which was organized to assist farm workers living temporarily in Missouri’s rural areas who are well below the federal poverty level, speak little or no English, and have little access to any services, has served as a part-time ministry for many volunteers in past years.
The Lasallian Volunteers work at St. Stephen’s Academy with a 15 person staff to provide a quality Catholic education to these children, serve as full-time teachers, teacher aides, and English as a Second Language (ESL) instructors. After school, Brothers and volunteers tutor Latino 4th-8th grade students from Catholic and Public Schools. Help with homework, remedial tutoring, and reading. Emphasis is on language development since many of the students come from Spanish speaking homes. Kelly Lazarowski (3rd grade teacher, after school tutor) and Michael Clark (4th grade teacher, after school tutor)
St. Stephen’s Academy (K-8) is located in Kansas City’s urban core, an area targeted as in need of recovery.inner city neighborhood has a population that is% Hispanic, 8% African American, and 20% Caucasian.94 families, 29 speak no English at home.local population is considered working poor and have recently immigrated .
