Lasallian Volunteers serve the La Salle Academy community by organizing and leading various enrichment activities, including Physical Education, after-school activities, Homework Club, and Saturday field trips. Second year volunteer Sara Vogelpohl is an art teacher, assistant teacher, peer mediation moderator, and student council moderator. First year volunteer Denis Block is a PE teacher and assistant math and reading teacher.
La Salle Academy is a school where children can learn to become “successful lifelong learners confident with their academic and social growth, committed to serving others, and aware of Christ in themselves and others.”
Endorsed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill and the Brothers of the Christian Schools of the Baltimore District, La Salle Academy’s mission is to educate underprivileged and at-risk children in grades 3-8 who have a desire to do better in school, and whose families cannot afford a Catholic school education.
The highly structured eleven month calendar includes a Summer Session, Saturday School (5 days a year), after-school activities, and a Homework Club everyday until 5pm. LSA enrolls a maximum of 15 students per grade and accepts students of any race, religion, national, or ethnic origin.
Christian Brothers Spiritual Center
and West Philadelphia Catholic High School
Mari Anzicek
First year volunteer Mari Anzicek serves as a program coordinator. Mari participates as a team member in designing and implementing programs, formulating a marketing strategy for the program, designing and operating the web page, and developing an outreach service component.
Mari serves at West Catholic as a mentor, helping with retention of at-risk students as identified by the administration.
Christian Brother Spiritual Center (CBSC) was opened in September 2004 as an intentional response to the needs of young adults in the greater Philadelphia area. CBSC offers programs for the human and spiritual development of men and women in their 20’s and 30’s. It provides a welcoming gathering place for young adults to meet and to socialize along with an array of programs to nurture their faith development, to satisfy their need for community and to generate opportunities for service. CBSC has programs with a specific social justice focus and cater to groups of young adults who may be disenfranchised by society or the culture, and also works with local groups in designing programs to suit their particular needs.
West Philadelphia Catholic High School
West Catholic is an urban high school whose students come from working class and welfare class families and usually receive tuition assistance. Many are being raised by grandparents or single parents who are making great sacrifices for them to attend West Catholic. Students come from families that are economically, socially, and at times, spiritually disadvantaged. The school population is 73% African American, 15% Caucasian, 10% Asian and Hispanic. Many students come to West Catholic scoring below grade level in reading and in math.
