By Claire Snyder (she/her) Tacoma, WA ‘23-24
When I initially signed up for a year of service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, my hope was that I would be able to make at least a small difference in the lives of the people I set out to serve. What I didn’t know is that my own life would be radically changed, my heart expanded, and my eyes opened. During my undergraduate degree at the University of Dayton, I participated in the University of Dayton Summer Appalachia Program. Over the course of a summer spent in Salyersville, KY, we focused on community, spirituality, and simple living. Beautiful and deep connections were made during this summer of service that acted as a catalyst for me to continue seeking such experiences. I couldn’t fully grasp yet how my summer spent in the hollers of Appalachia had changed and formed me, but I knew I wanted to keep chasing the light and love that had entered my life in this new way through service and simple living.
After my UDSAP summer, as I entered my senior year, I truly did not know where my experiences and degree were leading me. I was introduced to JVC Northwest at a post-grad service fair and found myself curious about pursuing service and simplicity in a new way. JVC Northwest is guided by similar values that we held during the summer Appalachia program, values of community, social and ecological justice, spirituality and reflection, and simple living. Feeling the call to continue to live these values fully, I applied to serve with JVC NW to see where it could lead. It felt as though my year of service found me.
As a Jesuit Volunteer, I served at L’Arche Tahoma Hope in Tacoma, Washington as the Inclusion and Integration Community Events Associate. L’Arche exists as a community in which people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities live and work together. At the heart of our community are the core members, who are adults with disabilities that live in the homes. In my role, I focused on community inclusion of our core members and our event participants, learning how to be an advocate for them along the way.
The relationships that I fostered at L’Arche were an invitation to not only get to know our core members on a deeper level, but myself as well. I learned true patience and how to let go of what the world deems as “normal”. I tuned in to the many different ways that we can communicate with each other and knew that I had to be true to my word every time. I was reminded every day to show up as my authentic self, was given a shoulder to cry on when I needed it, and was cheered on no matter what. Around L’Arche, the inevitable messes made are not to be stressed over but to laugh about together. I learned that the “special” thing about the core members of L’Arche was their ability to love deeply and honestly.
I was blessed to be surrounded by intentional community, both whom I served and whom I lived with. Living in the Tacoma community with other Jesuit Volunteers allowed the space to learn that we cannot succeed alone, a lesson that I had to be taught time and time again. We shared joys, we sat with each other through hardships, and we experienced the flow of life together, giving when we could and learning to ask for help when we needed a hand. Living with and relying on my community showed me that we are an interdependent people with not only the opportunity, but a responsibility to serve others. I was exposed to so many new people, places, and experiences that formed how I now show up in this world. I slowed down, prioritized peace and gratitude, and listened to how other people experienced the world.
My community was there to lean on, to learn from, and to grow with. Together we created everyday practices to remain rooted in the values we desired to live out, practices I still carry with me. In striving to live simply in solidarity with our neighbors, we were able to live as witnesses to social injustices that afflicted the people we served each day. Intentional conversation was built into our lifestyle, not allowing us to shy away from the sufferings of the world, but rather work together to deconstruct biases and talk about ways to actively work towards peace and justice.
We live in a world that is always demanding more from us, but my year of service revealed that intentionally having less and consuming less allows room for so much more. More life to be lived, more awareness of the world around me, more room to celebrate joys and share sorrows with each other, and more intention in our living practices. This challenged what I knew and how I viewed the world, demanding a new way of thinking and diving deeper to examine the structures that allowed for such injustices to pervade our society.
Over the course of my year of service, I experienced a mindset shift, allowing me to now see more hope in every day and more beauty in the ordinary. The year taught me how to choose presence and mindfulness, how to appreciate what is around me, and how to use my privilege and voice to do what I can to care for my community and our common home.
As just one person, I often catch myself wondering how I can make a difference in times of such unrest in the world. Doing a year of service and being a part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest gave me an answer to just that. As a Jesuit Volunteer, I was able to educate myself and do tangible work to fight injustices in my community. I learned what love was over and over again and had a strong support network to guide me through such a transformative experience.
The Mission of L’Arche is:
Pictured above: on the left, Claire with the ’23-24 Tacoma Community, Tacoma and Seattle JVs make a trip to Howdy Bagel, on the right, JVs at Spring Retreat
