IVC National Capital Area

A Message From the Senior Director

The IVC National Capital Area service year officially ended last Friday. As I write this, I am awash in evaluation forms from the 2023-24 year – from our service corps members, partner agency directors and spiritual reflectors. Those forms will help the planning process for 2024-25 immensely over these quieter summer months of July and August while we also on-board newcomers to IVC.

A number of you will be receiving a letter from me in the next couple of days to solicit your support for the 2024 Evening of Gratitude, which will also serve as IVC’s 30th birthday celebration.

I hope that so many of you will be able to join us at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School on the afternoon of Sunday, September 29, from 4-7 p.m. to mark this milestone while also honoring the transformational work carried out by our honorees – Dan Misleh of the Catholic Climate Covenant, Joan Rosenhauer of Jesuit Refugee Service / USA and Msgr. Ray East of the Archdiocese of Washington.

The giving portal for this event is now open! Visit ivcusa.org/ncaeog24 to make a gift of any amount. Thanks in advance for your support!

IVC’s Tim O’Connor at The Lamb Center: "It’s the getting back that’s incredible”

When Tim O’Connor retired from a teaching career with the Fairfax County, Virginia, Public School System in 2006, volunteering wasn’t at the top of his list. Then his older brother, Father Frank O’ Connor, S.J., encouraged him to consider joining the Ignatian Volunteer Corps. He gave it a try and connected with then- IVC Regional Director Jim Kelley who thought that The Lamb Center would be a perfect match – and it has been ever since!

Founded in 1992 as a ministry of Truro Anglican Church, The Lamb Center is a daytime drop-in shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness in Fairfax, Virginia. The Lamb Center provides cost-free services to their guests, including breakfast, lunch, showers, laundry service, Bible studies, medical and dental care, case management, employment opportunities and more. Last year, the center facilitated over 16,500 guest visits, served over 30,400 meals and completed over 8,000 loads of laundry.

Tim had no idea what to expect when he first started volunteering but spoke with Deacon Dave Larrabee about what The Lamb Center does. Deacon Dave, who was then the director of daily operations (and is now pastoral director), told Tim that the homeless men and women who come through the door are their guests. And that’s what brought Tim in, as well!

Tim washes, dries and stores guests’ clothes two days a week, and leads Bible study one day a week. He points out that one of the indignities often endured by the homeless is that others don’t know their names. "I started calling people by their first names and couldn’t get over their response when making eye contact and receiving a smile from a Lamb Center guest.”

They, in turn, engaged in conversation. This has made his volunteer experience even more gratifying, as a way of simply paying attention. “The best thing about IVC is The Lamb Center!” he says.

“I always refer to Tim as ‘Saint Tim,’ says Deacon Dave. “He is really our staff chaplain as well. He not only leads Bible study, when he comes in to work in the laundry he stops and talks to our guests, and the relationship he has with them is incredible.”

IVC’s long relationship with The Lamb Center began with Jim Kelley and continues to this day. Also serving with Tim are John Clark, who helps with the Monday Bible study and drives Lamb Center clients to a Fairfax City jobs program, and Richard Gerlach who leads devotions and fills in at a variety of positions.

Deacon Dave is also uplifted by the center’s new relationship with IVC Partner Agency, The Ignatian Spirituality Project, which he recently took part in by accompanying two Lamb Center guests. “It was an amazing program, and I’m hoping it will be an incentive to our other guests as well!”

For Tim, “it’s the getting back that’s incredible.” He likes to relay the story that when he first began volunteering the executive director of The Lamb Center told him, “We come here with the idealistic intention of bringing Christ to the homeless, but the homeless end up bringing Christ to us.” It’s a motto Tim follows to this day!

Monica Craven honored for volunteer work at OAR Nova

IVC Service Corps member Monica Craven was recently honored by partner agency OAR Nova (Opportunities, Alternatives & Resources) for her outstanding volunteer work with the SOAR (Superstar of OAR) Award!

OAR Nova is a non-profit restorative justice organization that works to rebuild lives and create a safer community for justice-involved individuals and their families. Monica joined IVC in 2018 and began her service at OAR Nova in 2021. She first worked as a front desk volunteer, answering calls and greeting walk-in clients. She currently assists the business manager with a variety of tasks, and orders supplies and clothing for OAR Nova’s emergency services.

In addition to receiving the SOAR Award, Monica was named a finalist for Volunteer of the Year with Volunteer Fairfax. Congratulations, Monica!

Join the Companions Circle:

A Sustained Giving Program with IVC



Your commitment as part of the Companions Circle serves as the cornerstone of our mission, allowing us to plan effectively and respond with agility to those who need us most. By giving monthly or quarterly through the Companions Circle, you:

• Expand Our Reach.

• Strengthen Our Regions.

• Build a Future Foundation.


Ready to make a difference? Visit the IVC Donation Page at
https://ivcusa.org/ivc-community/friends-of-ivc/donate-to-ivc
or call 410-752-4686 to start your journey with the Companions Circle.

Your gift is more than just a donation—it's a beacon of hope and solidarity. Join us today.

Together, we can continue to serve, inspire, and grow in faith.

IVC-NCA Community Finishes Service Year on High Note at June Retreat

Over 75 members of the IVC-NCA community gathered at Loyola on the Potomac from June 10-12 to reflect and pray as our 2023-24 service year came to an end. The retreat, entitled Finding Wisdom from our Experience and Relief from our Burdens was planned and led in the inspiration of St Ignatius of Loyola. Participants had the opportunity to identify the significant moments of their lives - high points, low points, decision points, turning points, crisis points - and to come to a deeper understanding of themselves and of God’s ever-present and ever-active role in their lives.

Led by Fr. Ben Hawley, SJ and Marie Djouadi, the retreat offered short talks followed by periods for silent, individual reflection, then small-group sharing about what is emerging in participants' lives. Participants also enjoyed socializing during meals, watching the sunset, and celebrating the Eucharist together. They also had opportunities to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Sacrament of Healing of the Sick, and praying together for relief from what has been a burden.

This Ignatian-inspired retreat offered a welcome into silence in a stunning natural environment and the sacred space of the retreat house, where we asked God to respond to our prayer and reflection with new hope and a new vision for our futures.

A Message From the Senior Director

Please pray for the success of our upcoming end-of-year retreat at Loyola on the Potomac Retreat House in Southern Maryland. On June 10-12, at least 75 members of IVC National Capital Area will be traveling to Charles County to listen to and learn from Fr. Ben Hawley, S.J. and Marie Shiels Djouadi of Holy Trinity Parish in Georgetown. Written evaluations of our program year will later be collected from our service corps members, spiritual reflectors and partner agency directors as another service year comes to a close on June 30.

Looking ahead to fall, I am pleased to announce that our slate of honorees for the annual Evening of Gratitude has been finalized. Please mark your calendars for Sunday, September 29 and make plans to join us at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, DC as we honor Mr. Dan Misleh of the Catholic Climate Covenant and Ms. Joan Rosenhauer of Jesuit Refugee Service / USA with the Madonna Della Strada Awards and Msgr. Raymond G. East of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Southeast D.C. with the Kathleen Curtin Spirituality in Mission Award.

We here in the National Capital Area are honored that IVC nationally will be celebrating its 30th anniversary during this local event as well. Those of you on our mailing list soon will be receiving a Save the Date postcard in the mail with all of these details. Join us!



With gratitude,
Mike Goggin, M.A.
Senior Director

IVC Service Corps Member Profile

Ann Johnson - Providing Administrative Support and More at
Migration and Refugee Services

IVC Service Corps Member Ann Johnson brings not only a lifetime’s worth of skills to her administrative position with partner agency Catholic Charities Diocese of Arlington Migration & Refugee Services (MRS), but a personal touch as well! An IVC volunteer since 2006, Ann began her service with MRS in 2009 and over the years has assisted clients in such ways as driving them to appointments, delivering supplies, and completing forms for services. And all while focusing on managing paperwork for a busy social services agency.

Today, with an ever-increasing number of refugees in need of services, Ann’s office skills are in high demand. She now helps process federal grants and payment vouchers and prepares database entries for new arrivals. “Ann is a great mentor to our staff,” says MRS Program Director Belayneh Loppisso. “And she understands both sides – not only the administrative process, but the day-to-day interaction with families.”

Her position at MRS also helps the agency build capacity and allows staff to devote more time towards resettling refugees. “Ann and (fellow IVC member) Joe Duffy bring all their experience to us, understanding office procedures and workforce requirements and helping our staff to understand the challenges facing newcomers. We’re grateful to IVC for their service!”

Over the last fifty years, MRS has provided essential resettlement services to over 30,000 refugees in Northern Virginia, with programs that center on reception and placement, employment, health education and outreach, and services for older refugees. They are one of the largest resettlement agencies in Northern Virginia, assisting 900 to 1,000 new refugees each year. “It’s a private-public partnership program, welcoming them at the airport, securing their apartments, and connecting them with different needs,” adds Belayneh. “At the end our goal is to help these families be self-sufficient.”

Ann’s background and experiences prepared her well for her service with MRS. A graduate of Jesuit-run Seattle University, she taught high school history, lived in multiple countries as the wife of a diplomat, and performed extensive volunteer service on behalf of her family and the communities in which she’s lived. They include serving as a Cub Scout den mother, teaching first communion classes, cooking at a shelter for abused women, proofreading for an English-language newspaper in Slovakia, leading English conversations at a foreign university, and lectoring at parishes in three countries in which she lived. For over twenty years Ann served at a hospice in Northern Virginia, working in patient care and serving as a public speaker on behalf of the agency.

She really enjoys her work at MRS. During the pandemic she spent over a year providing conversational English lessons to a young Afghani mother and worked with her on citizenship test questions. She passed the exam on the first try! This summer she hopes to help a client with one-on-one English conversation as well.

Ann loves being a part of IVC! “I joined in 2006 because of its program of retreats, spiritual reading and reflection in small groups, and the company of like-minded people,” she says. “My desire to volunteer also comes from the charism of my parish, Our Lady Queen of Peace, which focuses us on service to others.”

Photo: Ann Johnson (right) with MRS staff member Anastasiia Kozub

City Group Meetings Wrap Up for Year

City Group meetings across the NCA wrapped up in May for the year, with our members having the option of taking part in one of seven in-person meetings or a virtual meeting each month. Special thanks to our facilitators - Ellen Stuhlmann (Bethesda), Susan Kral (Our Lady, Queen of Peace), Tim O'Connor (Broadway), Pat Durkin (Mt. Tabor), Ginny Novak and Vicki Bell Vercelli (Riderwood), Maureen McMahon (St. Joseph), Jane Karpick (St. Ann), and Jean Noon (Virtual).


The Bethesda City Group enjoyed lunch at their regular meeting site, the home of Julie and Jerry Panaro - following their last meeting on May 17. Thanks for hosting us, Julie and Jerry!

And thanks to all for another great year!

A Message from the Senior Director

I want to thank the hearty souls who joined us last Saturday morning at the Lincoln Memorial in less than ideal weather conditions to Move with IVC while raising some funds for our partner agency Friendship Place. We raised almost $2,000 in total and IVC NCA Service Corps Member Mike Hart (profiled in the March newsletter) raised nearly half of that total himself! Thanks to all who gave even if you were not able to join us in person.

On April 10, I had the chance to attend the Caritas award ceremony for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington at the Martin Luther King Library in downtown Washington. Among the honorees this year was IVC NCA Service Corps Member Mary Ellen Hrutka. In her first year serving with the Financial Stability Network of Catholic Charities, Mary Ellen assisted over 100 unhoused people to obtain the $3,200 stimulus checks that they were not in position to claim during the time of the pandemic. These financial assets can hopefully be used to help these people move into permanent housing. Mary Ellen completed the tedious and detailed intake process to make this money available to people served by Catholic Charities, many of whom are also served by IVC partner agency The Father McKenna Center. We are so proud of you, Mary Ellen!

In recent weeks, we have mourned the deaths of IVC NCA Service Corps Members Bob Jacobs and Patti Kisicki. I had the great honor of proclaiming one of the readings at Patti’s funeral Mass and then went to Gate of Heaven Cemetery to witness Deacon David Suley bless her casket with holy water brought from the Jordan River before she was laid to rest. These have been powerful days of ritual and memory and we will continue to treasure the time that Bob and Patti spent with us.

With gratitude,

Mike Goggin, M.A.
Senior Director

Vince Lampone – Ignatian Spirituality Project

IVC service corps member Vince Lampone has found a great match volunteering with the Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP), an IVC partner agency that organizes retreats for people in recovery from addiction and homelessness. With a career in marketing and communications, and a longtime devotion to meditation and spirituality practices, he feels right at home helping to arrange retreats for those in need. In many ways, his IVC and ISP experiences complement one another.

Vince learned about IVC in 2022 while taking a sabbatical year and joined in 2023. “I thought IVC would be an interesting way to engage in a long-term service commitment, and stay connected through the spiritual support program,” he says. The opportunity to be with ISP and assist in their mission made sense.

ISP brings local residents together for retreats from various nonprofits, including IVC partner agencies Joseph’s House and The Father McKenna Center. Vince is part of a coordination team that runs four men’s retreats a year at Loyola on the Potomac, each lasting two nights and hosting about 15 men. One-hour spiritual reflection sessions are offered to retreatants in the weeks that follow. Vince attends many of these sessions as well.

“ISP makes high-quality retreats available to men who don’t have the resources needed to help with recovery,” he notes. "I’m committed to helping create a space for men to benefit from solitude and reflection as they are attempting to keep their lives together. It’s this special opportunity provided by ISP that keeps me engaged.”

Vince handles logistics, support, and coordination for each retreat, with duties that include creating brochures and reading material, managing spreadsheets, getting supplies to facilitators, and filing expense reports. He also ensures round-trip transportation for the men, and often serves as the driver. Of course, he’s glad to take on all other support duties as needed!

IVC provides a great spiritual opportunity for Vince, because of his own faith journey as a Buddhist. He enjoys participating in monthly virtual City Group meetings and taking part in lectio divina with bible passage readings. “It’s an interesting counterpoint for me, and I enjoy getting a different perspective and meeting people from across the region with different faith backgrounds.”

ISP also welcomes Sherry Cummings, who will begin her IVC service this month working with the women's retreat programs.

May City Group Meetings

Falls Church - Wednesday, May 8 10:00 am - The Broadway

Arlington - Tuesday, May 14 10:00 am - Our Lady Queen of Peace Church

Silver Spring - Wednesday, May 15 - 10:00 am - Riderwood Village

Alexandria - Wednesday, May 15 - 1:00 pm - St. Joseph Church

Arlington - Thursday, May 16 - 10:00 am - St. Ann Church

Bethesda - Friday, May 17 10:00 am - Home of Julie and Jerry Panaro

Virtual Meeting via Zoom - Monday, May 20 - 10:00 am

Vienna - Tuesday, May 21 - 10:30 am - Mt. Tabor House

Happy Easter! He is risen, He is risen indeed!

A Message from the Senior Director

Move with IVC returns this spring with a new goal – to annually raise money for one of our great partner agencies here in the National Capital Area while also gathering together to exercise and enjoy the company of each other.

Specifically, I want to invite you to take part in the IVC NCA team that is now forming for the Friendship Walk that is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, April 27 in Washington, D.C.

We will meet by the reflecting pool down by the Lincoln Memorial. Get there as early as 9:30 a.m. when we’ll stretch and hear from some speakers. Arrive no later than 11 a.m. when the walk itself begins.

Last year many of you will remember that we ordered some great purple T-shirts for Move with IVC to build up our team identity. If you still have that shirt, wear it on the morning of April 27. That will help us find each other in the crowd.

Friendship Place, where John Gradowski currently serves, is the organizer of this annual spring event. To join our team, register here:

https://give.friendshipplace.org/team/572180

The buy-in is as little as $35 plus a small service fee.

With gratitude,
Mike Goggin, M.A.
Senior Director

IVC Members “Team Up” in Service at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School

At St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School in Camp Springs, Md., IVC Service Corps members Flavia Favali, Maureen McMahon, and Maria Otoo are not only volunteer staff members – they are also considered part of the school family. “We’re very grateful to them,” says Mr. Raven A. Wilkins, Sr., the school’s principal. “They go over and beyond, and our students and teachers love having them here.”

With a diverse enrollment of 140 students from PreK 3’s through eighth grade, St. Philip offers a well-rounded curriculum, featuring core subjects such as mathematics, reading, and science. Students also benefit from music, art, Spanish, and computer instruction, among others. This year, the school’s library is especially “the place to be” – with programs facilitated by IVC service corps members.

Wilkins first contacted IVC for staff support in 2022, when he envisioned restoring the library as a welcoming place for students to sit and quietly read. Flavia Favali, a former Prince George’s County teacher who holds master’s degrees in transitional special education and church and community leadership, became IVC’s first service corps member at St. Philip. She staffs the library one day each week, providing multiple grades each with their own forty-five-minute learning and reading session. “Every week is different,” she says. “I do what the teachers want, but I also have a lesson plan prepared.”

This year, Favali also arranged for an all-school field trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and, to learn more about being good stewards of the environment, for another field trip to Montgomery County Recycles. She plans on starting a composting program at St. Philip in the 2024-25 school year!

Also staffing the library is Maureen McMahon, who works with multiple grades on her assigned day. For the PreK 3, PreK 4, and Kindergarten classes, “each child is given their own special book to read on their visit, and then we spend time drawing,” she says. “And the older students write odes to a person, place, or thing that they love.” McMahon, who holds a master’s degree in English, is a retired college and high school educator. She really enjoys her assignment working with young students. “I like being there. I taught for over thirty years, and this is really a delight because I want to make them happy – and it’s a break for them and their teachers.”

Joining Favali and McMahon at St. Philip this year is Maria Otoo, who volunteers one day each week in the main office. “I enjoy helping out wherever I can,” she says of her service that includes going through files, updating records, and responding to inquiries. Otoo notes that the school’s two full-time administrative staff members have a lot to do, and helping make their jobs easier brings good feelings all around. For this retired Ph.D Federal Reserve Board economist – doing something completely different at St. Philip is very fulfilling. “Just seeing the kids is priceless!”
For Principal Wilkins, having IVC members serve at St. Philip has made all the difference. “They are invested in St. Philip, which we love and appreciate. By offering library periods, teachers have additional planning time, and our office staff isn’t overwhelmed. Share the love for IVC – for anyone interested in being a part of it, I recommend joining!”

Congratulations to IVC Service Corps Member John Gradowski, who received the Benjamin Cooper Volunteer Award at the 26th Annual Friendship Place Honors, held at the MLK, Jr. Memorial Library on March 20. Now in his sixth year volunteering at Friendship Place, John provides services to clients two days each week in order to support staff as they address more complex needs. His responsibilities include providing an orientation session to new clients seeking employment, working with them to develop their resumes, improving interview skills and apply for jobs. Learn more about his activities as an IVC member at Friendship Place here. Congratulations, John!

Learn more about John's activities as an IVC member at Friendship Place here:

https://ivcusa.org/ivc-nca-member-profile-john-gradowski-a-perfect-fit-at-friendship-place/?bbeml=tp-9ednMvkpnUaM9BElqxY0dw.jnuCpHt_8uUixuze-S4rMRA.rQAcXgJrvmkeORxT7vBMWSw.ljA1kgAIJH0WM2zG1AdkIAw

Photo credits: David Vercelli

April City Group Meetings

Bethesda - Friday, April 5 - 10:00 am - Home of Julie and Jerry Panaro
Arlington - Tuesday, April 9 - 10:00 am - Our Lady Queen of Peace Church
Falls Church - Wednesday, April 10 - 10:00 am - The Broadway
Vienna - Tuesday, April 16 - 10:30 am - Mt. Tabor House
Silver Spring - Wednesday, April 17 - 10:00 am - Riderwood Village
Alexandria - Wednesday, April 17 - 1:00 pm - St. Joseph Church
Arlington - Thursday, April 18 - 10:00 am - St. Ann Church
Virtual Meeting via Zoom - Monday, April 22 - 10:00 am

New book by Ignatian Author, Eric A. Clayton
“Star Wars isn’t all laser swords and space wizards; at the heart of this global franchise is a call to discern between forces of light and dark. For those of us in the Ignatian tradition, this might sound familiar. After all, Ignatius of Loyola has a whole spiritual system dedicated to ferreting out the dark side in favor of the light. In My Life with the Jedi: The Spirituality of Star Wars, award-winning author Eric A. Clayton brings the stories of Star Wars into dialogue with Ignatian spiritualty, inviting readers to reflect on their own struggles, decisions, vocations and, ultimately, the constant call to discover new hope.”

Order from Loyola Press:
https://store.loyolapress.com/my-life-with-the-jedi?bbeml=tp-9ednMvkpnUaM9BElqxY0dw.jnuCpHt_8uUixuze-S4rMRA.rQAcXgJrvmkeORxT7vBMWSw.lZSIH_qFdqUK4oFDF5vGdbQ

Order from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Jedi-Spirituality-Star/dp/0829457011/ref=sr_1_1?crid=W9N21EZH291O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ws0U_ac3YtFeXGX1iduOs0kRgjmiuNyK0I1kyJVbVBTLM3u8dCXvbA11nvDH34cRSZR4aYvOV5c-5aNHROeCFkoV28SYSaw9AidD3mtjx4cJTatp5OHFq0EPNJd04x9hBRhImwZbVH8CErTjVX3dNqIuvxbH_mgxs5szwxSo_XEoTU4yM37aN2Q9gDDZC-LPTNw4G0jacahnaoraPi0PokMlZL-dytYexJI9Egk3g6k.saFfvYVwPu0t-N48HbIAnADbbA7YNdN-bWEwI_SCHyY&dib_tag=se&keywords=my+life+with+the+jedi&qid=1709913971&sprefix=my+life+with+the+jedi%2Caps%2C274&sr=8-1&bbeml=tp-9ednMvkpnUaM9BElqxY0dw.jnuCpHt_8uUixuze-S4rMRA.rQAcXgJrvmkeORxT7vBMWSw.lfwG1u4knB0ehVxp-TWra1A

Attention Fairfax County IVC Members!
The Fairfax Department of Family Services wants to hear from you if you are a caregiver to someone who is, or an adult with disabilities! See below for details about an in-person focus group opportunity this Friday, April 5 between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm at the Pennino Building in Fairfax.

Ignatian Advocacy Madness From March 11 to April 16, members of the Ignatian family will take 5,000 actions for more just migration and environmental policies through the Ignatian Advocacy Madness program organized by the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN). Through this friendly competition high schools, colleges, parishes and other institutions are encouraged to engage in learning, prayer and advocacy action to address migration and environmental issues. For more information, visit the Ignatian Advocacy Madness website at:

Ignatian Advocacy Madness - Ignatian Solidarity Network From March 11-April 26, take part in Ignatian Advocacy Madness as schools and parishes compete to ensure that justice is the champion.

IVC National Capital Area and Ignatian Volunteer Corps Baltimore came together on Wednesday, March 13 for our annual Lenten Day of Reflection, held at the Claggett Center in Adamstown, Md. Eighty seven service corps members, spiritual reflectors and friends of IVC took part in the event, with the theme "Sharing Surprising Stories of the Spirit!" The dynamic Msgr Ray East, pastor of St. Teresa of Avila parish in Washington, D.C., served as the presenter - leading the retreatants on the themes of "Pay Attention!," "Be Astonished!," and "Tell About It! ." The day included Mass, personal prayer time, ritual blessings, facilitated small group discussions, and ended with a panel of storytellers - Peggy Gessler from Baltimore and Fred Ducca and Jan Silvano from NCA. Special thanks to Msgr East for leading the day, and to Elaine Ireland, spiritual director, Baltimore, Nora Collins, director, Baltimore, Mike Goggin, senior director, National Capital Area for developing and facilitating the event, supported by Anna Marie Mason and Chris Kelly, program managers, National Capital Area.

IVC service corps member John Joseph spoke about his experiences with IVC on March 6 at St. Luke Catholic Church's Lenten Soup Supper, held at the parish in McLean, Va. John, who is a St. Luke parishioner, told attendees about how he found IVC and how IVC connected him with potential volunteer sites. This led to a placement at Belong! which provides mentoring and tutoring for underserved children in Vienna, Va. "IVC is special because they have the mechanism and inventory of service sites for placement," he said. IVC Senior Director of the National Capital Area Mike Goggin led off the event with a presentation about the Corps. Our thanks to IVC Program Manager Anna Marie Mason for connecting with St. Luke to be a part of their Lenten Soup Supper!

A Message from the Senior Director

I am always thrilled when our IVC service corps members receive an honor from the non-profit organization where they have chosen to serve. This month such a spotlight falls on John Gradowski, who will receive the Friendship Place Honors Award from his service site in an evening ceremony on Wednesday, March 20.

John is completing his sixth year as a service corps member with Friendship Place in Northwest Washington. We profiled him in the December 2023 issue of the newsletter. He’s a parishioner of St. Jane de Chantal Parish in Bethesda and worked locally for Pepco for 36 years after graduating from Georgetown in 1982.

Friendship Place presents this award annually to individuals who have shown exceptional dedication and support in the fight against homelessness. John is not the first to win an award from Friendship Place. Vicki Bell Vercelli was similarly honored a decade ago. Vicki and her husband Dave will be at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library downtown on March 20 to cheer on John. I look forward to being there to do the same! Please join me in congratulating John on this outstanding honor.

With gratitude,
Mike Goggin, M.A.
Senior Director