What makes Detroit so great?!?!

The community - Corktown neighbors, the Mercy community in the greater Detroit area, and the people we work with at our sites have all been so welcoming and joyful in sharing their passion for the work they do.
~ Anita Kumar ‘06

The best social justice theatre around!!!
~ Maura Trail ‘06

  
Mary Buck, Bishop Gumbleton, Maura Trail & Anita Kumar

Slows BBQ is just a few blocks away.  This is GOOD BBQ -- trust me, I'm from Texas.
Where else can you go south to get to Canada?
The music scene is fantastic.
Bishop Gumbleton's homilies and the St. Leo choir
~ Leslie (Peterson) Wessel ‘04

Mary Smee & Leslie Peterson Wessel

Easter Market (one of the oldest and largest farmers' markets in the US) is a guaranteed Saturday activity and a great way for the "stipend-conscience" to buy produce.
The "soul" of Detroit is much more than Motown.
~Mary Smee MVC ‘04

Many opportunities to be politically active
Amazing people who are committed to make their city a better place
~Emily Tetalman ‘05

Laura Kenny, Jasmine Bautista, Emily Tetalman

Detroit has some compelling local issues, which you will learn about from anyone who has lived in Detroit for more than a few years and see the effects among the people you serve.  The car industries which once made Detroit a booming industrial city have been declining and this economic reality is apparent every time you pass an abandoned building or encounter a family struggling financially and otherwise.  Detroit has had a declining population since the white flight of the 60's, and today only SW Detroit has a growing population, mostly as a result of immigration from Mexico.  This is particularly an issue for the Archdiocese to accomodate the shifting populations, and many people have been affected by school and parish closings or combinations.  Also, these changes make Detroit such a diverse city.
~Laura Kenny ‘05

Matrix Theatre Company

Matrix Theatre Company offers the following services for youth and adults: after-school drama & puppetry classes, inclusive theatre initiative, and giant puppet construction. The organization primarily serves the residents in southwest Detroit with services also offered in the surrounding suburbs of metro Detroit.

Mercy Education Project (MEP)

MEP provides after-school one-on-one remedial tutoring and other activities to at-risk girls in 1st-8th grades from southwest
Detroit and provides literacy, adult basic education, individualized GED preparation, and job skills training to women from low-income households in Detroit. Mercy Volunteers teach a class to women, tutor women, lead girls in structured activities, provide support for program planning, documentation and other program support.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Middle School for Girls (OLG)

Our Lady of Guadalupe Middle School is a full-scholarship Catholic middle school for girls which offers small class size, an extended school day, Saturday field trips, extensive parental involvement and summer programming. The school serves a multicultural population of girls in grades 6, 7, and 8 from working-class and impoverished families. Mercy Volunteers serve as as members of the Extended Program team, leading clubs/sports, monitoring study hall, chaperoning field trips, assisting with the lunch program, and helping maintain the school library.

Cabrini Clinic

Cabrini Clinic is a free medical clinic for uninsured adults.  The clinic is staffed by volunteers who provide primary care, prescription assistance and mental health counseling to those who otherwise have no access to needed care. A volunteer is needed to assist with the organization and operation of the clinic, including helping with a planned move to new and expanded space.  If an individual brings clinical credentials, there would be opportunity for direct patient care.  
 

Detroit Cristo Rey High School

Detroit Cristo Rey High School will welcome its first class of students in August 2008. The school integrates classroom experience with real-life work experience by partnering with businesses and corporations in metro Detroit. A volunteer is needed to assist the students with their academic and professional endeavors.

Office of Peace and Justice

From a simple office in an African-American inner city parish, a volunteer works with Bishop Gumbleton’s administrative assistant, a Sister of Mercy, to implement his extensive speaking and travel schedule. A fabulous and life-changing opportunity to support the ministry of this “prophet of peace” as well as gain experience from a warm and gratifying partnership with a Mercy Sister and other peace advocates. A volunteer is needed to maintain personal contacts (phone, letter, email), research and writing, organizational tasks, and networking with advocacy groups locally and internationally.