Starting My Year of Service
Over the 5 days of Orientation Retreat, I had the pleasure of acquainting myself with the 43 Mercy Volunteers who will serve in 11 cities across the United States and Guyana. Put another way, I spent 5 days getting to…
A Message From Alumni: Jennifer Siblia
Note: This blog was originally presented to Mercy Volunteers during their Transition Retreat in Pikesville, Maryland in June 2017. I was nervous about speaking tonight because I did my service 22 years ago which is probably the time most of…
Living Unified
If you know me, you know that basketball is a huge part of my life. If you know me, you know its not because I play (because we all know that I am the un-athletic Rieker), but that it’s a…
Welcoming Immigrants Home
Where to begin? Six months have passed, yet I feel like I just began to get the hang of things. Growing up the daughter of two immigrants and biracial, I can empathize with the feeling of existing in between; as…
Impromptu Concerts
Part of life as a volunteer living in Queens is taking the subways everywhere. I know this is a normal part of a New Yorker’s life but it does not cease to be an experience every time. I’ve recently thought…