10/22/10 In response to their mission’s call to serve, Ancilla College faculty, staff and students visited the Sojourner Truth House in Gary on Tuesday, delivering donated items and volunteering their services for the day.
Twenty-two representatives of Ancilla College helped clean the insides of the Sojourner Truth House and perform yard work and cleanup on two abandoned buildings on the block that were recently acquired by the Sojourner Truth House.
“It creates a sense of gratitude,” said Sr. Carleen Wrasman, PHJC and Coordinator of Mission Integration, of the trip to the Sojourner Truth House. “It opens our eyes to the conditions of some people and how they have to live. (Volunteers) usually come away with a sense that the day was very worthwhile and that they helped people. It’s a maturing experience.”
The Sojourner Truth House was founded by members of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, the same religious order that founded Ancilla. It was created to help serve the needs of the underserved in the Gary area, providing food, shelter, clothing, and services to the poor and needy.
According to Ancilla College student Joana Baca, the experience of volunteering at the Sojourner Truth House was a very eye-opening one.
“It was a great experience and I had so much fun helping others,” said Baca. “I really wasn’t expecting to feel or experience what I did that day. It’s more than words can describe. I left Sojourner Truth House with much gratitude and appreciation for what I have today.”
Ancilla College is a Catholic, two-year, co-educational, liberal arts college in Donaldson, Indiana sponsored by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.
Photo: (R to L) – Ancilla College volunteers Ann Fitzgerald and Joana Baca perform yard work while volunteering at the Sojourner Truth House on Tuesday.
