Companions Newburgh, New York Immersion March 2008

More Info 60 Clark Street-2007's Project almost completed!

Brian Cain'08
Aaron Walkow'08
Matt Shea'08
Patrick Sutter'08
Ian Forsyth'09
Sean Whalen'09
D.J. Garner'09
Rob Piscatelli'09
Joe Koch'09
Mr. Ahrens'91
Father Betti

This being my second trip to Newburgh, a lot of the work starts to blur together.  I know from last year that I won’t remember each dumpster we filled, each pile of cinder blocks, or each trip to the dump.  What I will remember is a few seemingly normal, but life-changing moments, the moments that make all the hours of work completely worthwhile. 

From what I have seen, there are two ways of looking at cities such as Newburgh.  In a lot of ways it is depressing.  One sees just how real poverty is, and more important how much he can relate to the people it is affecting.  One experience that was new for me this time around was walking through and working in these boarded-up houses.  It was shocking to see that people were living in theses houses, houses whose floors gave out when you walked on them.  The conditions were sad and dangerous, and they gave us a sense of just how poor this city had become.

From the opposite point of view, I can really see hope in the people of Newburgh, and in the progress made since I was there less than a year ago.  Seeing the house we had worked on during our last trip was incredible.  It is amazing to feel like you are a part, however small, in providing a home for a needy family.  Another moment I will not soon forget was seeing Octavio’s family in their Habitat house.  His children were growing up in a safe, stable environment, something each person deserves but too few actually have. 

Finally, perhaps the most memorable parts of the trips came in the companionship of my classmates.  While I hardly knew the juniors that came with us on this trip in the beginning of this week, by the end of the week they were my friends.   All working towards one goal, it was great how well we worked together.  Whether in our conversations on the job site, while sharing meals, in the many hours in the van, or on our nightly “nature walks,” we connected more than I ever imagined we would.

While I am going off to college next year, I will never forget what I learned in my experiences in Newburgh.  I hope to continue similar work in the next four years and beyond that.  You certainly don’t have to travel thousands of miles away to help a family and a community in need.  And someday, hopefully soon, I hope to travel back to the Hudson Valley and help at least one more time to break the cycle of poverty in this city with which I feel I have a lifelong connection. Matt Shea

More Info Father Betti continues to work on clearing debris

More Info Jesuit Carriage House in Cornwall on the Hudson

Newburgh Reflections 2008 (docx file - 20kb)

Companions Newburgh 2008 Video (wmv file - 34,783kb)

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