Ever since my high school career at Canisius started, reflection has been a huge part of my life. I went through rough times during my childhood when my parents got divorced but all the retreats and immersion trips that I have attended at Canisius have balanced everything out, probably even outweighed them. This being my second year at Newburgh, I sort of had an advantage of what you would witness here. To my surprise, I felt as shocked as you probably were. I witnessed more poverty in Newburgh than last year when I saw a lot of people on their porches having nothing to do but watch their lives disappear. However, I felt that we could do anything possible so people in this town can have something miraculous to look at. I feel as though we accomplished this goal when I had a stranger walk up to me and tell me what a wonderful thing we are doing and thanked me from the bottom of her heart. It comes to show even teenagers can make a difference in someone’s eyes.
I couldn’t ask for a better group of people. From the very beginning when packing the car with all our luggage, I saw a lot of enthusiasm. Ms. Shick (or should I say Mom), I want to thank you for coming on this immersion trip. I felt as though I could tell you anything and I’m glad that we had the personal conversations during the long drive up. Mr. Ahrens, you were the only other person that returned from last year and the “events” that happened this year just added to the collection of funny stories that we and the rest of the group will keep for a lifetime. I want to thank you for leading me these past two years and helping me realize that I want to continue my service for the rest of my life. Colin Boardway, you were my fellow senior leader on this immersion trip and I want to thank you for not only for helping me lead the juniors but for the conversations we had on the nature walks. We are going to college next year and I hope you continue to help others throughout your college experience. To the juniors- words cannot express my gratitude for you for attending this immersion trip to Newburgh. You could have been enjoying your vacation lying on a beach somewhere warm and sunny but you decided to come here and sacrifice your time to help a community that you haven’t seen before. Seeing Colin slaving away on the pile of rocks, Sam and Josh staking brick by brick for hours, Dave helping Boardway with axing and building the fence, Conor loading the pick-up truck full of junk and sending it to the dump, Jake and Sean exhausted from grinding cement all morning, and Luke wheeling dirt and rocks with a wheel borrow and spreading it throughout the backyard, helped me realize that we are making a difference in the eyes of the people of Newburgh.
Once again, I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to assist me in Newburgh. I hope that you hold this immersion close to your heart. As a whole, this trip strengthened my realization that my calling in life is to help others. Come this September, I will be going away to college and, without a doubt, this immersion trip will be a part of me forever. Remember to always keep in mind the four components of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and to always Live the Fourth.
Jake Dillabaugh
Coming to Newburgh I had my expectations about the situations that we would face while we did our work trying to help the community. I thought about the people we would meet, the intensity of the manual labor, and mostly the quality of life we would find in Newburgh. All of my presumptions, expectations, and hopes were shattered and changed enormously, some for the better some for the worse. Once we arrived in Newburgh, we took a quick tour of our work site for the week and a rudimentary tour of the town, and to say the least, I was shocked.The Newburgh that I had imagined and expected did not exist. In its place was an even more decrepit, and rundown town the likes of which I have yet to see in my life.I was worried about the week ahead and how I would react to working in such a poverty stricken neighborhood and city.So when we head out to the work site the next morning I had my apprehensions and some beliefs already in place about who we would be working with and what we would be working on, but to my relief my presumptions and expectations were again shattered. Upon arrive at the Habitat for Humanity building we did not meet a group of miserable volunteers who seemed as if they were forced there by some higher power. We instead met a group of enthusiastic, surprisingly elderly, volunteers who were willing to give up anything for the betterment of their city. As we worked I was inspired by the love that radiated from the elderly volunteers that assisted us. They seemed genuine happy and always found a bright spot even when the weather turned to the worst and the day’s work slowly drained their energy.Their work helped me to keep my morale up that first day and made me genuinely enjoy the work that we were doing.
Throughout the rest of the week we continued to work at increasingly harder tasks, but as I worked and got to know the Habitat Community, I met many more who shared the same enthusiasm that I had seen on that first day from a few volunteers. This made me realize that there was just more than a few crazy old guys who wanted something to do while they were retired, I realized that instead there was a vast community of people dedicated to the improvement of the City of Newburgh.From Dumpster Dave, Don the crazy driver, Lennox, Jay and Ron the masters of concrete work, the dedicated staff of the ReStore, Octavio, and countless other volunteers who dedicate their lives, money, and time to the Habitat cause, I realized that if enough people can have a common goal to improve the situation that they are living in and not sit idly by and watch it happen from afar then real change can occur and people’s lives can be changed for the better. So despite my initiation presumptions, expectations, and altogether melancholy outlook on the situation, I was able to come away from the experience with a sense that even in a drug, crime, and poverty infested area like Newburgh real change can occur if enough dedicated people who really care and love the city they live in can affect real change and hopefully turn the situation in a new direction.
Sean “Charlie” Kirby
To start, there is no way to fully explain in the written word the effects this immersion trip has had on me. Other people have called it awe inspiring and eye opening, and that’s about the best I can do. If there was one piece of advice I could give to the current sophomores, it would be to take part in an immersion trip. The trip and Kairos have really shaped my Junior year and will help you throughout life. Anyway, during my immersion trip, I was forced to throw myself into an entirely different community. It’s probably like when a surfer catches a monsoon level wave—it’s really exciting but it’s also scaring the heck out of you. Really, how many people at Canisius experience total poverty?
It goes without saying that you must be really committed to all Ignatian ideals to go on this kind of trip. Take social justice. Many of the residents of Newburgh don’t deserve to be in such terrible conditions. It can seem pointless for Canisius to plan out these trips, because as one man told us, “The change isn’t long term. It will last maybe a week.” Yet countless people accepted us into the community. It was mind-blowing. And I’m not bragging when I say we accomplished a lot. We built a patio and a fence. We cleaned a vacant lot. We redid a driveway. We demolished a house. Yet so many people in the “we” I just mentioned were retired people who consider working for Habitat a joy, not a burden. Don, Octavio, Dumpster Dave, Lennox, Ron, Jay, and countless other people who show the goodness of Newburgh could have been doing something entertaining with their time. Then again, maybe working against injustice with 10 crazy teenage guys is their idea of entertainment. I don’t know.
Obviously, my classmates have been amazing. It helped that everyone at least vaguely knew each other. Colin Boardway, Colin Bogdan, Jake, Sam, Josh, Sean, Luke, Conor and Dave were always there to help. Getting to know them on a kind of deeper level through the work was kind of spiritual, I guess. And also, when 10 teenage guys share a home for a week, anything can and will happen. Thanks for all the laughs. Also, thanks to Mr. Ahrens and Ms. Shick (a.k.a Mom) for putting up with us and helping us through everything. You guys have been awesome, and it was great getting to know you more.
The experience was really rewarding, but problems have come up. The physical labor has been exhausting, and we’ve all had to be more selfless than we ever are at home. But that’s the point. We must be challenged in order to improve.
Finally, I think this quote from the song “Direction” by The Starting Line kind of sums up how I’ve felt in Newburgh. “Don’t you stray if you feel you’ve lost your way, Share this feeling that came over me.” It says that we can’t give up even if circumstances are tough, and we have to get others to do the same. It’s similar to Jesus’ message of spreading the Gospel.
Again, thanks to everyone involved for this opportunity. Companions. Justice, Community, Spirituality, Simple Living.
Sam Cohen
I came on the Newburgh trip not knowing what to expect.All that I really knew was that we were working with Habitat for Humanity.I was a little worried about all of the physical work we would be doing, me being pretty weak.Initially, I applied for the Dominican Republic trip, but I did not make it.I was disappointed, but I wanted to see poverty in our own country, so I decided to go on this trip.I am so happy that I came on this trip, and it has really opened my eyes to the poverty and despair in our own country.
What amazes me the most about Newburgh are the people that affectionately call it home.Most of them are living in deplorable conditions, and some struggle to put food on the table for their families.What is amazing to me is that they are so positive, and this is especially true about the volunteers.They do not question if Newburgh will get better, they know that they will get better.They are so positive about the situation.Many of the volunteers are retired, but do more than anyone would ask from them.Knowing that these volunteers could be sitting at home, or living in a retirement community in Florida, but instead are helping those that they don’t even know had a huge impact on me.They have dedicated their lives to helping people live better lives, and this makes me want to do more for the world that I live in.
I think that we get more out of the trip than the people we help.They showed us never to give up.I also think it is a very excellent trip because it put me out of my comfort zone.I have never really worked in such an environment as Newburgh.In Newburgh we are the minority.Today we were riding in the back of a truck when somebody yelled “What the hell?”They were not saying that because they saw a bunch of teenagers riding on a flatbed but because we are all white.I think that they are surprised that people from a whole other community wants to help theirs.On this trip I think that our group has formed into a stronger community.Most of us come from very different lives, and just live on an Emmaus or Kairos we learn more about each other.What sets this retreat apart from the others is that we not only learn about each other and reflect on our own lives, but we have an experience together while helping improve the lives of others.I think everyone at Canisius should have an experience like this.Seeing the sense of community in the people of Newburgh can greatly strengthen the community at Canisius.Coming out of this trip I want to do a lot more to help our won community, but also others.We all need to keep an open mind and want to change the world in which we all call home.Everyone needs a home and I think that we have to help make that possible.I now have a greater sense of how we all should be living, not only living for ourselves, but live to help others.
Conor McHugh
The city of Newburgh is a very poor city financially. It has all the things one would expect from a poor city; dirty streets, abandoned houses, drug deals, and violence on the streets. The one thing I did not anticipate is the effect that these factors have on the people who live there. It seemed as though a large group of people at Habitat for Humanity Newburgh cared so much for the city while many other residents of the city did not seem to care. Amidst the apathy stood a group of workers who vowed to restore Newburgh one house at a time, even though an abandoned house appeared as they completed one.
The one thing that struck me was on the second last day when I was walking from the worksite on Parmenter Street. As I am walking between the back yards of the Habitat houses, I saw a few people walking through a large dump next the house we were working on. As I got closer, I realized that is was a mother walking her children right through the dump as though it was nothing to be concerned about. This completely shocked me. This place was home to vulnerable children who were forced to walk to school or the store through deplorable sites like this.
I not only experienced the frustrations of trying to do good deeds amidst adversity, but realized that to change our lives takes a great deal of effort.
