Monthly Archives: August 2018

By Women, For Women

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Nestled in the heart of Elizabeth, New Jersey lies a hidden gem dedicated to empowering local women through skills training and development. Founded by the Sisters of Charity in 2003, Josephine’s Place is a safe space for women that seeks to provide free services ranging from Computer Skills workshops to support groups for any local woman in need of assistance.

Josephine_s Place-September 2018Sister Judy Mertz and those who work at Josephine’s Place always strive to ensure that their services meet the demands of those looking to receive them. Sister Judy recalls the initial founding of the facility, noting that “When we opened the doors on October 1st, 2003, we made sure to ask the women who came in what they wanted and needed. Many of them said they wanted to learn English or develop their computer skills”, workshops that the facility still provides on a regular basis. Participants are encouraged to take active leadership roles, often guiding new women in group activities.

The need for expansion was quick as more and more women came to hear about their work. Sister Judy notes the great success that many of those who have come to Josephine’s place have achieved, 2 of which have even moved on to start their own businesses. The community-based nature of the facility has fostered a strong “pay it forward” mentality. Many of those who received skills-based services in the past return to lead workshops themselves. In fact, several volunteers who frequent Josephine’s Place are the children and grandchildren of women who have benefited from their services.

For many women, Josephine’s place is not just a safe space, but a warm community. If you would like to learn more about Josephine’s Place and support their work, please consider signing up to volunteer! We offer several opportunities including Computer Essentials I, Computer Essentials II, and Conversations and Connections. Note: Volunteers must be female to sign up.

Making Time to Make A Difference

Posted in Education and Mentoring, Meal Service, Monthly Calendar Program, Staff and Volunteer Profiles, Uncategorized, Volunteer Opportunity Calendar by

With school back in session, we understand that it can be hard to balance both academics and community service. New schedules, new courses, it’s a lot to take in! For Jersey Cares Project Coordinator and Rutgers New Brunswick Senior, Dominick DiCarlo, civic engagement is a vital part of his college experience.Dominick DiCarlo-September 2018

Looking for ways to make a positive difference during his free time, Jersey Cares provided both the tools and platform necessary to do just that. “I started volunteering with Jersey Cares because I wanted to become more involved in my community, both at home and at school. My desire to volunteer increased significantly while in college, specifically in the areas of hunger and homelessness, due to the surprisingly high level of students at my university and residents in the community who were food insecure.”

According to Dominick, community service is “a very important, if not THE most important, thing to be involved in outside of school work”. He attributes civic engagement both to his current success as well as his personal fulfillment. “Service blends real-world experience with people, which can be applied to almost any job you could think of, with tons of other skills, like the ability to improvise, work in a team, and communicate. You grow these skills, all while supporting others who need help, making you feel empowered as you’ve helped make a positive impact on other people’s lives”.

In fact, when they aren’t hitting the books, Dominick and his peers serve on the executive board of the flagship Rutgers Cares club, an organization that connects Rutgers New Brunswick students with local Jersey Cares opportunities. Aside from their participation in recurring Jersey Cares opportunities, the club conducts mini service opportunities, and work with other Rutgers organizations to coordinate collection drives. Last year alone, they collected over 250 pounds of food for the Rutgers Student Food Pantry and grocery bags of toiletries for the Jersey Cares First-Night Kits!

While his ability to manage service on top of school work may appear superhuman, for Dominick, it’s all about discipline and time management.

” You have to decide that you want to volunteer early, and build it into your schedule, so that you can still have time for work, as well as leisure time to relax. By planning ahead, you ensure that you can successfully balance your school work and volunteer work, and leisure time without being overwhelmed or sacrificing one for the others. It’s also good to start off with a light volunteer schedule and then progressively add more events. When you’re eager to start volunteering, you want to be as active as possible, but you also want to make sure not to overload your schedule, which may stress you out or cause you to back out of some of the events. For example, last school year I volunteered with a food pantry every-other Friday for the first semester, and then bumped my volunteering to every Friday.”

So, if the new school year has you skeptical about continuing community service, take a page from Dominick’s book and start off slow. Once you find an opportunity that you really connect with, making time to make a difference becomes a piece of cake. Head to our volunteer opportunity calendar to check out upcoming opportunities near you!