Gannon ABST Washington, DC

Hello! We are counting down the days to our departure less then a month away now! Things are starting to come together and the excitement is really kicking in. This past weekend a few of us took part in Gannon's annual "Day of Caring" in the Erie community, and we worked in partnership with Our West Bayfront to clean up the grounds of the MLK Center and the area surrounding it. Some of us went up and down the sidewalks collecting trash, and others stayed on cite cleaning up the playground space and raking up the leaves and sticks from the winter season. We found some interesting pieces of garbage throughout the morning including diapers, plastic bags, wrappers, and many many cigarette buds. After our hands on service was complete, we were visited by the Erie News Now film crew and got to speak on behalf of what it meant to be a good neighbor in the Erie community and why we serve. Overall it was a great way to connect with each other and learn about what ways we...

Hello everyone! Welcome to our 2019 Washington D.C. ABST blog! Below we feature our twelve wonderful team members in hopes that people reading our blog can get to know everyone better. Our group is very special in that our entire group is composed of freshman other than our leaders and accompaniers.  Mughiara  Quadeer Hometown: Lahore, Pakiston Major: Biology Pre-Med Year: Freshman Favorite Quote: "There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limit you place on your own thinking." -Brian Tracy Elizabeth Ketner Hometown: Clarion, PA Major: Pre-Veterinary Year: Freshman Favorite Quote: "We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us." -Joseph Campbell Samantha Valaitis Hometown: Eastlake, OH Major: Biology Pre-Med Year: Freshman Quote: "Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it." -Denis P. Kimboro Joshua Staley Hometown: Carlisle, PA Major: ...

Hello family and friends of the D.C. ABST, Welcome to our blog! We are thrilled to be leading this trip and document everyone's experience through this blog. Our trip is going to be May 12-18th this summer and we have a semester full of preparation ahead of us. Please continue to check back and follow us these next few months as we explore the topic of hunger and homelessness and work towards gaining a deeper understanding of poverty in the United States. Today we had our spring ABST leadership training where we learned about comfort zones, the pillars of ABST, facilitation methods, and working as a co-leader team. Stay tuned for our next post to meet the rest of the team! Hayley & Sara Working on goals and outcomes for the trip!

A friend may be waiting behind a stranger's face... Friday, May 11th  Today was our last day at the Father McKenna Center! Though we are very tired and ready to return home to our own beds, we will miss our FMC friends deeply. I am very glad that the students got a chance to reflect on and write about their experiences with some of the men at the shelter and at the Peace Meal, but I wanted to take a chance to reflect on the relationships we built with other volunteers or staff members. The staff at the shelter arrive early every morning, some as early as 4:45 am to start breakfast. Regular volunteers show up routinely at 7:00 am to start their day by serving and connecting with the men. The staff and volunteers were both so welcoming and friendly. Austin was one of the staff members that I worked most directly with -- he is a Jesuit Volunteer Corps member who manages the FMC food pantry. It was awesome to hear about his experience and compare it to our experiences as an Amer...

Today, May 10th, was a very intriguing and well rounded day, . Usually I help Russel in the Kitchen, but today I was able to serve the men breakfast at the Father McKenna Center. This allowed me to better connect with the men since I am usually behind the scenes whether that be with helping prepare the meals or cleaning the various facilities around the center. Overall, it was a very interesting perspective to see. It was nice to see the men smiling and exuberant whenever I was able to interact with them. Often the simple things allowed them to express this, such as asking the men how their day is going or telling them to have a nice day. After serving at the Father McKenna Center, our group went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of American History by way of the Metro. This was an extremely exciting and strange experience. It was strange in the sense that the Metro was underground and we were able to move at a faster speed because of the lack of traffic. Somethi...

After out daily volunteering with breakfast and midday meal at the Father McKenna Center, we drove to the National Coahiliton of the Homeless (NCH). Here, we met with John and Pam who have both experienced homelessness and are now working with NCH to advocate for the homeless. John started off simply by asking us what some common misconceptions about how a person becomes homeless are. Some responses were that they are lazy or that they do not want to seek help. It is easy for people to believe these misconceptions, and it is difficult to understand the truth of how homelessness occurs until you meet someone who is willing to share their experience with you. John and Pam shared their their stories of how they became homeless, and how they got themselves out of the extreme poverty that they were living in. They shared their insights about the emotional side of how it feels to be homeless, and how their dignity is taken away with each day living on the street. It is very impactful to lear...

Today, we had the opportunity to meet Mike Kelly, U.S Republican for Pennsylvania. This was an eye-opening opportunity where we got to dig deeper into the political aspect of homelessness.Mike Kelly showed an interest in attending an ABST session at Gannon as he was astonished with the work we are doing at the Father McKenna Center. Mike Kelly was extremely open and listened intently to our concerns about what policies are being put into place regarding homelessness. After the meeting, we toured the Longworth House where we saw numerous statues and documents that are vital to our country's roots. These opportunities involved a lot of walking, so our group was extremely hungry, so we headed over to Union Station. We ate at Thunder Grill which was extremely delicious and provided an opportunity for the group to bond. When we were all full and happy, we walked back to the Father McKenna Center under the beautiful sun. In the evening, we volunteered with Peace Meals, which is another o...