Jesuit Volunteer Corps NW

Ruined for Life

Many parishioners and staff here at St. Joseph are alumni of the JVC Northwest and so we have a special care and concern for the young people who have taken the plunge into life as a JV.

Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) Northwest began in 1956, under the auspices of the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus. A few committed volunteers helped build and teach in the new Copper Valley School in Copper Valley, Alaska, a boarding school for Native Alaskan and European-descent Alaskan students. The first volunteers were recruited and supported by the Jesuits of the Oregon Province and the Sisters of St. Ann.

The Jesuit Volunteer program expanded out of Alaska in the 1960s to work with Native American communities throughout the Northwest, as well as serving in inner city placements in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the U.S. and other countries around the world.

Beginning in 1974, JVC Northwest inspired the opening of five domestic regions of JVC in the Midwest, East, Southwest, and South, and one international region (JVI), each an independent non-profit office. JVC Northwest has been the catalyst for many other faith-based volunteer organizations, and served as a model for the U.S. Peace Corps. In JVC Northwest’s 55+ year history, over 6,000 persons have served in our program.

Please contact JVC Northwest directly if you have any interest in helping them fulfill their mission. You might also be interested in learning more about the JV EnCorps program, which  recruits and supports volunteers 50 and older in part-time, meaningful service positions where they have a direct impact on people living on the margins. JVE was created to meet the needs of the growing number of retired people or those moving into retirement who seek to remain vital and active, meaningful work benefiting society, a supportive spiritual community, and personal meaning and fulfillment.