Julep and Iris are sisters from Biloxi, Mississippi. In 2023, because their mom is a Vincentian, the girls were encouraged to help out at the local food pantry run by Vincentians. Now 10 and 9 years old, the girls continue to find joy and fulfillment in serving Friends in Need in their community. Over the past three years, the sisters have diligently served at the food pantry every Tuesday they could and encouraged their classmates and friends to join them. Iris expressed, “I like doing it because I get to help the needy and I get to be with the people that I am friends with and get to help at the same time.” Julep agreed, saying, “One thing St.Vincent de Paul has definitely helped me in my life is seeing how some people have it, and it definitely has made me grateful for my things and how I have it.”
At the food pantry, on their first visit, they were each given individual tasks: Julep was in charge of “Bag 3,” one of the specific bags curated for families in need, while Iris helped load vehicles with monthly groceries. They understood the importance of their individual roles. To this day, Julep leads the efforts to assemble Bag 3, and Iris happily loads cars. They call Iris “Sargent Iris” because the then-president told those working at the food pantry that Iris was in charge of loading all the cars. For Julep, her favorite part is when “I take the bags to the waiting area, I pass by where all the people who are in need are lined up and when they see food is available for them, their faces brighten so much and it always makes me feel really good.”
Their mother, Kimberly, also mentioned the girls have encouraged their friends and classmates to join, going from a time when there was no youth help to as many as 8-10 children bagging groceries, breaking down boxes, and loading cars each week. Julep mentioned, “I honestly think that we should try to get a lot more younger kids involved because all the people at ours are retirees, so we need younger people to keep continuing it.” They have also collected money from family members to help support the food pantry and St. Vincent de Paul’s mission, purchased groceries to hand out, and donated money of their own. Lastly, at the end of summer, they make a big thank-you banner to express their gratitude to the Vincentians who work at the food pantry every Tuesday throughout the year and who are so welcoming to the girls and their friends during the summer months and holidays. Kimberly, their mom, emphasized the importance of the other Vincentians’ openness to inviting and collaborating with youth, and allowing Julep and Iris to have so much responsibility in serving those at the food pantry.
In addition to their efforts at the food pantry, the sisters attend Mass on Tuesday mornings before the food pantry opening. At the Mass, they help with lectoring and taking down the gifts. They also attend the yearly Ozanam Mass at the Cathedral, where they celebrate with the Diocesan Councils and sing with the choir and on their own. They also celebrated International Vincentian Youth Day by gathering at the local Cathedral, helping with St. Vincent de Paul and bringing and collecting canned goods, and having donuts afterward with other youth to celebrate.
With their commitment to showing up and serving at the food pantry, Julep and Iris have encouraged other members to bring their grandchildren to help. Kimberly, their mom, stated, “Some days I don’t have anything to do, like some days they have gotten so many kids, and there are only so many people that can fit in the pantry, and they are like, ‘Mom, we got this!’”
Julep and Iris’s dedication to serving others and showing God’s love to those they encounter is truly inspiring. They certainly have a bright future ahead and will surely continue to impact many people in their community.
Sarah Wenzloff is a young adult from West Dundee, Illinois. Her story as a Vincentian began when she was very young, around four or five years old. Now, as a young adult, she works diligently to serve her community and is the District Council Spiritual Advisor. She expressed her deep appreciation for the spiritual aspect of St. Vincent de Paul, “I enjoy being the Spiritual Advisor, and I really feel like there’s a lot you can contribute as a St. Vincent de Paul member (from) a spiritual aspect. There’s a lot of members in St. Vincent de Paul who feel like sometimes we can’t help out the way that we want to, like by helping with funds or living situations or temporary help, but you can always help spiritually by praying for them, guiding them, showing them that there are people who care about them, and so that where I felt my best fit as Spiritual Advisor.”
During her childhood, both of her parents were Vincentians, so while the adults had their meetings, Sarah and the other youth gathered for their own meetings. Although there was never an official youth conference, Sarah had the idea that the youth should gather as well and help with fundraisers and other events. They also assisted the adult conference in brainstorming additional ways to raise money and promote St. Vincent de Paul within their church community.
After changing parishes and moving, Sarah also wanted to teach in the Religious Education classes but remained involved with St. Vincent de Paul. Now, at her current parish, St. Catherine of Siena in West Dundee, she actively participates in the parish’s adult conference and served as its Spiritual Advisor since 2022. Now, with her father being the District Council President, by rules she can only be the District Council Spiritual Advisor, but Sarah truly enjoys being the Spiritual Advisor and helping others, both her fellow Vincentians and Friends in Need, grow in holiness. She organizes breakfasts and plans times for conference members to go to Mass together to grow in friendship and spirituality. She also ensures that her conference members understand the significance of praying before, during, and after a personal encounter, and she tries to help them recognize and meaningfully incorporate prayer into their interactions with our Friends in Need. Lastly, Sarah also organizes fundraisers for her adult conference and teaches other Vincentians the “how-to” when asking for money or donations.
Sarah’s life of serving others is not just through St. Vincent de Paul; she also works in healthcare, and she encounters many patients who do not understand the ins and outs of medical insurance or medical jargon, so she sees a great need there as well. In that, she expressed, “Being in healthcare, it allows me to first give my love, dedication, and compassion to a lot of our patients who don’t experience that…Being the face of the office, you get to be the face of Christ (to) a lot of the people you meet on a day-to-day basis.”
Lastly, Sarah shared that, growing up, although she did not immediately realize it, her family was often in need and relied on the help and guidance from St. Vincent de Paul members. Because of those experiences, her heart is always ready to serve, be the Face of Christ to others, and relate to those in need when she is serving. “When I was a kid, being around St. Vincent de Paul members who were always the Face of Christ and showing guidance and love through what they did, it made me want to be the same way now as an adult. I think just understanding what they (the Friends in Need) are going through and dealing with, I can be that light.”
Sarah’s unwavering dedication to service and spiritual growth continues to inspire everyone around her. Her example encourages us all to look for ways to serve others with the same compassion, humility, and zeal she demonstrates every day.
Zach Macera is a young Vincentian from Virginia Beach, Virginia. His Vincentian journey began at thirteen, and now, four years later, as a senior in high school, he continues to serve as the Vice-President of the Youth Conference at his parish. He was the first President of the young Vincentian Conference, where he helped coordinate and plan service projects. While still very much involved in planning and organizing, his zeal for serving others is evident and certainly has a positive impact on his community. Zach explained why St. Vincent de Paul is so essential in his life, “I like the community, and I think it is a great way for us to help others. Our leader, Nancy, I really like her as a mentor, so it is just a great community and culture.”
In addition to his leadership within the Vincentian community, Zach’s commitment is further demonstrated through hands-on service. The service projects he has helped organize and plan include staffing the soup kitchen, which the young Vincentians serve once a month on a Saturday, and helping clean the Hope for Life vans once or twice a year. Most recently, he helped coordinate a service project called “Stuff the Truck,” a clothing drive for those in need.
Understanding the importance of serving others, Zach expressed how he sees Jesus in those he serves, “I think especially at the soup kitchen because we actually get to interact with people who directly need us, you can just see the state that other people of the community are in that you usually don’t see everyday, and I think it is really cool to see and understand those are God’s children, too.” Zach also mentioned the significance of having a conversation with those his Conference serves and how valuable it is to sit with them and listen to or play with the kids at the soup kitchen. Zach’s thoughtful actions build a community of welcome, allowing those he serves to feel loved, seen, and dignified.
Not only is Zach very involved with the service aspect of St. Vincent de Paul, he also focuses on the essential element of spirituality. He is the football captain at his local high school and always emphasizes the significance of prayer and Catholic culture within the team. He also mentioned getting involved in college and staying connected to St. Vincent de Paul by joining the Adult Conference at his parish and potentially starting a Youth Conference at his university.
Zach’s servant-leader heart is evident, and his desire to serve others is a beautiful witness to our Christian calling to seek and find the forgotten. His calm and quiet yet organized and humble demeanor inspires action, and his future endeavors will certainly bring the light of Christ to those he meets.
Alex Moynihan is a 17-year-old Vincentian from Redmond, Washington. She is the founder of the beginnings of a Youth Conference at St. Jude’s in Washington. With her father being a Vincentian, Alex was invited by her father to a training for St. Vincent de Paul and was inspired to begin making her own impact. The spirituality of the personal encounter captivated Alex and was one of the many reasons she wanted to become a Vincentian. However, she noticed one thing about her Conference life–there were no other youth or young adults at the table. This observation led her to recruit and reach out to many of her peers, inviting them to join the mission of St. Vincent de Paul. She explained, “I love getting my friends involved whether they are from my church or not. I think it’s a great opportunity for them to really make meaningful change.”
Alex’s desire to bring in other young people is inspiring. She currently acts as the liaison or a bridge of sorts between youth and young adults and the adult conference at the Parish of St. Jude. Just recently, she led a group of young people in organizing and cleaning the storage room where all of the donations and materials for the SVdP conference are stored. She shared that it had not been cleaned in over 25 years, so it needed new organization and clean-up. This effort not only made the space safer and more efficient for all volunteers, but also allowed the conference to better serve families seeking support, making it easier to distribute items quickly and with dignity. She also collected children’s clothing and household items for neighbors in need. Alex explained, “I created a little area for teens’ clothes, kids’ clothes, toys, shoes, whatever kids want.” She recognized a need for kids’ and teens’ clothes and wanted to make an impact. As a result, more families were able to find the items they needed, and the community experienced a greater sense of care and connection through these organized efforts.
Along with these service projects, she and the other youth work behind the scenes, creating and providing thank-yous for donors. She and a few other youth wrote over ninety cards, which helped the adult conference reach all the donors promptly. She also expressed that she sees the need for human connection. While the financial help is needed, the connection and relationship with our neighbors is essential.
Alex’s devotion to making a change in her community is evident. Not only is she a Vincentian, but she also helps as a teacher for her church’s Vacation Bible School, helps with parish-wide food drives, and serves as an usher at Mass. She understands the importance of leading with love and sharing her faith with others. She explained, “I know this is what we are called to do, and it is a fundamental obligation to help those in need. I mean it is just following in Jesus’s footsteps, and you’re helping people the way Jesus would.”
Alex’s commitment to serving others is truly commendable. Her selfless actions and dedication set a powerful example for her peers and demonstrate the profound impact one person can have on a community.
For my university-level English 102 class, we dove into the concepts of community, the impact community has on the world, and how community looks very different than it did before media or any sort of technology. We analyzed concepts like social connection and isolation and how we see this taking place in our own lives. After this, we ended our term with an essay about community by selecting a community we are a part of, identifying a problem, and presenting a solution or call to action to address this problem. With this in mind, I selected something I know very well—St. Vincent de Paul and something called intergenerational leadership. It was written for academic purposes, so yes, it had a word requirement and certain sources I needed to include, meaning this is quite a lengthy essay, but I hope you find some sort of value in it. I have changed the formatting slightly, making it a little less formal and hopefully a quicker read if needed, but the content remains the same. Anyway, if you wish, scroll to read the essay.
Warmest Regards,
Zoie, ELT Vice-President
When one thinks of community, an image of people may come to mind, a group of people who believe the same things and have the same values and morals. While this is true, there are also communities struggling, some who are barely breathing and are in desperate need of revival or some sort of spark, and even more so, people to carry on the legacy of that community. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a 193-year-old Catholic nonprofit that began in Paris, France, by a group of university-aged students led by a man named Frédéric Ozanam, who is in the process of becoming a Saint recognized by the Catholic Church. This non-profit has spread to 150 other countries, including the United States, and has been functioning for 180 years since the first meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1845. It currently has over 80,000 members and is operating in all 50 states (n.d.). St. Vincent de Paul is a nonprofit that helps with a wide range of needs to individuals and families in need, including rent and utility assistance, food assistance, diapers and formula, pharmaceutical needs, and re-entry programs. Really, no act of charity is foreign to the Society, meaning if there is a way to help an individual or family in need, members of St. Vincent de Paul, known as Vincentians, will do their absolute best to serve their communities.
So, where does St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) fit within the community, and how is it applicable to this concept? Well, if one were to look at the demographics of SVdP, one would conclude that many members are retired and at least 60 years old, and that youth and young adults are far and few between, especially given that SVdP has over 80,000 members. SVdP, once started by university-aged students, is now primarily composed of senior members, meaning membership and, eventually, the overall impact of SVdP will dwindle. While many senior members are open to youth and young adult involvement, there is a need for a spark or a mindset shift. Without the intention to change and improve this community of friends growing in spirituality while serving those in their communities, there will be even more isolation, disconnection, and burnout amongst members. Therefore, something called intergenerational collaboration, and a co-designer mentality will need to transpire and be learned by current and future members.
First, a little background on the topic. My involvement with SVdP began when I was five years old and has been a part of my life ever since. I grew up around Vincentians of all ages, and many of them are like extended family. I won the Young Vincentian Excellence Award in 2024 and am now honored to be the vice-president of the SVdP USA YYAEL Committee, Emerging Leaders Team. With these experiences, I learned how to serve others and the importance of intergenerational collaboration: “Youth-adult partnerships are transformative collaborations that go far beyond traditional mentorship. These partnerships create environments where young people are seen as capable, creative, and critical contributors to solving community problems,” (Bascom & Sullivan, 2024). Without the guidance of senior members, certain best practices and wisdom would be lost, but at the same time, younger members look with fresh eyes and help maintain a youthful spirit.
At St. Vincent de Paul, volunteers are told to focus on the relationship with those they serve, and this is true for young members as well as for how to encourage and implement intergenerational collaboration. When one thinks about it, there are many opportunities for mentorship and growth on both ends—the senior members and the youth members. Because the nonprofit has servant-leadership roles, there are numerous opportunities for mentorship. Additionally, since many of the members are retired, they have had career experience and are resources for young members in that regard as well. According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office (2023), “Members of these connected communities are more likely to recommend job and educational opportunities to one another, collaborate on ideas for innovation, build partnerships for local businesses, and directly advance economic progress in their communities.” Thus, building connections across all age groups provides opportunities for career knowledge and experience to be shared, allowing intergenerational collaboration to take root.
To make these collaborations tangible, senior and youth members can co-lead projects, such as organizing food drives or community events, allowing each generation to contribute their distinct strengths. Skill-sharing at meetings and service projects can be established in which senior members teach practical skills about serving others and certain community resources or share their professional experiences, while younger members introduce new approaches to outreach or community needs. Pairing senior and youth members in mentorship teams, with the opportunity for reverse mentorship, ensures learning flows both ways. Joint service projects that allow senior members to experience the helpful energy of youth and young adults and build a sense of coming together can make a real difference in the lives of those served, while also building understanding and respect within the nonprofit.
According to Volpe (2022), “As social creatures, humans need interpersonal contact to survive. These connections range from your inner circle of family and close friends to the outer rungs of your social network — other pet parents at the dog park, for example — and it’s important to have this variety. ‘To try and count on one person to fill all of your emotional and psychological needs is not a good thing,’ says Gillian Sandstrom, a senior lecturer in the psychology of kindness at the University of Sussex. ‘There’s research showing that you thrive more when you have lots of people to fill up various emotional needs.’ Becoming a member of communities helps build this social diversity” (par. 2). When both senior and young members work together in these intentional ways, they can envision and initiate collaboration that is truly intergenerational and create a more diverse and welcoming culture.
Additionally, serving others and giving back are ways to minimize disconnection and grow relationships. This is central to the mission of St. Vincent de Paul, which brings people together to serve those in need and grow in friendship along the way. For example, SVdP service projects, such as organizing local food drives, filling care packages for families facing hardship, and visiting neighbors in their homes, have offered real opportunities for members of all ages to connect not only with those they help, but also with each other. Through these shared experiences of service, members strengthen their sense of community and understanding. It allows them to see others as humans and grow more deeply in harmony with one another. When one begins to recognize the needs of others rather than just their own, one can expand their realities and see beyond themselves, allowing them to branch out and explore the unknown. Khan (2019) has a point in saying, “This lack of connection to those who are truly in our community means that people are no longer humanized. You can never humanize a person on the internet like you can your next-door neighbor” (par. 3). Serving others is just one way to build relationships and build fruitful communities.
Finally, to start fostering intergenerational collaboration within SVdP, members should consider several practical next steps. First, one can initiate mentorship pairings that match senior and younger members, enabling two-way learning and support on specific projects or regular activities like the monthly meetings. Second, it would be a good idea to organize idea-sharing sessions during meetings or events, where members of all ages come together to brainstorm solutions and share perspectives on the non-profit’s current challenges. Changing the mindset from a “yes, but” to a “yes, and” will encourage further ideas rather than shutting down young members with the negative spin of “yes, but” in replies. Finally, to encourage a co-designer mentality when doing service projects, intentionally forming teams that include both senior and youth members, is beneficial as everyone can take on meaningful roles and benefit from that shared experience.
By taking these immediate actions, SVdP can begin to revitalize its legacy and ensure its community remains vibrant and connected across generations. Members of all ages must be intentional and flexible in this process to effective intergeneration collaboration and embodying the co-designer mentality. To end with one word of encouragement from the Surgeon General’s Office (2023):
Each of us can start now, in our own lives, by strengthening our connections and relationships. Our individual relationships are an untapped resource—a source of healing hiding in plain sight. They can help us live healthier, more productive, and more fulfilled lives. Answer that phone call from a friend. Make time to share a meal. Listen without the distraction of your phone. Perform an act of service. Express yourself authentically. The keys to human connection are simple, but extraordinarily powerful. (p. 5)
Simple actions of inclusion and having a mindset of intergenerational collaboration allow for multiple generations of outlooks to unite and create something innovative while still allowing the wisdom of those with experience and those who are energized to come together and flourish, building something that respects and values both perspectives.
