Our History
70 Years of Impact
For nearly 70 years, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps has been a leading institution in the service landscape.
We are one of the oldest and largest full-time volunteer programs in the world, with a legacy of over 12,500 alumni who have continued to live out the values and mission of JVC well beyond their volunteer experience.
Our roots are in the Copper Valley of Alaska in 1956, where a small group of college students helped to build a school for the native population and stayed on to teach and support the community. In the years since, Jesuit Volunteers have served in over 200 cities across the United States and around the world.
Today’s JVC brings a deep history and timeless mission into conversation with the urgent needs of our current moment. We are excited to celebrate 70 years of putting our values into action! Stay tuned as we get this page ready to host an archive of JVC stories from across the years.
Do you have a story, photograph, or other memory to share?
Contribute to the JVC Archives!Early Beginnings
A handful of college students arrive in Alaska’s Copper Valley at the request of the Sisters of Saint Anne and the Oregon Province of Jesuits. These first Jesuit Volunteers helped to build the Copper Valley School and stayed on to teach and support the Native Alaskan population.
Expanding the Model
Six regional organizations develop to bring the model of passionate young people engaging in vital service to the East, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, South, Southwest and abroad. The Jesuit Volunteer Corps model proves successful, providing thousands of agencies at the front lines of social justice with crucial assistance via highly-skilled and enthusiastic volunteers.
Forming Today's Jesuit Volunteer Corps
JVC East, International, Midwest, South, and Southwest merge to become the Jesuit Volunteer Corps that we know today, with headquarters in Baltimore, MD. The Jesuit Volunteer Corps draws on decades of close relationships and institutional knowledge to become a global organization, bringing the same values into conversation with the needs of the times.
Carrying on the Legacy of Service
Since that first community in 1956, over 12,500 Jesuit Volunteers have taken on the world’s most difficult challenges in order to build a more just and hopeful world.
Former Jesuit Volunteers have gone on to do amazing things. FJVs serve the public interest as members of Congress, found and lead organizations at the forefront of social change, heal bodies and minds as medical professionals, advocate for justice as lawyers and judges, and continue to build solidarity in their communities.
Over these 70 years, JVC has created a movement and a way of engaging with the world that is both timeless and urgent.
Screenshot The Work Continues
This year, 108 Jesuit Volunteers will provide vital service in 20 communities across the United States. These volunteers are supported by a dedicated JVC staff, passionate agency partners, and the example of a vibrant community of Former Jesuit Volunteers who have gone before them. JVC remains committed to our mission of engaging young people in service and solidarity with marginalized communities, driven by a faith that promotes justice. We look forward to another 70 years, rooted in the same four values as ever: spirituality, simple living, community, and social justice.
Interested in being part of this history?
We're here to support you as you figure out if JVC is the right choice! Our process is built around relationships and mutual discernment. Connect with us and we can talk through any questions or concerns you have.
Talk to a Team Member
Casey Driscoll
(Baltimore, MD 2022-23)
Recruitment Team