Our roots in Ignatian Spirituality remind us that according to Corinthians 12:26: "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together." How might we band together to support you and to honor you?
We have staff and Local Formation Team (LFT) members on the ground in Texas and have been checking in with volunteers often and as further advisories become available. According to reports, Texas's electrical network is being overworked due to folks using their heat, resulting in the state trying to conserve power. We hold a special place in our hearts and prayers for all those clients our Agency Partners serve who are particularly impacted right now.
We would also like to give you a quick update on the status of our Texas-based JVs located in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, which we have included below:
In-City Coordinator and FJV Lauren Kalbfell (Tucson 2012-13) and Area Manager Ben DeGarmo have communicated with Hannah, James, Katie, Elly, Leanne, and Nate, the Casa Pier Giorgio Frassati volunteers located in Austin, TX. They still have both power and water "at 100%," and they are in good spirits. They had some tree damage in their yard from the ice's weight, but everyone is safe. Due to the current conditions, only one JV is still working; the rest are off for the rest of the week.
As for Annie, Laura, Miles, Brooke, and Hattie at Casa Rutilio Grande, located in Houston, TX, the volunteers are experiencing rolling power outages at their house. They also have low water pressure but have been keeping warm. All of their placements do not have power, and 4 of them have been off this week.
Anna, Lane, Joanne, Emily, Ally, Yara, and Sarah at Casa Guadalupe in San Antonio, TX, are also experiencing rolling power outages and low water pressure. They continue to periodically lose power and are also under a boil water notice as water pressure continues to be low from overuse to keep the pipes from freezing.
We will continue to update you if there are any changes. We are continuing to stay abreast of conditions in case further contingency plans become necessary. We are truly blessed to have such a strong network of JVC friends and family. We ask that you keep all those impacted right now in your prayers as well.
Below our signatures, we have included a prayer that we invite you to pray together with us across time zones at 6 PM ET this evening.
Sincerely,
Director of Programs
Laura Strubeck
(Syracuse 2008-09; San Diego 2009-10)
Area Manager Ben DeGarmo
Area Manager Katie Dorner
(Los Angeles 2013-14)
