Community Service

NDWomen Connect Volunteer Opportunity at Our Lady's Inn

Friday July 9th and Saturday July 10th 
Our Lady's Inn
4223 South Compton
St. Louis, MO 63111
(314) 351-4590

The NDWomen Connect Group has selected Our Lady's Inn as the charity of choice for 2010. On Saturday, July 10 from 11 am - 4 pm, Our Lady's Inn is having a reunion event for the women and their children that have been blessed and changed through their stay at Our Lady's Inn. Our Lady's Inn is a home for homeless, pregnant women and their children where they gain life skills, child rearing skills and the professional assistance needed to escape a life of homelessness for them and their children. The reunion will include a "spa day" for the moms, with volunteer manicurists, massage therapists, hair stylists, etc.

The women will also bring their kids, so there will be activities for the children. If you have any children's books to donate, please contact Laura Villa at 314 605 9298 and she will collect the books to fill a "bookstore" for the children.

Volunteers are needed as follows:

Friday, July 9 - Set Up (there is not a lot of "extra" room at OLI, so the decorations will be throughout the common areas that are used by current women and their children.)

Saturday, July 10

  • Set up
  • Clean Up
  • Security (men on the parking lot and at the entrance to make sure only people who should be there are there)
  • Babysitters for the kids
  • Photographers
  • Children's games and activities
  • Welcoming/registration
  • Runners throughout the day
  • Help with sales at Twice Blessed (the resale shop sponsored by OLI - the ladies will get a 20% off coupon)
  • Thank you's after the event.

Volunteers can commit to helping for 2 hours - they do not need to be there all day.
The food is being donated by Macaroni Grill.

OLI wants the staff to be able to visit and reconnect with the ladies, so they do not want their staff to be busy with "work" on this event.
They are not seeking media attention at the event - they want to respect the privacy of the women there.

Volunteers do not need to attend a meeting, but the OLI director wants all volunteers to take a short tour of OLI at some time before they arrive to volunteer on July 10 - it will be a crazy day and OLI will not have time to show newcomers around.

Also, volunteers need to complete a volunteer form and go through the abuse background check (paid for by OLI).

For more information, please Contact Mary Pat Smith at smithmarypat@gmail.com

 Thank You to Our Rebuilding Together Volunteers!

Photo courtesy of Nick Werner

A very big thank to all of the volunteers who came out on Saturday, May 2, to work on Marie Whitcomb's home, through our partner organization Rebuilding Together. If you've never been to a Rebuilding Together work day, please consider coming next year, it's an experience you will not soon forget!

 Hospital Support Program

We now have in operation a program to provide assistance to members of the Notre Dame family during hospital stays in hospitals away from home. We invite you to become a part of this effort.

The specific elements of the Hospital Support Program are:

  • Emergency Care: Help for individuals who are unexpectedly hospitalized while traveling thru our area.
  • Pre-Planned Care: Support to caregivers and patients who come to a hospital here for surgery or other procedures planned in advance.
  • Long Term Care: Support to caregivers and those who come to local hospitals, assisted-living facilities, nursing homes, et al, for continuing care.

Our current implementation of the Program includes only the Emergency Care program but we are planning to expand to other elements in the future.

Here’s how it works: The club management has a list of club members who have willingly volunteered to provide occasional support in various fields, such as transportation, housing, visitations, medical/professional advice. Those volunteering to be on this list are not committing to any particular situation, but have agreed to be contacted by a club representative when a need arises.

The specific needs:

  • Visit coordinators keep contact with the caregiver/patient, and coordinate the support of other club members as appropriate.
  • Housing providers have room in their homes near hospitals or have access to hotel rooms or other living accommodations.
  • Hospital volunteers spend time with patients during their confinement, sometimes to give caregivers some time off. They may also arrange for, or directly provide, Eucharistic and other church services.
  • Transportation volunteers provide various transportation needs, such as airport pickups.
  • Medical/Professional advisors provide advice when requested.

Are you interested?
If you are interested in volunteering with the Notre Dame Club of St. Louis' new Hospital Ministry Program, please e-mail Lionel Phillips, or call him at (314) 420-9857.


 Recognition for Alvin and Romona Miller 

On Friday, October 16, Alvin and Romona Miller were honored by Commerce Bank
with the bank's 2009 Community Service Award for their extraordinary commitment and efforts to Hope Unlimited.

The Community Service Award is dedicated to recognizing those individuals who with care and compassion, work diligently towards community betterment and the enhancement of the lives of others.

Founded in 1994, Hope Unlimited is a nonprofit ministry that introduces local youth to Jesus Christ and helps them to become successful, productive members of society. The organization currently focuses its efforts on Meacham Park area youth in first through twelfth grades.

In recognition of the Millers volunteer work, the William T. Kemper Foundation-Commerce Bank Trustee and the Commerce Bancshares Foundation issued a grant to Hope Unlimited for general support of the organization's work with school age youth.