Each year, the Harry Tompson Center recruits one Jesuit Volunteer from the national Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) Program to work with our ministry. JVC is a service organization that collaborates with the Society of Jesus to place volunteers into organizations that focus on serving poor and marginalized communities in the U.S. and abroad. JVs live in intentional communities with other volunteers, sharing the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, and managing finances. Throughout their year of service, JVs participate in Ignatian formation programs such as retreats and guided spiritual reflections to deepen their understanding of Jesuit values. Throughout their service, JVs become more finely attuned to causes of social injustice, more conscious of the needs of underserved communities, and develop a stronger sense of themselves and their faith.  

We are thrilled to welcome Laura Power as our 2020-2021 Jesuit Volunteer. Laura recently graduated from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with minors in Religious Studies and Sociology. Laura is eager to put her education to work in a more hands-on capacity and was inspired to join the JVC after her brother and biggest role model completed his JV year and she saw what a major impact the program had in impacting his worldview and life goals.  

Laura has a deeply rooted passion for working with people who have special needs and intends to pursue a career helping differently-abled individuals develop the life skills they need to be more independent and successful. Laura was drawn to the HTC’s commitment to treat every individual with dignity and respect regardless of their background. She was intrigued by our mission to create a safe space wherein our guests can cultivate a sense of belonging among a community that is often marginalized and invisible.  

Laura reports that in her hometown of Thousand Oaks, California, homelessness is largely treated with ambivalence or even overt disdain, and people often turn a blind eye to those who live on the streets. This has never sat well with Laura or her family. Growing up, the Power family made a regular practice of preparing and distributing meals to those in need. Laura has fond memories of her father encouraging her to always treat people equally, regardless of their means or appearances. She credits her family and her Catholic upbringing for fostering a sense of responsibility to use the privilege she has to improve the lives of those who have less.  

Already, Laura is gaining a world of experience by moving cross-country during a global pandemic. Upon arriving to New Orleans, Laura entered a period of quarantine, allowing her and the six other JVs she lives with to get to know each other very well. Once able to start at our Center, she hit the ground running, quickly learning the ropes for conducting our sunrise shower service and serving up to forty guests per day at our Rebuild Center site. 

Laura is most excited to build one-on-one relationships with our guests.  

“I love that my role here allows me to talk to the people who I would never otherwise have the opportunity to talk to. People who experience homelessness have such interesting stories to tell, and I’m excited to continue to get to know them better throughout my year here.”  

Outside of her work with the HTC, Laura’s interests include journaling, reading, exploring the city, listening to girl-power popstar Lizzo, and being an avid fan of candy, especially sour flavored gummies. Although her new budget doesn’t allow her to indulge her sweet tooth as much as she would like, Laura is grateful that her personal challenges are quite manageable and looks forward to what awaits her in the year ahead.