From January 24 – 26, over 300 volunteers, staff and Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur came together for the Notre Dame Mission Volunteers (NDMV) MidYear Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. First started by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1992, NDMV participants serve in education, literacy, after-school programs, adult job readiness programs and other community initiatives nationwide.
The event opened with a keynote address by NDMV director Ted Miles, who stressed the importance of this year’s theme, “Unity through Community.” NDMV members had the opportunity to share their service experiences, and Sisters from across the country joined to share their stories with the participants.
Participants and Sisters engaged in four on-site service projects, writing letters to advocate for environmental justice, making crafts for local school and community centers, making Valentine’s Day cards for homebound Sisters or packaging nutritious meals to be sent to communities in need.
Sister Ann Kendrick, SNDdeN was awarded this year's Seeds of Hope award in recognition of her years of service and founding leadership of The Hope CommUnity Center in Apopka, Florida!
Attendees participated in break-out workshops touching on many social justice issues—featured among these, for example, was a workshop on ethical consumerism by Sister Denise Curry, SNDdeN. At the closing ceremony, NDMV Director Ted Miles again reflected on the theme of unity. "Unity is not an abstract ideal," he shared, "but something felt in the grit and grace of daily life."
Thank you, NDMV, for this beautiful weekend of service, community, and hope!
