March 4–8, 2024
This year, Poverty Education Week has been renamed Lasallian Social Justice Week (LSJW) to better encapsulate SJC’s Lasallian core principle of “concern for the poor and social justice.” The theme for 2024 was Galatians 2:10 “They only asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” The week included interactive presentations, guest speakers, food and care package assembly, annual mission drive, artwork, student-led lessons on social justice, and more.
Freshmen attended a presentation by LSJW coordinator and religion teacher Stephen Sheridan about Lasallian twinning. Students learned about SJC’s twinned school, the Child Discovery Centre (CDC) in Nakuru, Kenya, and they reviewed the five goals of a Lasallian education: faith in the presence of God, respect for all people, quality education, inclusive community, and concern for the poor and social justice.
Brother Oscar Okoth, FSC, administrator of the CDC, spoke to the students via a pre-recorded video. He shared that through SJC’s 2023 Mission Drive, the Cadets helped the CDC achieve several goals including: paying school fees for all children living at CDC, paying the salaries of the two staff members at CDC, paying for food for the students, initiating an income generating chicken project, and completing the water tank project in the girls’ living quarters. This year, the CDC goals are to build a computer lab and provide computers for students, paint classrooms and buildings, and create a Pads Project for the female students. Throughout the day, peer ministers visited freshman scripture classes to speak about social justice for those groups most marginalized by society.
Daryl Wright and team members from So Others Might Eat (SOME) engaged our sophomores in activities that highlighted the causes of poverty and homelessness in the DC community and explained how SOME meets the immediate daily needs of the people they serve. At lunch, students from all grades assembled 350 snack packs for individuals experiencing homelessness. In the middle of the week, students packed 300 care kits containing toiletries and snacks for Catholic Charities DC, and the community observed a tech fast as an act of solidarity with those who don’t have access to technology.
Juniors heard from Catholic Charities DC representatives during homeroom. They reminded students that more people are in need than are visible and shared various ways people can volunteer with the organization. The most popular Catholic Charities volunteer programs in the SJC community are the student-parent opportunities, such as running a birthday party for a CC client. Don and Nikila from the National Coalition for the Homeless spoke to religion classes about their experiences with homelessness. Both organizations emphasized the importance of seeing the whole person not just the struggles they are experiencing. During lunch periods, an abundance of students volunteered to make sandwiches for Martha’s Table.
Former peer minister and current Catholic University criminology major sophomore Madeline Haverback ’22 and Next Gen Leadership & Engagement Strategist for Bread for the World David Street ’04 returned to SJC to share their experiences of “leaving to serve” with the Class of ’24. Haverback detailed how she is serving the CUA Cardinal community and Street talked about his passion of giving back to his community. During lunch, student volunteers assisted with a FairTrade Caravans jewelry sale to support Lasallian Women of Hope.
Throughout the week, students were engaged serving others and learning about programs that support individuals who suffer from a lack of access, equity, participation, and human rights. “Lasallian Social Justice Week gave me the opportunity to learn about the experience of poverty and injustice all around the world. I really enjoyed the classroom lessons that focused on equity. Having the chance to hear from advocates of the National Coalition of the Homeless was a very moving experience,” said Meghan Morin ’25.
