April: National volunteer month

MOVE program continues to give back

Amelia Tierney | Staff Writer | atierney2@mail.smcvt.edu

MOVE, created in the spring of 1988 by Rev. Michael Cronogue, first originated in the basement of the Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel, where a strong focus on service and justice was evident. “There was a call across the nation for people to show up through service and civic engagement, and Fr. Mike was just really in tune to what was happening,” said Lara Scott, the associate director of Campus Ministry for Community Service. “So we received a grant in order to fund it and decided that spring that we were going to formally begin.” Since then, MOVE has grown immensely, with eight service trips happening every year in different parts of the country, to more locally based community partnerships that happen frequently. The office is now located on the first floor of Alliot, where they welcome students into their space. 

     Juntes is a bigger program within MOVE that Migrant Justice and MOVE collaborated on to create a partnership to educate students on migrant farm work in Vermont. Migrant Justice is an organization based in Vermont that also reaches neighboring states. It fights for human rights and economic justice for the immigrant farm work communities in hopes of creating change. Juntes was started more than 10 years ago and was initially a student’s idea because they felt very passionate about the topic. Students have started many programs within MOVE, and it is encouraged that if you have ideas, then make sure to tell the MOVE team.  

     Student volunteers protest and show their solidarity for migrant workers in the farm industry and fight for them to have better working conditions and more livable wages. Students will show up at local Hannaford’s and protest for Hannaford’s support of dairy farm workers. Students will also make phone calls to Hannaford to let them know the importance of supporting these farm workers. “That particular program, Migrant Justice, is just a phenomenal organization in this community,” said Scott. “And there is immense need for the community of migrant workers to be seen and heard and experience true justice. So I just wish more volunteers would show up there.”  

   MOVE currently has programs involving hands-on work, community building work, and working with children and youth, including four formal youth mentoring programs. The Winooski School District has partnered with MOVE to support three youth mentoring programs. The fourth is partnered with a non-profit organization, Dream, which focuses on children who live in income-based housing communities in Burlington. Currently, MOVE needs volunteers within the mentoring field. More students are needed to match all the youth who want mentoring. Many children want the experience of having someone older to befriend, but there just are not enough St. Michael’s students to meet that need. Students can sign up through MOVE to become mentors for these young kids, spending two to three hours a week with them on campus and in the dining hall.  

     Sophie Burt, ’26, is a mentor for Middle School Mentors, one of the youth programs that focuses on providing a positive environment for middle school girls, and she can see how important it is for kids to get support through mentors because that may be the only place they get any. “They may not have a good home life but when they come to programming they are able to be a kid and have fun,” said Burt. “We are so privileged to live on such a nice campus, but in the next town over many families are living in poverty so we have to recognize that and put in the effort to help in any way we can.”  

     The Food, Environment, Education, and Dignity program (FEED) is another ongoing MOVE program. In this program, MOVE works with Age Well, an organization that helps the older citizens in Vermont and works to decrease food insecurity. Student volunteers get groceries for the elders in the community who are not able to get groceries themselves. The goal is to make sure that they are staying healthy and getting the nutrition they need.  

     “FEED recently started doing friendly visiting too, because one of the biggest problems that elderly face when they’re homebound is social isolation,” said Ryan Hay, ’19, the assistant director of MOVE. “So we have groups that will go and play cards with an individual or, just like, talk with them for, you know, an hour and that’s a form of service that FEED does.”  

     On a broader scale, Scott said she wants to see more students involved and participating because that is what MOVE is there for. “The original intention of MOVE was to cast as far a net as possible at St. Michael’s College for as many people to be engaged in service and justice work as possible,” Scott said.  

     Vicky Castillo, the other assistant director of MOVE, said she encourages students to get out of their comfort zones and try something new. “It is not a huge commitment, and you can always bring a friend. You might be surprised by what you find through the experience, and with many of our local programs, students can often sign up like once, or they can show up every week, so even if you just try once, you might find something new that you like to do,” Castillo said.  

     You can get involved with MOVE in different ways. The MOVE bulletin board that hangs outside their office has been a staple of MOVE and how students sign up for programs. It is easily accessible for students who are walking by their office and can then read about what is available that current week to get involved in. There are MOVE social media accounts, like Instagram and Facebook, to inform students and other audiences. Posts are frequently published by the MOVE’s social media coordinator. The MOVE team is always willing to listen to students’ ideas and suggestions as well as how they could continue getting the word out that they are here to be utilized on campus.