Our New YASC Volunteer

Our only regret about receiving people from the Young Adult Service Corps in the Episcopal Church in the United States is that we have to say goodbye to them after a year of their time volunteering with us. It is amazing how we can develop a deep fondness for these young people who come and offer their time and energy to our work in such a brief period of time. The time goes fast both for us and for the volunteers. This past July, we said goodbye to Travis Shields who has now returned to Texas, his home state, and will be applying for medical school for the following year in universities there.

But without much delay, we also had the great privilege to welcome another volunteer who comes in Travis' place. Stephen Smith arrived just at the beginning of August and is continuing the work in the Holy Cross School as well as tutoring some of our young people with homework help and other needs. He will also serve as mentor for our young intern, Bongisani Soxujwa, whose work in the school is part of his practicum in a course run by the Centre for Social Development at Rhodes University.

Stephen, from San Francisco, comes to us with extensive experience working with young people and children. Before he joined the Young Adult Service Corps, he was a Youth Minister in St. Stephen's Church in Belvedere, California, for over a year and also worked as a Project Assistant in a HALP (Hyperactivity Attention Learning Problems) Clinic at the University of California in Davis where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in History. He was also a Family Support Counsellor and even an Athletic Director for four summers at a camp for children in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. So we're sure he will be able to handle most things that come his way here. His background is wide and varied.

His dedication is obvious in the way that he relates to our children, and he is always open to new experiences and learning new things. As he says himself, "I'm very excited to assist in the wonderful work the Holy Cross community is doing for the children and families who live outside of Grahamstown. It is a pleasure to be here!" We're glad to have him be a part of our Holy Cross community as well.

   
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