Sister Janice

Janice Vanderneck heads Casa San Jose, a Beechview organization helping Mexican families, many of whom came to escape violence among warring drug cartels in their country.

But it all started in childhood. At 12, Vanderneck soaked up Spanish language classes. And as much as she was growing in love with the Latino culture, she was also enamored of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden who taught her. “I was in love with my Catholicism,” she says. “Sisters seemed to have fun.” While she was working on her Master’s Degree in theology, she went to the Amazon in Brazil. There she offered religious education to people preparing for marriage, or baptizing children. She helped with worship services. Her work included conscientization, educating people to think critically about power structures, oppression and influence, and encouraging political engagement.

And she witnessed dire poverty.

Back in the U.S., Vanderneck worked for decades as a religion teacher and principal at area Catholic elementary schools.

In the classroom, she says, she shared her experiences from Latin America “to tell story about the richness of culture and the dire circumstances of poor.” In 2003, she started work at the Latino Catholic Social Ministry Office at a church in Oakland. “I sure didn’t know a lot about immigration law or anything like that,” she says. “I soon learned. One of the first cases that I started to work on was a mom who came in and told me that she was denied Medical Assistance for her child, who was born here in this country… That set me on a crash course on learning what undocumented immigrants’ life is like and what they’re eligible for and what they’re not eligible for, and advocating. That started me on advocating.” Then the Sisters of St. Joseph asked her to start Casa San Jose.

Read the rest at www.storyburgh.org .
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#storyburgh #advocate
#Pittsburgh #catholic
#immigration #immigrants
#spanish #mesoamerica #theology #oakland #beechwood #undocumented #education #classroom #oakland #politics #oppression #religion

Wonder Writers from the Heights
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"There is a writer in everybody, but not everyone chooses to be a writer" Rochelle Preston, 56, a committed member of the Women's Writing Group of Northview Heights explained. Preston has been a lifelong resident of Northview Heights and is described as being someone who "plugs into anything that's positive in this community" by a fellow Writing Group member. Preston explains that it was not until Hudson walked into her life that she was able to fully choose to be a writer and nourish her talents. Now Preston is on her way to publishing her first collection of poems through the Women's Writing Group of Northview Heights. Upon reflection of the impact of writing upon her life, Preston encourages, "if writing is one of your passions, get out there, go through prompts, make collages and write the story. It's interesting because it is your story to tell." Read the rest at www.storyburgh.org
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#pgh #pittsburgh #pennsylvania #pitt #storyburgh #northviewhieghts #writers #women #inspiration #poetry #stories #passion #community #engagement #nourish #tellyourstory #writtenword #spokenword #book #poetry #published #writersofinstagram #art #communityarts #folkart

"On Friday, December 21, we are walking on this #longestnight of the year to remember those who were #homeless and died in the #alleghenycounty this year, and to commit ourselves to ending #homelessness "

Despite rainy and cold winter weather in #Pittsburgh on that day, many attended the "Downtown Walk and Homeless Memorial Vigil"; some of them were photographed here:
Sr. Irene Ellis #catholiccharities , Aimee Plowman #412youthzone #auberle , Peter Harvey #acdhs , Dave Lettrich #bridgetothemountains , Sharon Sumansky @pghmercy , Michelle Helba @deptvetaffairs , Rising Voices Youth Choir #rvychoir, Rev. Michael Wurschmidt #shepheartpgh

The last photo shows the six people who died on the street in Allegheny County in 2018

@onedayawaypgh @alliespgh #onedayawaypgh

Loving a “24-hour” Child

When you’re five, your day is full of transitions: it’s time to get out of bed, change your clothes, brush your teeth, use the bathroom, eat your breakfast.

For Jamal, a 5-year-old boy with Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder, transitions provide more of an obstacle him and his grandparents, who are raising him.
George and Susanna gave up retirement and ministries to guide Jamal through the transitions in therapy, education, and daily life. Recently, Shacoya Bates from Every Child, Inc. joined the process, validating Susanna’s wear- and wariness. Having a child with any kind of special need is an exhausting experience. But someone like Shacoya is there to hopefully help make that exhaustion a little less overwhelming.
Untraveled avenues that Shacoya finds, such as new therapies or ways to help Jamal stay at a healthy weight, are welcome bits of information; they’ll try anything. “He’s not merchandise,” George says. “You can’t just get over him or give up on him. He’s our grandson.”
Read the rest at www.storyburgh.org .
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#storyburgh #pittsburgh #children #fostercare #grandson #kids #health #wellness #mentalhealth #specialneeds #parents #grandparents #everychildinc #therapy #education #family #love #autism

Train Like A Champion
“Boxing is like a bug,” John James told me. “You either love it or hate it. If you love it, it never lets you go.” James, a former champion amateur boxer (Pittsburgh Golden Gloves, 1994, 165 lbs), now serves Pittsburgh as a volunteer trainer for Steel City Boxing. The gym, located in Spring Hill, is a decommissioned firehouse. While it’s open to the public, most of its members are young adult men.
Bob Sobocinski, president of the Spring Hill Civic League and the president of the gym, views the gym as a source of cohesion and civic pride. He hopes it can restore social unity in Spring Hill. “I’d like to see the neighborhood like it used to be,” Sobocinski said. “There used to be groups like Little League that don’t exist anymore.” Read the rest at www.storyburgh.org .
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#boxing #storyburgh #Pittsburgh #northside #springhill #springhillcivicleague #pittsburghgoldengloves #champion #train #gym #community #neighborhood #steelcityboxing #amateurboxing #amateurboxingassociation #volunteer #spirit #postive #service #youngpeople #youth

"One Man's Search for Acceptance"
Often, hands can express emotion the same as any smile or any frown. For Michael Lu, an Anhui Province, China native and a Pittsburgh resident it is only through his hands that our readers can glimpse a sense of Lu. Lu, sat down with intern @ctony0114 to talk about his lived experiences of being a gay Chinese man in America. While Lu has come out to many members of his family and friends, the taboo against the LGBTQ+ community that still permeates both America and China caused Lu a level of apprehension when confronted with the idea of having his face shown to the public. Lu explained that "In China, we don't come out to our coworkers, mainly due to fear of alienation and mistrust. So, I just don't feel obligated to come out to my colleagues here." Lu's story is one of happiness, love, loss, the search for place, and the creation and solidarity of family. Take a few minutes to celebrate the diversity and acceptance of Pittsburgh by learning about one resident's life here in the Steel City! Read the rest @storyburgh.org
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#pittsburgh #pitt #pennsylvania #steelcity #squirrelhill #lgbtq #pgh #china #immigration #lgbtqrights #love #comingout #closet #man #acceptance #diversity #wedding #gay #family #hands #queer #queerrights #work #coworkers #stigma #fear

Wonder Writers from the Heights •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Hudson Rush, a local Pittsburgh artist, took leadership of the Women's Writing Group of Northview Heights in August 2015. The group is dedicated to creating a safe place in which women in the community can write and share their lived experiences. Rush has worked with the group for two years. In that time she has helped the women have their voices heard in public readings at the City of Asylum, Newkirsh, and in various community days. Now Rush and the participants are working on a documentary chronicling their work with the help of the Sprout Fund and are hoping to have their writings published in the coming year. Rush views the group as a democracy in which voices are given a place to be heard and inner strength brought to the forefront.
Read the rest at www.storyburgh.org .
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#pgh #pitt#pittsburgh #pennsylvania #northviewhieghts #women #writers #womenwriters #poetry #art #CityofAsylum #Newkirsh #stories #share #community #sprountfund #documentary #voices #published #usa #books #writersofinstagram #writers #writing #spokenword #communityarts

In This House There Isn't Chaos
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To say the least, Tracy has a lot going on. When Shacoya Bates from Every child, Inc. arrives for a visit Tracy has almost everything ready at her dining room table: a stack of paperwork, her planner, notes about the forms. Her 13 year old granddaughter, Anya, has just called to say she'll be staying after school for homework club.
A few years ago, Anya was living in a car under a bridge with her mother and brothers. Anya's mother, and Tracy's former daughter in law, struggles with addiction and mental health problems. Eventually Anya went to go live with her grandmother, Tracy. While they have a happy home there is still much work to be done in helping Anya work through the guilt of being the sibling who got out and her own personal struggles with PTSD from her childhood. This is where Bates, from Every Child Inc. comes in, she helps Tracy find outlets for Anya to work through her past and checks in how Anya and Tracy are coping with their new relationship. "You guys are a really good team" Bates says. "We're working on it. As you change from a grandparent to a parent, that's a big adjustment. She's used to being the parent. That doesn't work here." Tracy exaplains. Tracy herself is heavily involved in volunteer activities - advocating for Veterans' Court, mental health awareness classes, and sobriety groups.
Read the rest at storyburgh.org .
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#pgh #pitt #pittsburgh #pennsylvania #storyburgh #Veterans #service #grandparents #parents #children #teens #addiction #mentalhealth #sobriety #awareness #homelessness #PTSD #siblings #family #everychildinc #volunteer #love #usa #school #highschool #homework #rules #team #steelcity