fall 2007 - Seton Hall University

“There’s a joyful presence
when the Seton Hall students
arrive. Beforehand, they all just
sit outside waiting eagerly,
eagerly. And the smiles on
their faces work both ways.”
One muggy evening last spring, a small group of Russian
and Ukrainian adult students gathered for English training
from Camille Chamberlain, the ESL instructor of the
program. Chamberlain can speak Russian — but doesn’t
let her students know. “Once they know that, the whole
conversation devolves into their native tongue,” she
explains with a smile.
Chamberlain, who has taught the course since 1989, has
seen waves of immigrants (Asians, Poles, Middle Easterners
and now Russians) arrive and assimilate. Her volunteer
work “makes me realize how blessed we are in America.
Every class is so meaningful — whether learning about the
kitchen, body parts, job interviews or going to the dentist.
It helps my students come to know America. I think that’s
why the Seton Hall students become so dedicated.”
Two student tutors helping that spring evening were
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senior Kate Sheldon and junior George Mihalik, who were
among eight undergraduates who participated in the ESL
program last year. Mihalik, who emigrated to the U.S. from
Slovakia as a teen — and subsequently managed to attain the
smooth mid-Atlantic diction of a newscaster — intimately
understands the hard work it takes to perfect English
pronunciation. “I appreciate their difficulty,” he says.
Difficulty could equally characterize the work of the
Community of the Franciscan Friars of Renewal (CFR)
project in Newark, another beneficiary of Seton Hall student
volunteerism. “We live in only poor neighborhoods,”
explains Brother Crispin, a Franciscan friar who was born
Jason Rinaldi and who, along with the other brothers,
has helped create a community house in one of Newark’s
distressed sections.
His mission? “To try to restore human dignity and find
the face of Christ in all people,” he says. Since May 1987,
CFR has become rooted in the community by offering a
safe place for gathering as well as material help to anyone
in need. “This is not about being social workers,” he
explains. “Rather, if you say you love somebody, you have
to prove it.”
It’s a good definition of volunteerism.
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