Will you help the Jesuit Retreat Center help Homeboys, Industries? We are in the middle of Retreats Change Lives, our annual compilation of video stories about the way attending retreats affects lives in a deeply personal way. We complete Retreats Change Lives on #GivingTuesday, our deadline to raise $40,000 that will be used to reduce or forgive fees for the Homeboys and Homegirls retreats.
We are one-third of the way and are asking that you help us get all the way with a gift.
We began our video journey with the Retreats Change Lives Kickoff on November 5. Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., was our speaker. Fr. Greg is the founder of Homeboys. He is a dynamic speaker, sometimes using humor, always direct.
He called the Retreat Center a sacred space. Coming to this sacred space twice a year are the Homeboys and the Homegirls. One of the Homeboys is Jose. An abused child, abandoned by his mother at an orphanage, Jose grew up in addiction, in and out of jail. His life seemed hopeless until he walked into Homeboys, Inc., and experienced love.
“If love is the answer, then community is the context and tenderness is the methodology,” Fr. Greg said. “The Jesuit Retreat Center is a school for tenderness.”
The Retreat Center routinely reduces or forgive fees for Homeboys and besides a loss of income we still have overhead costs. Reaching our #GivingTuesday goal of $40,000 will go a long way to help the Retreat Center cover those costs.
So please help us reach our goal with your gift {Donate Here}. Help the Homeboys and Homegirls attend the Jesuit Retreat Center school of tenderness.
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We want to thank everyone who participated in our Retreats Change Lives Kickoff. Fr. Greg graciously gave us his time during a busy retreat schedule. Our Board Member Paul Venables did a great job as Emcee. Fr. Chi Ngo, S.J., our Executive Director, led in prayer and gave a State of the JRC address and Pooja Jain, the Communications Specialist, spent countless hours organizing our web site and the pre-event details. We had some technical difficulties and Fr. Chi, and Pooja went over and above the call of duty to overcome those challenges. We want to extend our gratitude to Susan L., a retreatant who lent us the use of her phone as a hotspot. And of course, to our virtual and in person guests who agree that Retreats Change Lives.
Dyane Hendricks is the Development Director for the Jesuit Retreat Center. She enjoys working with volunteers and eating cookies.