Time & Treasure at the Border: Ann Sweeney

Ann Sweeney (l.) and another volunteer walk along the border, engaged in conversation about the wall and its varying presence at the border.

In January 2022, the BVM Congregation established a Time & Treasure Program, which encourages employees to contribute time and/or money to charitable organizations that serve the marginalized in our world. Employees may take 40 hours of paid leave annually to volunteer their service to persons/organizations consistent with BVM mission and core values. The congregation will also match up to $1,000 for donations given to organizations that align with the BVM core values. In this article, we highlight an employee that has recently benefited from the program.

Ann Sweeney: Texas Border

BVM Congregational Secretary Ann Sweeney has completed 14 volunteer service trips internationally and in the United States. She says that she “became deliberate about volunteer service” as she  approached age 50. She has served on service programs through Global Volunteers and Habitat for Humanity, including participating in several programs with former President Jimmy Carter. 

In November 2022, Ann joined a service program in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas through Global Volunteers. She started the week wanting to “get a clearer picture of the realities of immigration and the border wall in southeastern Texas.” Ann and eight other volunteers served at the Humanitarian Respite Center operated by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in McAllen, Texas, and  helped distribute food and personal items to asylum seekers. She also served a drive-thru Thanksgiving meal operated by the St. Vincent de Paul Meal Program at St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish  in San Juan and packaged boxes of food necessities at the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley in Pharr to help neighbors in need.

The week ended with “images of beautiful people who risked everything on their journeys in search of safe places for their families to live.” Ann got a first-hand look at the U.S. border wall, the Rio Grande River, and the conditions at the U.S./Mexico border. She witnessed people desperately seeking help and heard personal recounts of their complex stories.

“Listening to the immigrants was powerful,” she says. “Looking at them was seeing the face of God . . . Simple acts of kindness can lift people up and bring hope even in such challenging times.” Ann feels that amidst the complexities of immigration, there is still much work to do to offer humane havens for those entering the United States and each of us can make a difference. “Immigration is an  ongoing ‘push’ and ‘pull’ situation, which is constantly changing. These families I met are not criminals. They are typically two parents with one to two children . . . often toddlers or babies, all with just  the clothes on their backs. Their journeys are arduous, dangerous, and lengthy.”

Reflecting on her first trip utilizing the Time & Treasure program, Ann affirms, “Participation in this volunteer program in Texas supported the BVM congregational stance on immigration reform as the BVM community walked with me at the border. This is a tremendous new benefit to promote lifelong learning through service while exploring other communities and cultures.”

This story was featured in:

SUMMER 2023: Home: Where Love Resides

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