MC_2007_Spring_30
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6:24 PM
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At Home with the
Homeless
When Caitlin Harr Reilly ’05 graduated from Manhattan and chose the unconventional path of interning at Jan Hus Church and Neighborhood House in New York City, she knew it was exactly what she needed to do. “I wanted to spend at least some time directly applying the skills I gained in college to helping people,” Reilly says. As a social justice intern for two and one-half years, Reilly juggled a number of tasks, most of which involved direct contact with poor and homeless people in New York City. Her daily routine ranged from counseling clients through everyday emergencies to planning and implementing activities and events. She coordinated the church’s Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program (HOAP), helping to run its weekly dinner program, and organized food and toiletry drives in conjunction with the International Preschool program. Reilly also assisted with grant writing, edited HOAP’s newsletter and worked on writing and art workshops. As curator of the church’s art gallery, she helped plan the May 2007 Circle of Arts event, an exhibit and sale of art by homeless people and their supporters. “It’s a lifestyle kind of job,” Reilly says, acknowledging that as a full-time intern she lived in church housing, attended Mass regularly and participated in the requisite volunteer and committee work. For food and personal necessities, she received a small, biweekly stipend. For someone as determined as Reilly, the path to Jan Hus was not always clear cut. When she entered Manhattan, she was a biology major, but that changed after Sept. 11. Media coverage of the Sept. 11 attacks intrigued Reilly, who says she wanted to understand the reactions of people around the world and the events unfolding around her. She began studying government and religion and recalls memorable classes, including Jesus with Dr. Donald Gray, professor of religious studies, and Global Issues Seminar with Dr. Pamela Chasek, associate professor of government and director of the international studies program. “I had so many classes that affected me,” says Reilly, who earned a B.A. in religious studies with a minor in peace studies. “I had professors who really taught me a lot, and I’m grateful for that.” At Manhattan, Reilly joined the community service-oriented Alpha Upsilon Pi during her junior and senior years. For the local sorority, she organized events, such as the People Auction, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
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Caitlin Harr Reilly ’05
Although Reilly chose her career path of her own volition, she says social justice work runs in the family. The daughter of community organizers, Reilly says her parents have always served as role models. Her father, John Reilly ’75, is executive director of the nonprofit Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, and her mother, Lois Harr, is an adjunct instructor in religious studies at Manhattan College and directs the campus ministry and social action office. “Growing up in a household with two community organizers led me to believe that individual people and groups of people are the ones who can change the world,” she says. “You don’t have to be the president or the pope. In your own little community, you can have a big effect.” Undeterred by change, Reilly continues to follow in her parents’ footsteps. In March, she accepted a new job at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a larger organization that provides emergency relief services around the world and protects human rights. She will take on a more administrative position as the customer service coordinator in IRC’s New York office. The move will be a homecoming of sorts, as she also will return to live in the Bronx. “At Jan Hus, I worked very locally with the homeless in my own backyard,” says Reilly, who feels the variety of tasks she handled there have prepared her for new challenges. “It was a really good first job for me, but it was time for a change. In the future, I would like to get into events-based fundraising for nonprofits.” And that’s exactly where she hopes her new position at the IRC will lead. Never a stranger to change, Reilly’s versatility should serve her well in her next endeavor.