Training lets sisters help those in poverty

This past spring, six sisters from Notre Dame of Elm Grove volunteered with a ministry. Serve, Empower and Transform (SET) has served the community since 1985. SET’s programming focuses on assisting people living in poverty; building resiliency and relationships that promote family stability; and bringing services to people in need at 36 locations in the metro area.

During the month of May, SET Ministry held events that were one-on-one interviews of public housing residents. Sisters Vonnie De Cleene, Paul-Mary Draxler, Carol Polzyn, Marie Regine Redig and Rosalyce Tinglof attended a training session and served as interviewers at the Mitchell Court residence on Milwaukee’s south side. Sister Rosalyce said, “Asking the residents questions was a wonderful experience. Their answers showed how grateful they are for the help SET gives them.”

Interviews were 10- to 15-minute conversations with adults about what they face regarding life in urban poverty. “What touched me was the freedom of the poor in sharing their lives with a deep humanness and sometimes humor. It changed my perspective,” said Sister Marie Regine.

Survey questions dealt with daily challenges to an individual’s well-being, such as feelings about the neighborhood and community; overall physical and emotional health, such as quality of life; personal strengths, safety, happiness, satisfaction level with SET Ministry’s services; and demographic information.

The survey questions were read aloud and responses were recorded by the volunteers to eliminate literacy issues. Sister Vonnie noted, “I was impressed with the openness of the people of different cultures and the honesty expressed by all the people.”

The recorded responses were entered by Sister Doris Jean LeBrun, the sixth NDEG volunteer. She spent hours inputting survey answers into a web-based management tool. The survey results will help SET evaluate and plan their services to more than 4,000 children and adults.

Learn more about SET Ministry by visiting its website.

Photo courtesy of SET Ministry