As part of Felician-Franciscan Heritage Week 2024, Villa Maria’s Campus Ministry Office hosted two speakers on campus. As a current student and a former faculty member, both speakers are engaged members of the College community. During their presentations, they shared the ways in which they’ve lived out the College’s core value of the year, solidarity with people in need,
Senior interior design student Daniella Herman has worked with Agape International Missions (AIM) for three years. Based in Cambodia, AIM focuses rescuing women and children from the country’s rampant human sex trafficking operations.
During the summer of 2024, Daniella traveled to Cambodia for a hands-on experience with AIM.
“Part of my week was spent in Svay Pak, which is a small, poor village outside of the capital of Phnom Phen,” said Herman. “The village is at the bottom of the poverty line. Minimum wage here in the U.S. is $15 an hour. On average, these families are making $2.50 a day. When families can’t care for their kids, they end up on the street, and that’s when they get into gangs, drugs, and get recruited to become [traffickers].”
“In Cambodia, there is no public school system,” continued Herman. “So, if you want your child to go to school, you have to pay for it. Most of these kids don’t have that opportunity. AIM has a school in Svay Pak that enables kids to get an education that wouldn’t have access to otherwise.”
“AIM has provided a Kids Club, which is somewhat of an afterschool program for kids so that they aren’t on the street or going home to a parent who isn’t there,” said Herman. “I experienced the magic of Kids Club, and this is where I spent most of my time in Cambodia. There are games, songs, lessons, crafts, and snack time. Outside of school there is a gym to help keep the boys away from gangs and drugs and from becoming traffickers. They play sports and games, and they learn how to fight in a boxing ring.”
“I am truly blessed to have been able to witness the impact of the organization, concluded Herman. “I can’t imagine not support its efforts in the fight against evil.”
Dr. Kim Kotz, who retired from teaching in the College’s PTA program after 25 years. Dr. Kotz has been involved with Feed My Starving Children.
“Every 15 seconds, a child dies from starvation,” opened Dr. Kotz. “That means in the 20 or so minutes I am going to talk to you today, 80 children will have been lost.”
It is really easy to feel very hopeless and very helpless in the face of a number like that,” said Dr. Kotz. “What am I, as one person, going to do about 6200 children dying every single day? Feed My Starving Children offers a way to help those kids: a Feed My Starving Children Mobile Pack.”
FMSC is a Christan non-profit whose mission is to feed hungry children. On October 24-26, at the Well Buffalo Church in Buffalo, we plan to pack between 150,000-200,000 meals for starving kids. Villa has chosen to come on Friday, October 25 from 1 – 3 PM. We hope that you will join us.”
“One bag will make six cups of food; therefore, it is six meals. A meal is considered one cup and, for many children, that one cup of food may be all they get all day. Volunteers hand pack all these meals. Those meals are shipped to 70 countries all over the world and they are distributed through a network of NGOs and organizations, hospitals, churches, organizations, feeding programs, and schools. Kids are fed, and lives are saved.”
“This food is the basis for kids to go to school, to learn, to change their family, to change their city, to change their country. You can get involved by joining the FMSC Mobile Pack event. FMSC brings everything we need, we bring volunteers to pack the food, and we bring in donations to pay for the meals we pack. We ask you for a two-hour commitment, and it’s a very fun, very packed two-hours. Music playing, tables are competing to see who can pack the most meals. At the end of those two hours, we’ll tell you how many meals you’ve packed, and how many children will eat for an entire year because of what you just did. Because of your efforts, 50 or 60 or 70 or 80 children will eat one meal a day for an entire year. You’ll love knowing that those children will not die that year because of what you did. We’d love to see a huge crew from Villa.”
Volunteers can sign up on the sheets outside of the Campus Ministry office, and transportation will be provided until the College vans are full.
Heritage Week celebrations continue through Thursday, October 10, with the following events:
October 9: Celebration Day – in the Commons at 11:15 AM
Cake and ice cream will be provided to all in celebration of our Felician-Franciscan Heritage. Students will have the chance to spin a prize wheel and play trivia to win prizes.
October 10: Feast of Blessed Mary Angela Prayer Service – the Chapel at 11:15 AM
A brief prayer service will be held in honor of the Feast of Blessed Mary Angela.
For more information about Felician-Franciscan Heritage Days, contact Dr. Don Monnin, Villa Maria’s vice president for mission, at [email protected].
