New club ‘I Thirst’ ministers to the poor and emotionally vulnerable
This year, University of Dallas students have a new opportunity to serve the needy and vulnerable in the broader Irving community. The student-run service club ‘I Thirst,’ started by juniors Violeta Marovic and Mary Meziere, and senior Clare Safranek, offers students the chance to serve the emotionally vulnerable, especially those confined to nursing homes who often don’t have anyone to visit them.
“Our main thing is that we want to have consistency with the people there, so they really get to build relationships,” said Marovic.
The idea for the club began when Marovic, Meziere and Safranek went on a mission trip to Calcutta, India, through Project Finding Calcutta, a non-profit charity organization in Dallas. Marovic said, “We all went to Calcutta together and it was such an amazing trip for us. And then Anand, who’s in charge of Project Finding Calcutta, gave us the idea to start a club here on campus, and especially get all the students involved.”
The club brings the missionary spirit of Mother Teresa and her emphasis on the poorest of the poor and emotionally suffering to Irving. Marovic said, “Mother Teresa always said to find your own Calcutta, wherever you are.”
The club’s name ‘I Thirst’ comes from one of the last sayings of Christ on the cross in the gospel. Marovic said, “It’s His thirst for all of us, and we want to bring the light of Christ to every person we encounter, and see Christ in them and help them see Christ in us through our love, even if they’re not Christian.”
When asked about how the club has affected its members, Marovic said, “every encounter with each person is really impactful, hearing their stories. We had this one man, Bert, who has cancer and is in pain and after talking to him we asked if he would like to pray with us and he started praying with so much hope and gratefulness to God, even though he had so much suffering.”
Marovic talked about the benefits of serving the needy as a group, saying, “you learn from everyone else that you’re volunteering with, like how to respond to things, and because some people are better about noticing certain needs of the people there, you learn how to love the people you’re serving better through the people you’re serving with.”
Marovic then said that people don’t have to be in the club to participate in service. She said, “we have a GroupMe where we’ll say if we’re going to go do service somewhere, but anyone can come with us all the time.”
The club’s main activity right now is visiting nursing homes on Thursday afternoons from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. Marovic said that in addition to these visits, the club will soon begin doing other missions throughout the week, including service to the local homeless. Those interested in participating in the missions can get in contact with any of the club’s leaders.
Participating in ‘I Thirst’ is an excellent way that UD students can get involved with the local community in serving the most vulnerable in Irving. The club provides a group that one can learn with in helping the poorest of the poor and joins Mother Teresa in the call for everyone to find their own Calcutta, wherever they are.