CAP CORPS VOLUNTEERS

Emily grew up in Mantua, New Jersey alongside her brother, Kenny. From a young age, her parents, Ken and Kathy, instilled in her a love of God and family. It’s also because of them that she enjoys reading, traveling, and cheering on Philadelphia’s sports teams. Raised attending Protestant churches, it wasn’t until college that Emily became a practicing Catholic.

Emily graduated from King’s College in May 2019. During her time there, she was involved in retreats and campus ministry, which lead to an increasing desire to learn more about Catholicism. As she did so, Emily found that it was through the sacraments and the teachings of the Catholic Church that she was indeed able to make faith her own. This past Easter season, Emily was confirmed. Now, she’s incredibly excited to be continuing her faith journey at CYFM.

Hi! My name is Beth D’Alessandro, and I look forward to starting my year as a CCV. I’m from a small town in western Massachusetts about two hours from Garrison, and I absolutely adore the northeast. I hope to settle down in Massachusetts someday. I’m from a huge extended family and have an extraordinary relationship with them as well as my parents and four older brothers. We are super tight knit, and I consider them my number one. I went to Stony Brook University and graduated a year ago with a BA in anthropology. I also minored in Religious Studies and Spanish. I spent a semester abroad in Madrid and learned so much about myself. I was involved in the Newman Club at SBU, and my testimony starts with my mission trip to Kentucky when I was a freshman. Ever since then I knew I wanted to pursue Campus Ministry. My love for service brought me to Philadelphia last year where I worked at a middle school that served under-resourced families. It was an incredible experience, and I had such a close relationship with my students that I wanted to work with young people for another year. CYFM is more up my alley because it revolves around youth ministry so it can prepare me for the future I have in mind. After this year, I hope to attend graduate school and earn an MDiv and MSW so I can pursue both my passions of campus ministry and service through Social Work.

Raised in the small town of Durham, CT, Danielle Drop now lives with her parents, Anne and Dan, in the even smaller town of Mohnton, PA in the heart of Amish country. An only child for a brief two years, Danielle has two younger twin sisters, Jessica and Samantha, who run cross country and track for the University of Georgia. The family wouldn’t be complete without Danielle’s beloved dog, Pepper, an adorable bluetick coonhound mix.

Despite being a long-time parishioner of St. Coleman’s Church in Middlefield, CT, Danielle’s faith did not truly become her own until she became involved with campus ministry at Hofstra University, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Public Relations and minored in

French and Drama. Inspired one October day to attend her first campus mass, Danielle learned about the Newman Club’s upcoming fall retreat. In a (literal) leap of faith, she attended the retreat, and she’s been hooked on Jesus ever since! As a member of the Newman Club, Danielle participated in weekly meetings, various service projects, and mission trips to Camden, NY and Tiger, GA.

After her trip to Camden, Danielle was inspired to serve after graduation, and one of the missionaries informed her about the Catholic Volunteer Network and its year of service programs. She followed this call and, after much research and a heartfelt talk with former CCV Mary Russomanno, she applied to be a Cap Corps Volunteer.

Danielle is the first Cap Corps who, after her graduation at Hofstra, began a hybrid Masters of Arts program at Boston College to study Theology and Ministry. She completed her first six weeks of classes on campus this past summer, and she (very skillfully!) balances one online class a semester during her Cap Corps year. This master’s program also means this CCV will be back for a second year, and she’s excited for the possibilities in store.

Danielle is a proud dog lover, world traveler, amateur artist, and a firm believer in the power of a good cup of (black!) coffee. When she’s not busy leading retreats, doing schoolwork, or running our Instagram account, Danielle can often be found running around Beacon, often in a pair of sneakers, but sometimes with her camera in one hand and an almond milk latte in the other. Her other Cap Corps can attest she never manages to sit still long enough to rest, but when she does, she enjoys watching musicals or reading up on the saints.

“Liz Lococo is thrilled to be serving God in ministry and artistry with the Capuchins. She is a creative Catholic who enjoys making theatre, music, and visual art. Having grown up in the Hudson Valley, she was exposed to many awesome Catholic communities including her childhood parish (St. Peter’s of Kingston,) Camp Veritas, and Catholic Hudson Valley Young Adults. CYFM was a later realization. At SUNY New Paltz, she majored in theatre and became very involved in Catholic Campus Ministry. It was during these years that she was attracted to service and ministry. In January of 2018, she had the opportunity to attend a conference led by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students that changed her life. There she was inspired to pursue a career that would fill not only her creative passions but also benefit the Church and nurture her relationship with God. She began volunteering with St. Joseph’s youth group that spring. There she met Tom Brinkman (Executive Director) who, among many,  recommended that Liz visit CYFM. After attending Family Festiva and seeing the love and faith shared in this community, she knew that she had to share in that. Throughout her senior year of college, in addition to serving her campus ministry as president, she attended many retreats at CYFM. This helped prepare Liz to serve as a CCV this year, also as director for the Acting Camp at Veritas and rector/assistant director for CLASP 2019. Having the ability to honor and praise our Lord in creative ways is an absolute blessing. She could not be more grateful to her family and friends for supporting her in this year of service.”

Alma Vera daughter to Felipe Vera and Alma Montelongo is the third of four sisters. She grew up in a very lively household, which has not stopped growing with the addition of now six nieces and nephews combined between her two older sisters! She was born in Houston, Texas but currently lives in Columbus, Indiana with her parents. Naturally, she loves listening to country music but because of her Mexican background also enjoys the occasional traditional Mexican folk dance.

Alma is currently a student at Marian University in Indianapolis majoring in Health and Human Services with a minor in Psychology. She will be taking a gap year to serve at CYFM. She enjoys taking walks or reading a book any chance she gets. Black coffee with just a little bit of honey if available is her go to each morning.

Alma currently helps with the hispanic youth group at her home parish—St. Bartholomew, but as her responsibilities and involvement grew, she was invited to start thinking more seriously if she was living out the life that God was calling her to.

She first heard about CYFM from the youth minister who currently works at St. B’s. Scotty Biggs is a former CCV himself and motivated Alma to think about what her ministry work meant to her long term. He suggested that she consider spending a year dedicated to serving the Lord in order to allow herself all the growth in ministry, spirituality, and community living that CYFM offers!

Alma will be the first of her sisters to move away so far from home, which makes her a little nervous, but she’s so excited to immerse herself in her work with CYFM and learn as much as she possibly can. She also is reassured in knowing that Mama Mary will be watching over and interceding for her all along the way!