Application Part II

Be sure to go over how to apply before beginning this application. You should have already submitted your contact form and completed a Preliminary Discussion over the phone. Your application consists of five sections:

I. Discernment

II. Resume Upload

III. Essay Upload

IV. References (Employer, Mentor, Peer)

V. Transcript Upload

You may also download the application here to complete and mail a physical copy.

Name
First Middle Last
Email
Phone
I. Your Discernment
While you are at the beginning of the application process, we ask you to start this journey by actually looking ahead to the end of the application process. In order to fully invest yourself in the application process, please begin to consider the statement of commitment that accompanies an invitation into the community. Each member of Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry signs this statement when they agree to commit to the program for a year of service. An example of this statement follows for your careful consideration. Please check below to indicate that you have read the following sample.
Confirmation of Discernment*
Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry
Statement of Commitment

This is to affirm that, having received a letter of acceptance into Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry for the 2021-2022 year of service, I intend to fully participate in all aspects of the program for the period beginning late August/early September and ending July 31st, 2022.

From the people I will serve and my future co-workers to my fellow community members and the staff of Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry, I understand that my decision to commit to the program impacts the lives of many people. For this reason and others, I understand that I was carefully selected to participate in Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry. With this in mind, I have carefully considered my decision to fully participate in Bon Secours
Volunteer Ministry and have determined that:

• Living in an intentional Christian community differs from living with roommates. I am prepared to open myself to community life and to work at building relationships through service both with and to my community members. _______ (initial here)

• My financial obligations as well as my family’s financial obligations will not prevent me from living off, and only off, of the modest monthly BSVM stipend from late August/early September 2021 - July 31, 2022. __________ (initial here)

• I understand that Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry does not receive funding from AmeriCorps, including the AmeriCorps Education Award, and I confirm that I will still be able to fully participate in the program. _______ (initial here)

• I understand that, to correspond with its mission, the Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry residence is located within the neighborhood in which it serves. In this neighborhood most residents face economic injustice and, therefore, live in poverty. I have thoughtfully considered how my move to
inner city Baltimore, MD or Richmond, VA will be a transition for me. I will prepare myself to be flexible to this transition and open to the many opportunities to learn from my new neighbors. ______ (initial here)

• Through safety training at the beginning of the year, Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry will assist me with this transition. I agree to become and remain informed about my personal safety as well as the safety of my community and I agree to take personal responsibility for my safety as well as the safety of the community. ___________ (initial here)

• I will open myself to learning and growing through each pillar of the program in order to experience compassion, healing, and liberation, the charism of the Sisters of Bon Secours, and to be transformed through service with others. _______ (initial here)

• As Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry is in a process of expansion, I understand that the location of my year of service may be in Baltimore, Maryland or Richmond, Virginia. I am open to the opportunity to serve in either location. ________ (initial here)

By signing below, I am indicating that I have carefully discerned this commitment and, with a full heart, I am able to commit my whole self to participating in the community of Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry.
I have read the sample Statement of Commitment and I am beginning to carefully consider what it would involve for me to commit to a year as a Bon Secours Volunteer. I am encouraged by the sincerity and the degree of commitment each member makes to Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry.
II. Your Resume
Please submit a copy of your resume (no more than two pages) which includes the following: • Contact Information (please include both permanent and school mailing address) • Education: Include schools, fields of study, and graduation date. • Professional Certifications (if applicable). • Work experience: Include brief description of positions and dates of employment. • Service experience: Include brief description with frequency and dates of service.
Upload Resume Here*
III. Your Essay
In this application essay we are interested in learning about you. We want to read about who you are and who you are becoming. While your response should take the form of a brief autobiography, please be sure to respond directly to each of the following five questions. Although we ask you to specifically respond to each question, please respond to the questions in the order most fitting to your one, complete composition.
Upload Essay Here*
1) Please describe some of the major people and experiences in your life that have shaped both who you are today and who you are becoming. 2) What have these individuals and experiences taught you about your own strengths and your own weaknesses? 3) Describe a time that you felt uncomfortable being outside of your comfort zone. What did you learn through that experience? 4) Please describe your past experiences of service. What did you learn through your service with others? 5) How do you see yourself participating in the Sisters of Bon Secours’ commitment to justice in radical solidarity with the poor, the suffering, and those most in need? When have you received compassion and love from others? 6) When you think about who you are becoming, what are your hopes for a year with Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry?
IV. References
Please provide BSVM with the names and emails of 3 references. Then email (you may copy and paste) the corresponding links to each reference to fill out at their earliest possible convenience. Interviews cannot take place until all references are in.
Employer Reference
An individual who has supervised you in a paid position for at least six months.
First Name Last Name
Employer Email

Email this link to your employer reference: https://bonsecours.us/volunteers/bsvm-employer-reference/
Mentor Reference
An individual who knows you well and can speak to your personal values and character as well as your experiences with service. Examples of a mentor include an adviser, a past volunteer coordinator, a youth minister, a campus minister, a pastor, or a professor.
First Last
Mentor Email

Email this link to your mentor reference: https://bonsecours.us/volunteers/bsvm-mentor-reference/
Peer Reference
An individual (someone other than a relative or significant other) with whom you have lived for at least a year.
First Name Last Name
Peer Email

Email this link to your peer reference: https://bonsecours.us/volunteers/bsvm-peer-reference/
References*
My three references (employer, mentor, and a peer with whom you have lived for at least a year) have been sent the link to their respective forms.
V. Transcript
How are you submitting your official university trancript?*
- Electronic Copy: Emailed to volunteer@bshsi.org
- Physical Copy: Mailed to Paula Hastings, Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry, 1525 Marriottsville Road, Marriottsville, MD 21104
Other opportunities
We thank you for your interest in and application to Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry (BSVM). Please tell us about the other post-college opportunities that you are pursuing in addition to BSVM. Below, please list other volunteer programs, graduate schools, or employment opportunities that you are considering. What is the status of each application? If pursuing graduate school, please indicate if you have plans to defer your enrollment.

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Application Part II

I. Your Discernment

II. Your Resume

III. Your Essay

IV. References

V. Transcript