Why VVC

Share weekly reflection and prayer as a community to give meaning and context to experiences of direct service, and engage in issues of social justice locally and globally.
Serve with a parish-based St. Vincent de Paul Conference to connect with others living the Vincentian charism and expand our experience of “neighbors helping neighbors.”
Participate in three retreats throughout the year to help re-center and ground you on your service year journey.

Commit to intentional community living with up to nine other VVCs to support each other throughout the year.
Embody the St. Vincent de Paul motto, “Neighbors Helping Neighbors,” living two blocks from the Don and Phyllis Neyer Outreach Center where you serve, with plenty of opportunities to engage deeply with the West End community in Cincinnati.
Engage in relationships with a diverse network: the VVC community, parish Vincentians, retreatants from the Ozanam Center for Service Learning, as well as neighbors in need.

Serve full-time for St. Vincent de Paul in unique work placements based on your professional goals, skills and the needs of the organization.
Be welcomed in the homes of our neighbors in need through home visits as a unique opportunity to provide person-to-person service.
Gain new skills and professional experience to position you for success beyond a year with VVC.

We strive to follow St. Vincent’s call to be “inventive to infinity,” matching your interests to the organization’s needs, which include:

Community needs and support
- In Cincinnati, one in five people—and more than 50 percent of children—live in poverty.
Recreation
- One of the best-rated zoos in the country.
- Between festivals, sports and flea markets, there is something for everyone.
- Access to free activities, such as the Art Museum, and concerts and other events in nearby Washington Park.
- Named one of the country’s top 10 park systems by the Trust for Public Land.