by Jill Ragar Esfeld
jill.esfeld@theleaven.org
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — If Christmas is a season of goodwill and togetherness, then at Keeler Women’s Center here every day is Christmas.
A ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Atchison, the center provides a wide array of free classes, educational workshops, support groups, spiritual direction and other services to community members and more.
This year alone it has served almost 9,000 people.
More than 150 volunteers make it all possible.
“We have four paid staff members,” said director Sister Bridget Dickason. “We would not be able to offer the breadth of services we have without the wonderful volunteers God has sent us.”
People help in any way they can — whether it’s being a receptionist, leading a workshop or tutoring Easy English.
“The center also has a couple of volunteer counselors and attorneys,” said Sister Bridget. “That’s a huge gift,”
But why do so many volunteer here?
“It’s very fulfilling,” said Peg Burns who has led the Gospel of Nonviolence group for 10 years. “The staff is kind; it’s a community.
“It’s a place to be connected to people and give what you can and receive what you can.”
Connie Anderson who has volunteered at Keeler for 20 years said, “Everything that happens there happens for a reason.
“Everything they do is to help people feel warm and comfortable and respected. It’s just amazing to me.”
Indeed, the moment you walk in the front door, you’re welcomed by a friendly face and a hospitality table well stocked with fresh flowers, hot coffee and something delicious to eat.
Visitors can enjoy a moment of peace, read a book, visit with a friend, or join a program and learn anything from knitting to food preparation to managing Google Docs or aging gracefully.
“I encourage anybody to enter into Keeler Women’s Center by going to a class,” said Burns. “And then, see what they can contribute.
“It’s rewarding. It’s a very comfortable, easy way to live the Gospel by sharing and giving.”
This month at its annual Christmas party, Keeler Women’s Center celebrated at the Wyandotte County Museum with a dessert bar, raffle prizes and museum tours.
It also honored Anderson, Burns and Sister Loretta McGuire, OSB, who are retiring after many years of volunteer service.
Anderson is an oblate with the Benedictine Sisters whom she met when she taught at Catholic schools in Atchison.
When her family moved to Prairie Village, she wanted to continue her involvement with the Benedictines.
At first, she volunteered as a receptionist at Keeler. But her love of teaching and helping immigrant families led her to tutoring Easy English.
“Easy English is a wonderful program for anyone [for whom] English is not their native language,” she said. “And it is just absolutely an honor for me to meet and work with some of these amazing people.”
At Keeler, Anderson sees God’s will in action, and she highly recommends people visit.
“Keeler offers lots of things that people can get involved in,” she said. “But it also helps whoever walks in the door.
“And they don’t charge for any of this. It’s just out of the goodness of their hearts.”
For the past seven years, Anderson and her husband were on the board of directors for Mount St. Scholastica’s fundraiser Night of Dreams.
“I just want to say it has been an honor to work at Keeler Women’s Center,” she said. “I feel like every day that I’m there I’m enriched, maybe more than the people are enriched that I meet with.”
Burns is also a Benedictine oblate and came to Keeler Women’s Center with a curriculum she had developed for teaching Gospel nonviolence.
For 11 years, her group has studied retreat masters who teach the gospel of nonviolence.
“So that we can transform ourselves into people who can meet anyone coming to our door, or on the street, as Christ,” she said.
She sees her involvement as an opportunity to live the Gospel.
“This is a natural way to use what you were given as a ministry,” she said. “It’s what we do. We live the Gospel and we live the works of mercy.”
Sister Loretta, a certified grief counselor, treasures the time she’s spent helping people manage bereavement.
“Keeler is a wonderful place,” she said. “And I have appreciated the fact that I was able to do grief counseling from its very beginning. I served a great diversity of people in need and trust.
“They trusted me enough to come and tell me their story.”
For Sister Loretta, the center was a place to encounter Christ.
“I believe every person is the image and likeness of Christ and there was just a confirmation that Christ resided in all of them.
“It was God who helped me be able to do what I did, and I had the support of the community behind me. I was never alone.”
As the new year begins, Sister Bridget hopes more people will come to participate in this generous community.
“If anybody would love to volunteer,” she said, “I would be happy to help them discern their gifts and how they can share them with the community.
“Come check us out. It’s a wonderful place we love to share with everyone.”
Find out more
To learn more about Keeler Women’s Center, visit the website at: mount osb.org/keeler-womens-center.
