Genevieve Carey

Coming from a family that has always been involved in service, Genevieve Carey, the youngest of seven children, has spent the majority of her life reaching out to others. One such activity is her work with The House of Friendship Medical Brigade, which sponsors an annual mission to Honduras. The mission provides an opportunity for young people to witness life in a third world country and make a contribution toward improving the lives of the poor and needy.

Genevieve has been part of this mission for the past four summers, which is often described as a difficult one. There are no familiar landmarks to hold on to, the food is different; the work is hard and long and the living quarters are primitive. “Despite these conditions, Genevieve has inspired me, on a number of occasions with her enthusiasm and inner wisdom,” commented Patricia King, Mission Coordinator.

Genevieve participated in Medical Brigades, in which she cared for more than 400 people per day through the general medicine, adolescent, pediatric, ob-gyn and dental clinics. She has also been a major participant in The House of Friendship Orphanage Volunteer Program, which involves building, painting, cleaning and a tremendous amount of caring.

What makes her stand out is her ability to engage others in service. When torrential rains and flood devastated the area in Honduras where she had been, Genevieve asked if a chapel service could be held to pray for the victims and to get them some aid. Tearfully, Genevieve described the scene to her classmates and engaged them in a huge clothing drive. The response aided in collecting thousands of pounds of clothing. Not satisfied there, Genevieve offered endless hours to the Humanitarian Organization for the Victims of Central America (HOVCA) helping other students to organize their own collections of non-perishable goods, clothing and medicines.

Genevieve’s commitment to service has also led her to work with mentally and physically challenged children and the homeless. While working at an orphanage in Honduras, Genevieve aid “I love kids, being with them, talking to them, hugging them. What’s nothing to you is everything to them. I know when you look at these shacks and street kids; you think I’m not doing anything being here. But you do make a difference.”

“Genevieve Carey is a young woman whose volunteer work has extended far beyond what could ever be expected of one person,” remarked Dr. Barbara Judge, Convent of the Sacred Heart Upper School “As a moderator of community service efforts for the past 25 years, what I have witnessed in Genevieve these past two years has far exceeded my own experience with unselfish teenagers.”