CiViL has served more than 1500 students since 2004. Here are some brief glimpses of the important work done by CiViL. 

“They think we’re heroes.”

• The words of a young man from a rough public housing project on his first CiViL Service project: a clean-up effort following Hurricane Katrina. Freed from the stigma of their local reputations, the team poured themselves into helping one community and were praised for their efforts. “They don’t know where we come from,” he said. “They think we’re heroes.” They were. And they gained a sense of how valuable they are. 

“Can you give me a ride to my mom’s funeral?”

• Some of the students in CiViL have little support and few resources to improve their lives. When they do’t know where to turn, they often call on their CiViL mentors for help, stability and guidance.

“Can you teach me how to be a daddy?”

• All students are trying to figure out how to be adults. One young man recognized he had a chance to learn from a CiViL mentor with real life experience. He said, “I’ll tell you the truth, I have fathered a child. Can you teach me how to be a daddy?”  Real questions, answered in a supportive relationship. That’s how CiViL works.