Nuns offer helping hand to needy, social service agencies
Six-year-old Shantell Ford steps off the school bus and runs to say hello to Sister Mary Francis Bassick. A tiny girl dressed in frayed jeans and boots, Ford knocks on the door and Bassick lets her in. Bassick says hello to Moo, the nickname Ford prefers to be called, and asks her if she has any homework. “No,” says Ford. Her brown eyes sparkle as she situates herself in a worn, cushioned chair across from Bassick. “Do you have any candy?”
Bassick smiles. “We’ll have snack time after we finish our homework,” she promises.
Bassick chats with Ford as she prepares herself to lead the Safe Haven after-school program, held five days a week at the Dunlap Creek Village housing project near Republic. The Fayette County Housing Authority gave Bassick an empty apartment to use as a drop-in center, and children are not the only ones who visit.
A gentleman who lives next door once came over and asked for a pigtail.
“I didn’t even know what a pigtail was, but he told me that it’s a special plug you put on your dryer. He said that everyone told him to come over here and ask, because we have everything. I didn’t have that, though,” Bassick says, smiling. She would have given one to the man if she had it.
Bassick, a slight woman with gray hair and bright eyes, has a bubbly personality and a smile for everyone she meets. She is not afraid to spend time at Dunlap Creek Village, despite the reputation for crime that housing projects like it have. She brings hope to the forlorn area and sees it for what it could be, not what it is. Bassick walks past the 60 empty housing units that have sheets of plywood covering the windows and doors as if they were suburban homes with welcome mats on the doorsteps.
“When people find out that I work here, they tell me to be careful, but I’ve never had a problem,” she says, citing suspected drug activity in the area. She seems to take it all in stride. “The drug dealers wave to me as I drive by.”
Bassick promised to serve the poor and marginalized when she became a Daughter of Charity, and that is what she and her fellow nuns have been doing in Fayette County for 21/2 years under the name Rendu Services Inc.
Rendu Services is a charitable ministry organization run by five women, including Bassick.
“Our whole purpose in coming to Fayette County was to see if we could make a difference in the lives of people here,” said Sister Margaret Tuley, executive director of Rendu Services.
Tuley said the Daughters of Charity, based in Albany, N.Y., wanted to become more involved in rural ministries, since they already had established outreach programs in poor areas of cities such as Harlem, N.Y., and Wilmington, Del. They completed a need assessment and saw that Fayette County had the highest poverty levels in the state.
“We saw that the job market was small and the education level was low,” said Tuley.
Bassick wants to break the cycle of poverty, and she hopes to do so by teaching the kids at Dunlap Creek Village to value education. The kids miss a lot of school, and many of the parents don’t place a value on education, she said.
“They dropped out of high school and think they’re doing all right, but they’re not doing all right. They’re living in the projects,” she said.
Bassick and Ford leave the apartment after visiting for a few minutes and walk to the room where the after-school program is held. Other kids see Bassick and rush to join her, calling out “Hi, sister.”
There is a jumble of activity as Bassick and her entourage enter the small room complete with two tables surrounded by folding chairs, bookshelves and board games.
Bassick, who has a degree in education, makes the kids hang up their coats and gets their attention.
“All eyes on me,” she says. “I want to see all eyes on me.” The children listen to Bassick and eventually calm down and begin their homework. Some work on math or reading; others complete worksheets that Bassick has provided for them.
Keshawn Gregory-Harris has finished his homework. The 6-year-old kindergartner sits on the floor with a Scrabble game board between his legs and places lettered squares on the board, spelling out the words “candy,” “boat” and “eggs.” Bassick has been helping Harris with his letters, and he is beginning to learn how to read.
“Sister is good. She helps me learn,” says Harris. “I’m learning my ABCs.”
“Sister always helps us do our homework,” adds 8-year-old Zhan’ Tinsley.
Eight to 10 kids usually show up for the after-school program. On this day, they brought their report cards to show Bassick, and she said she was happy that their grades had improved; however, that’s not her main concern.
“I’m not concerned with whether or not these kids raise their reading level three grades,” she said. “I just want them to know that somebody cares enough about them to help them with their homework, that somebody cares enough to give them a hug.”
Bassick hopes her encouragement will be enough to make a difference in their lives. “They’re all bright kids,” she said. “They just need an opportunity.”
Melvin Henderson, public housing manager of Dunlap Creek Village, said he has seen an overall improvement.
“The kids are doing better in their studies and are getting along. They have respect for each other now,” said Henderson, crediting Bassick. “There are not enough adjectives to describe her. Sister Mary Fran is invaluable; she’s a blessing in disguise. I don’t want to think about what we’d do without her.”
The after-school program is just one way in which Rendu Services is helping people. Henderson said all of Rendu’s services are needed in Fayette County.
Jennifer Canada agrees.
“I don’t know what we’d do without them,” said Canada, project manager of the Fayette County Community Food Bank.
When many Dunbar Borough residents were slipping through the cracks because they could not travel to the food bank in Leisenring every month, Rendu Services stepped in.
Sister Eleanor Marie Shea realized many people were unable to get their food, and she offered to hold a food bank for the Dunbar residents in the Rendu Services office at Laurel Mall.
In December, Shea fixed 30 boxes of food filled with canned fruit and vegetables, pancake batter, cereal, dried milk and a $10 turkey voucher. She knows most of the people who frequent the food bank by name, and she greets everyone with a smile. “I try to make everyone feel comfortable,” Shea said.
The sisters at Rendu Services have no trouble finding the needy, especially since a large percentage of people in Fayette County live on fixed incomes or receive some form of government assistance.
Sister Eleanor is very kind, said an older woman who lives in Dunbar Borough and wished to remain unidentified. “I lost my husband three years ago and am on a fixed income from (a veterans pension),” she said. “There are some months when I don’t have enough money to buy food after paying the utility bills. I don’t know what I’d do without this food bank.”
Shea said many people in Fayette County have a hard time putting food on the table. She remembers one man who came to the food bank because he was laid off work. He had a hard time asking for help, but he had a family, children to feed and no other way to feed them.
“An elderly lady came in once and almost cried when she found out that she could receive a box of food every month,” Shea said.
Rendu Services also reaches those who do not have the money to pay for medical procedures, often working in conjunction with Fayette County Community Action.
Tuley said a man once came into the office and asked if she knew a place where he could receive reasonable dental care.
“I immediately called Community Action, and it so happened that they had just started a dental service,” she said.
Tuley said the man could not get free care because he was making $14,000 a year; however, Community Medical Services offers a sliding fee program, enabling him to get the care he needed. “He was very pleased,” said Tuley.
Shea and Vincentian Sister of Charity Sarah Geier come to those who are unable to make it to Laurel Mall. Both registered nurses, they travel to rural areas in a 24-foot van stocked with anatomical models, health supplies and information. They give free blood pressure readings and health advice.
One woman credits Geier with saving her life. Geier noticed that the woman had an irregular heartbeat and advised immediate medical treatment. The woman has sought treatment at a local hospital.
While working from the van, Shea met a 22-year-old man who was concerned about heart disease but was unable to pay for a physical. She provided him with information that enabled him to receive a free physical at Community Medical Services.
“Nobody in Fayette County is doing the same kind of work that we do,” said Tuley. “We don’t want to create services. We just want to help those that already exist.”
Tuley said that she and her sisters keep busy by serving about 2,000 people a year.
“We’ve dedicated our lives to helping others. You can’t love God if you don’t love your neighbor,” she said. “It’s important that people are grateful for what they have. Helping people who truly need help gives a certain level of satisfaction. It makes you appreciate what you do have.”