Hello, my name is Valerie Muenz. I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I am proudly serving with CCSC at Legal Services for the Elderly, Disabled, or Disadvantaged of WNY Inc.
When I found CCSC on the CNVS website, I was looking for an opportunity to combine my faith with my social work education in a desire to serve God and others. I looked at the website and was mildly interested, and I requested an application. The moment I knew that CCSC was for me was when I spoke to Amy on the phone. Her energy and openness to the will of God, and the encouragement she gave me to trust God with this decision made me realize that CCSC was the type of program that encouraged the participants to not only help the community around them, but to help themselves- to grow, to trust, to look at the bigger picture.
I came into the program with a lot of apprehensions and anxiety. Would I like my placement? Would I like my community? Would I be capable of working a full-time job? I realized after I got here that yes, I love my placement, I love my community, and I AM capable of working a full-time job. It hasn’t been easy, but with the help of Amy, my agency, my community, and God, I am thriving in this new experience. My goal for this year is to surrender fully to God and to trust that He will lead me to where I am supposed to be. I said “yes” to His invitation to serve in Buffalo, and I hope to be able to live out that yes, both this year and in the future.