Mansfield Resident Richard "Gus" Huiskamp to Join the Jesuit Volunteer Corps

Hamilton College Senior to Join Organization in Tucson, Ariz., After Graduation

Clinton, NY (04/09/2021) — Mansfield resident and Hamilton College senior Richard "Gus" Huiskamp will join the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) in Tucson, Ariz., after graduation. JVC is an organization of lay volunteers who devote a year or more to community service in poor communities.

Huiskamp, a French and history double major, indicated on his application an interest in secure housing - he'll be working at Community Home Repair, an agency that helps low-income homeowners with urgent home repair such as roofing, heating, and water filtration.

Huiskamp learned about JVC through his father, who participated in the program upon his graduation. He volunteered in Phoenix at a school and at a homeless shelter for children. "It's something he has talked about since as a formative experience," Huiskamp recalled. "He said it was both humbling and rewarding. His work informed a lot of the way he interacts with community now."

While Huiskamp does not consider himself to be very religious, he's looking forward to exploring spirituality over the course of the year. "I've had the good fortune of living in the Co-op at Hamilton, so I feel like a lot of those things will transfer," he said. "Because it's a faith-based organization, the community will be somewhat different and more unified just in purpose, as it is a service-based group. I think I'm well-prepared for it, and I'm very excited to see how that dynamic is."

Having never worked in housing repair, Huiskamp asked the agency what training would look like; they encouraged him that he would be able to pick up the skills within a few days. "I had an interview with the director of the agency, and I really liked his approach and his involvement in the organization," he said. "It was just a really good fit right off the bat. They really hyped up the kind of personal experiences you have with the homeowners you are helping, as well as the people in the organization. Those brief personal connections [with homeowners] end up being very deep."

After this year of service, Huiskamp, a graduate of Mansfield High School, envisions an academic future, perhaps attending graduate school for French or political science.

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