“Last week St. Ignatius College Preparatory had their Solidarity Dinner event to culminate the immersion cycle for this past summer’s students who do immersion programs in the Tenderloin. They invited one of their students from the Tenderloin Immersion, Brian Hoy, to serve as one of the MCs. In his short testimony, he mentions Mary Ann and how impacted he was by learning the skill of giving hand massages. Below is his testimony:
My name is Brian Hoy and I’ll also be one of your MCs tonight. I would like to extend a special welcome to the juniors and their parents who are here to learn about immersion for next summer. Let’s welcome our guests with a round of applause!
This summer, I went on immersion to San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. The drive from my South City suburb to the Tenderloin is only about 30 minutes, but the two neighborhoods are worlds apart. We spent two weeks, not doing service, but rather focused on getting to know different facets of the Tenderloin community.
By far one of the most unique experiences on my immersion was learning to give hand massages. I hadn’t done this for friends or family, much less strangers. On immersion, our group spent time with a woman named MaryAnn Finch from an organization called Care Through Touch that provides healing touch to people who are isolated because of income, age, or illness. MaryAnn was amazing because she taught us how touch can be therapeutic, especially for people who have experienced trauma or homelessness. After learning this skill, I had the opportunity to give hand massages to guests at the St. Francis Living Room in the Tenderloin.
The guests at St. Francis had never had this experience before and they were excited to receive the hand massages. I formed an instant connection with people that I did not expect. I even got lots of compliments on my hand massages!
On immersion, a lot of my learning was about myself. I learned that the limits I set for myself are not the limits that I need to stick to. I was actually excited to give hand massages at the St. Francis Living Room. Being open to new experiences and people that I wouldn’t normally interact with, I discovered that I’m not as closed off as I thought I was. Immersion helped me find a sense of community in a neighborhood that most Bay Area residents usually avoid.
Every year Mary Ann participates in these immersion programs as do many other of our volunteers who bring in other immersion groups to engage in the community and to serve those out on the streets. Mary Ann’s energy and presence sets the tone for how their students see the TL. As you can see, the work she does continues to have ripple effects for months after!”
Click here to learn more about Care Through Touch.