JV EnCorps (JVE), a program of JVC Northwest, recruits and supports volunteers 50 and older in part-time, meaningful service positions where they have a direct impact on people living on the margins.

NONPROFIT TALENT: Professional expertise meets personal passion

Nancy Molina, JV EnCorps member

Environmental expertise and commitment to giving back Nancy Molina’s passion for the environment and her deep faith are woven into her years of service work with Jesuit Volunteer EnCorps in Portland, OR. As a JV EnCorps volunteer, Nancy brings decades of international experience as a Forest Service field ecologist to her encore work with the Mt. Hood-Willamette National Forest Regional Advisory Committee, helping to shape decisions about federal spending in support of forest health restoration that benefits the community. Projects range from simple (ecological toilets for campgrounds) to complex (decisions about how to best care for tree stands to promote healthier growth). Most recently, the Committee funded a project that brings at-risk youth to work and help clean up the forest.

Nancy’s spiritual focus led her to earn a Masters in Theology and to participate in refugee-focused encore projects. In 2014, her church needed someone to coordinate efforts to host a Syrian refugee family. Nancy said “Yes!” providing project coordination, publicity and much of the labor to raise funds and supply furnishings and household items for the family.

Like many encore-stage adults, Nancy is learning about her hometown of 20 years. After retiring from the Forest Service, Nancy researched local social service organizations, discovering needs in her suburban community. She chose to work with local refugee families, tutoring kids in their housing complex. Their motivation inspires her, she says, and is one of many gifts she receives from her service.