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    Photo Tom Coman

    June 16, 2017

    Alumnus Tom Coman '55 Puts Faith into Action

    Tom Coman’s time at Le Moyne taught him how critical it is to practice his faith by putting it into action. A member of the Class of 1955, Coman has given his time to aid high school students pursuing their dream of attending college and local veterans making the transition from military to civilian life. He has also dedicated himself to ensuring that others, particularly those age 50 and older, have the opportunity to give back to those living at the margins of society.

     

    Coman was the inaugural regional director of the Syracuse chapter of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC). Established in 1995 by two Jesuit priests, the IVC provides men and women with the opportunity to touch the lives of the poor and disadvantaged. Volunteers work in medical centers, after school programs and food banks, to name just a few examples. In addition to whatever their primary volunteer responsibilities may be, they often assist with administrative tasks, program development and special projects.

     

    “I was drawn to the IVC because it is an organization that supports the poor and the powerless,” said Coman, who studied industrial and labor relations on the Heights. “It gives assistance and a voice to people who otherwise do not have a great deal of influence.”    

     

    Le Moyne alumna Ginny Donohue ’69 began working with Coman shortly after she founded On Point for College, an organization that helps first-generation students earn admission to college and succeed there a beyond. Since its establishment in 1999, On Point has helped more than 8,000 young people graduate from college and go on to meaningful, rewarding lives. Donohue said that would not be possible without tremendous support from others. Coman was the organization’s first volunteer, visiting community centers to talk to young people about the prospect of going to college, bringing them to visit various campuses, and checking in with them throughout their education to see how things were going. Among the people he worked with at On Point were refugees from Togo. 

     

    “We have an open enrollment, so our doors are open to anyone who needs our help,” Donohue explained. “Volunteers like Tom make it possible for us to do what we do.”

     

    When Coman first began working with On Point, he was a member of the Ignatian Lay Volunteer Program. Its mission was similar to that of the IVC, but it was smaller and more regional in scope. When it was disbanded for financial reasons in 2009, Coman immediately seized upon the idea of Syracuse becoming the first small city to host an IVC chapter. (Prior to that, they had only been in large, urban centers like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.) Officials at Le Moyne and Catholic Charities of Onondaga County enthusiastically supported the idea. Coman approached the staff at IVC headquarters in Baltimore, Md. He volunteered to serve a three-year tern as the Syracuse ICV’s regional director and secured a small office to use in Le Moyne’s Jesuit residence. Coman agreed to a set of volunteer recruitment goals and to a succession plan for the next regional director. That was enough to persuade the staff at IVC’s headquarters in Baltimore to make his idea a reality.  

     

    Today the Syracuse chapter of the IVC has 13 volunteers, and is aiming to recruit more. In addition to Syracuse, it is working to expand into Utica, Binghamton and Oswego. They work two days a week and are treated like traditional employees, with a supervisor and specific responsibilities. In addition to their service to community organizations, they also spend time in prayer and personal examination based on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius with the aid of a spiritual reflector. And that, Coman said, is what makes the experience truly meaningful.

     

    “When you reflect upon your work, along with your strength and weaknesses, it really allows you to focus on why you performing this service in a way that is truly meaningful,” he said.

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