Shane EvansGina Pultorak is the new director of the Cabrini Mission Corps, one of Cabrini’s best-kept secrets.
Pultorak attended Landsdale Catholic High School and went on to major in biology and political science at Rosemont College before attending the University of Pennsylvania for graduate school.
After UPenn, Pultorak worked three years in management consulting, but wanted something more out of life. “I felt like I had achieved a certain success, but it was separate from my faith life,” she said. To try and fill the void, Pultorak took a seven-month leave of absence to learn Spanish and went to the Dominican Republic to do some volunteer work with the Holy Child Sisters.
Feeling as if she had found something she loved, she resigned from her job and went back to the Dominican Republic for two more years. Pultorak says that she’s happy to now be connecting people through service work. “I’m the connector that finds people who desire to work along side the Cabrini Sisters,” she said.
Before Pultorak applied for the position at Cabrini, she was doing community organizing, however, she felt right at home after her interview. “When I came to interview at Cabrini, it just flowed, everything came together,” Pultorak said. When asked what she thought about Cabrini, she said that she loved the fact that people know about Mother Cabrini and her values and that everyone is very welcoming, especially when she started.
Located on the second floor in the mansion, the Cabrini Mission Corps office is one many don’t know much about, if anything. Cabrini Missions Corps is an organization founded by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus whose mission is to connect people who, after graduation, want to take one to two years doing service in their backyard or overseas.
In their Fall 2005 newsletter, there are articles on what the mission is all about and some of the good messages it wholeheartedly spreads. Some who are active in the mission corps are involved in healthcare outreach programs and financial assistance for children in impoverished countries, amongst other things.
Cabrini Mission Corps is in the middle of recruiting students for next year. Pultorak is visiting local colleges and is making a trip to Chicago this week to see who is interested in volunteering. Volunteers have the option of serving in New York, Philadelphia, Denver, Chicago and internationally in Swaziland and the Philippines.
This year’s application due date is April 1. Anyone interested can pick up an application at the Cabrini Mission Corps’ office or can apply online at www.cabrini-missioncorps.org.
Pultorak also wants Cabrini students to know that they’re welcome to stop by and learn more.
“Keep an eye out for us if you’ve ever felt drawn to service and feel comfort in Cabrini’s charism – this is the place to do it.”
