BY PRISCILLA GREEAR

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--As Amy Korwek approached graduation from Marquette University in Milwaukee, she began seeking an opportunity to serve people.

With a degree in biochemistry and a concern for social justice, she decided to commit a year to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps South, one of five regional programs sponsored by the religious order. She moved to Atlanta in August 1996 to work as program coordinator at the Midtown Assistance Center.

Raised a Catholic and educated in Catholic schools in Detroit, Korwek, now 22, says that it was when she left home to attend college that she developed a deeper, more personal Christian faith.

As she adjusted to a school which integrated Catholicism into daily living, she took part in various service projects, including a home building project in Canton, Miss. "It opened my eyes," she said. "It caused me to question."

Jesus told his disciples to feed his sheep and Korwek developed an interest during college in answering this call. She says that her education at Marquette stimulated her to examine society and develop a social conscience.

"The teachers really took some interest in helping us to formulate our views about what's going on in the world, to really get out and question what's going on," she said.

At the Midtown Assistance Center, a non-profit organization giving emergency assistance to the working poor in midtown Atlanta, Korwek evaluates potential clients on the phone and either refers them to agencies or arranges an interview to discuss their situation and assist them at the center. She also trains and supports 15 volunteers, plans food drives and other fund-raising events, writes grants and documents client information.

The agency provides financial support, food, work shoes and MARTA tokens to the working poor. It also offers counseling or referrals and is supported financially by individuals, businesses, organizations and 10 midtown churches.

Director Dorothy Chandler says the Jesuit volunteer "has been a real asset to volunteers. She leads them and coordinates their activities."

As a requirement of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Korwek lives in a house with eight other Jesuit volunteers in an poor urban neighborhood of Atlanta and receives a stipend of $75 per month.

More than living on a limited budget she found the hardest adjustment to be moving into a house with eight strangers. Yet since beginning the program last August she has enjoyed getting to know the other volunteers, all of whom work at other social service agencies, and going to movies and dining at a restaurant together monthly.

The Jesuit Volunteer Corps emphasizes the values of simplicity, social justice, spirituality and community. According to its mission statement, "This year or more of service challenges the volunteers to be more compassionate persons, always conscious of the poor and dedicated to the promotion of justice in the service of faith."

Korwek experienced simplicity and community through her living environment, spirituality and social justice through client interactions and decision-making at work, and has a stronger career focus to work in community health where "you're in a situation where you empower people and work together."

The experience has also increased her awareness of human rights and of the variety of factors that may contribute to poverty.

"You can't put your finger on one thing and apply it to everyone or every situation," she said.

In Atlanta, Korwek said, the business community and social service agencies must work together to address problems of poverty and not blame poor people.

After completing her year's work at the Midtown Assistance Center, she plans to work in San Diego, Calif., in community service. She hopes to earn a master's degree in public health and social work and to work in community health.

Korwek will take with her four years of university education and a continuing education experience in which she developed a deeper understanding of fundamental factors of poverty and of resources and practical methods to help alleviate it.

In addition, she will bring a greater awareness of the personal struggle of people in poverty and the strength they must find in order to overcome difficulties.

The Jesuit Volunteer Corps recruits 600 volunteers annually. For more information on the Jesuit Volunteer Corps South, call (713) 756-5095.