Holly Yzquierdo

When most people think about retirement they think about traveling, spending time on the golf course or with their grandkids but Carol Gastelum had other things in mind. She has been volunteering at Catholic Charities since 2009.

To say that Carol volunteers is really an understatement. Carol works a full 40 hour work week splitting her time between volunteer services and parish and community engagement.

When she was 16 years old she was forced into prostitution by a dangerous man - and he ruled by violence and fear.

“Bob” lost his job in 2012, soon after his house was foreclosed. The tremendous stress took its toll on Bob and his wife, and they got divorced. Bob was now raising a baby and moving from place to place. He would stay with friends and family as long as they allowed, but eventually he was left with nowhere to go.

Ten students from James Madison University (JMU) from Harrisonburg, Va., visited Phoenix to partner with Catholic Charities refugee program. The students worked with and learned from refugees from around the world.

Ally Gotthold, a junior at JMU shares the most impactful part of her trip in this brief video.