Mission & Identity
Man for Others- Deric Zaphire‘ 99
In 1974 Fr. Pedro Arrupe, former Superior General of the Society of Jesus, in his now famous Men for Others speech, offered the following vision for Jesuit education:
Today our prime educational objective must be to form men-and-women-for-others; men and women who will live not for themselves but for God and his Christ- for the God-man who lived and died for all the world; men and women who cannot even conceive of love of God which does not include love for the least of their neighbors; men and women completely convinced that love of God which does not issue in justice for others is a farce.
This vision has shaped Jesuit education for the past five decades. Generations of Prep alumni bear witness to these ideals each day in the ways they serve their churches and communities. In this new Ramview feature we will share with you the stories of Prep alumni continuing to live out Fr. Arrupe’ s call to be Men for Others.
Deric Zaphire’ 99 began volunteering at the Mid-Hudson Valley Camp in Esopus, New York the summer beforehis junior year at the Prep. The camp, run solely by volunteers, serves the needs of children and adults with developmental, mental and physical disabilities, deaf children, children living with cancer, andinner-city students. Today, almost twenty years later, Deric serves as the director for one of the week-long camps for children with developmental and mental disabilities.
When I was invited to volunteer at camp near the end of my sophomore year, I do not think I really understood what it was I signed up for. It was not until years later that I realized how this invitation altered the course of my life in so many positive ways. When I left camp that first summer, I came home exhausted but also felt so happy about my week doing service. The culture, people and service gave me such a positive outlook. As a high school student, doing service was not at the top of my list, but not only was I able to spend my week on beautiful grounds with so many new friends, but I found the work so rewarding. When the next year service application came along, I signed up again for camp, and after graduating from Fordham Prep, I found that my summer was not complete without attending camp. This service became a part of who I am as a person. When
applying for internships or trying out for sports teams, everyone knew up front that I was unavailable during the week of camp. If I was not able to take time off for my service, then this internship was not what I was looking for. Camp had become part of me
When I was invited to volunteer at camp near the end of my sophomore year, I do not think I really understood what it was I signed up for. It was not until years later that I realized how this invitation altered the course of my life in so many positive ways. When I left camp that first summer, I came home exhausted but also felt so happy about my week doing service. The culture, people and service gave me such a positive outlook. I found the work so rewarding that I signed up again. After graduating from the Prep, my summer was not complete without attending camp. When applying for internships or trying out for sports teams, I was unavailable during the week of camp.
I first met my wife Julia at camp in 1997. We reconnected in 2007 at a gathering of mutual camp friends. We are now married 5 years and have two beautiful children( Christian and Aurora). We are both directors of camps: I run Special Kids 1 Camp for special needs children ages 3-15, while Julia runs Young Adult Camp for special needs adults.
My parents taught me the importance of being a person who serves those in need. Fordham Prep reinforced this with the Christian Service Program. At first, I was not 100 % onboard with the requirement of service. It was the experience of putting my time, effort and care into helping someone that opened my mind to new insights and feelings which I don’ t think I could have experienced any other way. Men for Others was just a tag line for me when I entered the Prep. I knew what it meant in theory, but had no idea what it meant in practice. My experience with camp is just one of the many stories of Prep students who have learned the true meaning of Men for Others. I look at classmates and see that they are doing their part in one way or another. Whether they coach a sport, fly overseas to use their particular skills in serving those less fortunate or creat fundraising groups for those charities near and dear to their hearts, we are all men for others. Although I cannot speak for everyone, I like to think that doing service while at the Prep surely had an influence on us. It certainly has on my life.
If you wish to recommend a fellow alumnus who is serving his church or community in some significant way for this Ramview feature, please contact Brian Carney, Vice President for Mission & Identity.( carneyb @ fordhamprep. org)
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