Service, a charism of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, is more than just a word at Academy of the Holy Names. It’s a way of life.

For a natural go-getter like MJ Naughton ’03, it’s a means of inspiration. “During my senior year at Holy Names, when required to complete 100 hours of community service I was determined to do so well ahead of time.  I achieved about 180 hours of local service and received an award for Service and Leadership that year.”

This propelled Naughton as she applied for college. Writing about her service earned her a four-year-scholarship for Service and Leadership at the University of Mount Saint Vincent. While there, she volunteered for Midnight Run, a group that directly and in the dark of night delivered food, clothing, and sanitary items directly to the homeless in the corners, steps, and tents around Manhattan.

It was there she met a man outside the Ed Sullivan Theater (then home to The Late Show with David Letterman) who recited poetry he wrote and memorized because it was too difficult to write it and keep a notebook dry. “I handed him a cup of soup, some toothpaste, and asked if he needed clothes,” Naughton says. “He said he was fine, but his lady could use a new sweater for work and was too shy to ask. That was 20 years ago, but experiences like these stayed with me, and supporting the underserved communities near me became a habit.”

For a period after, Naughton experienced her own bout of housing and food insecurity, relying on her community to lift her up. “Folks in service are so often those that have experienced the need for service, and others show up on Thanksgiving.”

Fast forward to present day, where Naughton continues the circle of giving. She currently serves as Executive Administrator at Eden’s Rose Foundation, an Albany based non-profit organization focused on developing community strengths in the West Hill neighborhood by addressing health, economic, environmental, and access equity. Eden’s Rose served as one of the many non-profit hosting locations for AHN’s Day of Service earlier in the fall – students there painted a “Love” mural (see photo).

Naughton says working in this field aligns her skills with her passion, knowing she’s contributing to impact. “I have days where I am cleaning up the alley and community garden spaces, giving a child in the area a free bike, getting keys to an apartment for a migrant family, or maybe I’m doing the math and spreadsheet part to help funders see why this work is so important.”

Her advice for students potentially interested in turning their service work into a lifelong vocation: give your best skills to a mission that is important to you.  “It is the closest thing to not working I’ve been able to find,” Naughton says. “Find the thing that makes you ‘nerd out’, find the class where you are loudest, the most opinionated, and the subject that inspires the most debate for you – that’s where your long-term interest might be. Then apply your favorite skills.”

Naughton still remembers her days in an AHN classroom. “I remember the rigorous standards, small class sizes, and lasting lessons, especially in writing and critical thinking. I remember the attention to my development that came with a small class size, the incredibly high standards, and a workload like I’ve never seen since. There has not been an expectation put upon me, from college finals to corporate board reports, that has scared me nearly as much as preparing for Mrs. Watkin’s Mid-term exam essays.

Classmates and I remember Mrs. Dunham promising us in sixth grade that the foundations of composition we’d been learning would stick, and to mark her words. Here, nearly 30 years later I can report that friends and I still talk about this, and while we still disagree with her preference for blue erasable ink, we agreed we think of her every time we write conclusion paragraphs.

I’ve spoken at events of 200+ attendees, and I still format my speeches in the way Mrs. Margaret Riley taught: a black binder, double spaced, 12-point font. I will note along the margin “B R E A T H E ! ! !” and “GO SLOW!”, just as she would write them in the margins for me. You know, in case I forgot to breathe, which I often did.

The lessons were lasting, several friendships were, too. I can still sing the song for the quadratic equation, though oddly – I’ve haven’t rolled my skirt since.”

How You Can Help Eden’s Rose

  • Do you like to make TikTok’s and love animals? Maybe a nearby shelter could use a pet of the week profile, designed by you!
  • Do you like to play video games with your siblings? Maybe there is an after-school program you can participate in. Ask about their game room!
  • Do you have a good collection of costumes and play clothes? There are homeless shelters with children that need help putting materials together for Halloween.
  • Do you like to do crafts like building birdhouses, learning about bird feeders, or painting pumpkins? Eden’s Rose hosts a few children’s craft events per month focused on learning through nature and could use a hand!
  • Do you like riding your bike, or helping those younger than you to ride one too? Our Wheels Up program repairs and distributes bikes to local children, and teaches basic repair so bikes are usable, enjoyable, and stay out of the landfill.