Peter Rossmann and Louis Crisostomo are not unlike many in their generation. The two young professionals — Crisostomo, an attorney, and Rossmann, a management consultant — had a yearning for hands-on involvement in a noble cause, particularly one connected to their Catholic faith. Rossmann, an Iowa City native, joined the Mercy Works volunteer program in the summer of 2005, living at Mercy Home’s West Loop campus and filled a variety of roles for the 123-year-old institution. Later, he joined the home’s development office and helped found the Mercy Home junior board. “I saw the impact Mercy Home had on the lives of those who lived there and couldn’t help but want the best for the place,” Rossmann said. Likewise, Crisostomo sought work with a purpose and spiritual slant. In 2006, he encountered the Big Shoulders Fund, which provides support to Catholic schools in Chicago’s neediest areas. Impressed with the agency’s mission, Crisostomo got actively involved, helping to establish the organization’s junior board in 2007. “Big Shoulders spoke to me and allowed me to dig my hands in and make a difference by giving my time and energy to a worthy cause,” Crisostomo said. Increasingly, local Catholic-rooted charities are gaining the energy and passion of altruistic young professionals such as Rossmann and Crisostomo in the form of junior boards. The growing phenomenon is helping faith-based nonprofits reach out to a new generation and enhance the mission of organizations with a youthful slant, often fulfilling the noble and direct charitable experiences members of Gen X and Y seek. At Catholic Charities, one of Chicago’s largest and most active junior boards supports the organization’s outreach efforts through volunteerism and fundraising. Formed in 2002, Catholic Charities’ junior board, now claiming over 250 members, has invested young adults in the agency’s mission with hands-on opportunities. Each year, Catholic Charities’ junior board members partake in over a dozen volunteer opportunities paired with existing organizational programs, including the Read to Me program and Michelangelo Corps, a property beautification effort. In 2009, the junior board provided 3,700 hours of volunteer service. The junior board’s social committee also plans various fundraising events. “There are young adults looking for opportunities to be involved in important projects and we’ve found our junior board to be an amazing resource for energy and service,” said Catholic Charities’ junior board manager Lisa Pauletto. Mercy Home’s junior board, which has grown to 45 members, hosts a spring gala at Trump Tower as well as regular Friends First open houses, showcasing one of the home’s marquee mentorship programs. Various junior board members also participate in tutoring as well as the home’s popular Hoops to Homework program. “It’s a diverse group of like-hearted folks,” Mercy Home president Father Scott Donahue said of the junior board. “We’re thrilled to provide a forum for these individuals to use their talents for our kids, all of whom benefit from their generosity.” Members of the Big Shoulders’ auxiliary board focus on service, including tutoring, mentoring, coaching, and service days. The junior board’s presence has injected young spirit into the organization’s work and engaged young professionals in valiant objectives. “The junior board is a validation of our mission and brings an enthusiasm that energizes us all with resources, time, talent, and fundraising that has certainly elevated our organization,” Big Shoulders executive director Josh Hale said.