"To me, life is a verb - so you can't just talk about what you're going to be. You have to live it."
So said Dr. Mark Bergel, the executive director of A Wider Circle, a local nonprofit organization that provides educational and outreach programs to adults and children. He has also taught popular courses at AU like Stress Management, Health and Social Connection and Modern Theories of Health and Wellness.
This Saturday, Bergel, along with hundreds of volunteers and his staff of interns - many of whom are AU students - will host "A D.C. Housewarming," an event that will, he hopes, provide what all people deserve: health, hope and human connection.
What eventually grew into a successful nonprofit organization began around three years ago as a homework assignment for Bergel's Health and Social Connection class. The assignment required students to do volunteer service of some sort. So when Bergel was approached by a friend to deliver food to needy people in the District, he knew to refuse would be hypocritical.
"I was shocked at the breadth of poverty in our region," he said with intensity. "Miles of it, in Southeast ... You know, you heard about that, but you didn't realize how run-down the neighborhoods were, and how people were living. It was tragic to see and disheartening and at the same time exhilarating, because all I was doing that day was delivering some emergency food, and the people ... there was this connection, and I could see their need and how much it mattered."
Bergel, who earned both his master's degree in health and fitness management and his doctorate in sociology at AU, has built A Wider Circle on a foundation of human connection and emotional well-being. The organization centers around two main areas: what Bergel calls "inner work," as well as community outreach events. In addition to building self-esteem and managing stress, the organization's focus on inner work teaches the power of visualization and "the mind-body connection" through workshops and seminars.
"The mind-body connection really just means that your thoughts and your emotions precede your chemicals," he said. "So the way to change your body and change the way you feel is to understand why you think the thoughts you think. And then try to shift that. So simple things like relaxation exercises ... what we call meditation ... those kinds of activities can be life-changing."
A laid-back sort of guy with bright blue eyes and a firm handshake, Bergel might be one of the most sane, centered people in the entire frenzied metropolitan area. Many of us start the day with a to-go cup of coffee. Bergel begins and ends each day with "breathwork" - sessions of quiet, focused breathing to both calm and energize.
"My view of health is very much that you have to take the whole person into account," he said. "I know that at the same time we're teaching them relaxation exercises and using inner resources, they are going to go back home to the negative. So we also do community outreach events. We try to do whatever it takes to help people live well."
The second annual event, which will be held at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Columbia Heights, will feature more than 4,000 donated items of furniture, clothing, books, home goods and healthy groceries, all arranged to look like shops. In addition to donated items like much-needed winter clothes, A Wider Circle will provide wellness booths, where representatives from the D.C. Asthma Coalition, the American Diabetes Foundation and other organizations will be present. Attendees may also enjoy yoga, seated massage and healthy cooking demos.
Aside from Bergel, the only other workers at the office are interns. "Students are the lifeblood of the organization," he said emphatically. For interns, "it just matters if they have a passion to serve." That's Bergel's only requirement.
He emphasized the help he has received from students, among them fraternities and sororities, Alpha Phi Omega, Circle K and the Women's Lacrosse, Basketball and Field Hockey teams, all of which will be volunteering this weekend.
"Sometimes you get done serving somebody for a day and you walk out of their place, and you really don't feel like you're walking on the ground," he said. "You just feel like you're floating."
He paused. "Because it's absolutely true that when you give, you get much more than the person to whom you gave. I feel that every day." Bergel gave advice to college students, especially those graduating seniors who, in just a few short months, will be attempting to carve out meaningful lives for themselves.
"I really think the best thing you can do is to use the education here to find out what your passion is. Not what's going to satisfy someone else's idea of what your life should be. So find your passion and then use your creativity to allow you to live your passion. Don't settle - do what you love."
"So if I just had a class on this stuff, fine," he said. "It inspires people, but if it's actually my occupation and I do it as a non-profit organization and it brings people in - then we're living it, you know what I mean? And that's what life as a verb means, I think."
Bergel's life is clearly inspired by the work he does daily. When asked what keeps him going, Bergel recites a favorite quote without a beat.
"The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braces himself for his one supreme effort, never stretches himself to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature."
These days, it appears, Dr. Mark Bergel is standing tall.
