Summer Service Project

Chairperson: Leslie Anne Pechkurow

Each summer roughly 200 Notre Dame students dedicate eight weeks of their summer break to service work through Notre Dame’s Summer Service Project. Through this program, students are exposed to a variety of volunteer opportunities including homeless shelters, HIV/AIDS clinics, camps, nursing homes, medical centers, etc. The program, run through the Center for Social Concerns, offers placements throughout the country and even some international sites as well.

Each summer, the Notre Dame Club of Phoenix sponsors three students to assist in the service work of these two organizations.  André House and Maggie’s Place are grateful for the extra working hands of these students and also thankful for the scholarships that the Phoenix Club is able to provide these students for their efforts.

André House, one of the Phoenix Summer Service Project sites, is located downtown Phoenix and serves many of the homeless of the area. Besides serving over 500 meals each night, this Catholic worker house provides simple services to the poor such as showers, lockers, laundry service, and clothing and other basic donations. The staff work diligently in order to provide these basic needs to those who go without. The Summer Service Project Staff have the difficult job of catching on quickly and persevering through the blistering Phoenix heat!

This summer junior Lauren Orozco from San Antonio, Texas will join the André House staff. Lauren is a sociology major and lives in Badin Hall. Also joining the Andre House staff is sophomore Joseph Serafin. Joseph is from Tinley Park, Illinois and is a double history and political science major from Dillon Hall.

Maggie’s Place is the second of the Phoenix sites and is a home for pregnant women who are homeless or in need of a more supportive environment during their pregnancy. Maggie’s Place actually has three homes located throughout the Phoenix Valley. At Maggie’s Place, staff members live in community and work one-on-one with the mothers in order to offer support and encouragement during their time at the home. Women can come to any one of the homes during any stage of her pregnancy and stay till six months after the baby is born. The Summer Service Staff member living in this community will experience quite a lively environment with staff, moms, and babies under one roof!

Sophomore Molly Kring will be helping out at Maggie’s Place as the Summer Service Student. Molly is an English major from Williamsburg, Michigan. She lives in Cavanaugh Hall.

You can learn more about the Summer Service Project by visiting the Center for Social Concerns.  

Breaking News



  

Hands & Hope for Haiti
This fall, ND alumni and current students will join together to collect 25,000 pounds of clothing for the people of Haiti. The Hands & Hope for Haiti clothing drive will take place on campus from Oct. 4 until the ND-Pittsburgh football game (Nov. 1).

There will be a friendly competition between alumni and current students to see which group can collect the most clothing. The type of clothing that is needed is good quality spring and summer clothing, as well as very gently used footwear. (Please note: winter clothing, as well as clothing in extra large sizes, will not be usable to the people of Haiti, therefore we ask that these be excluded from your contributions.)

Please help the people of Haiti by bringing clothing to the game watches in order to be donated. We hope to join together with other alumni in order to collect more clothing than the students, but more importantly, we would like to be able to provide support and resources to those in need. Thanks for your help!