Collegians 'plunge' into service

With less than a week left of their Christmas break, a group of students from the University of Notre Dame opted out of skiing, shopping and other activities to embark upon a 48-hour journey to get to know the Capital Region from a new perspective.

They visited nine social justice and human service programs, and learned about Catholic Charities' and other Church-supported efforts to help the poorest and most vulnerable members of local communities.

During the program, called an "Urban Plunge," they said they were struck by the dedication of the staff in all the programs and encouraged to see the level of assistance offered to people in need.

Plunging in

Eric Buell, a sophomore theology major from Troy, comes to Albany often, to see friends or attend events at the Pepsi Arena.

But after spending time at places like Mercy House homeless shelter, Seton Family Resource Center and Farano Center for children, he said that "it's funny how I've passed some of the places hundreds of times and never even knew what was there."

That included the Schuyler Inn in Menands, an employment training program started by Rev. Peter Young. There, the students had first-hand exposure to people who have been released from prison and are working to improve their lives. They ate with residents, observed the program's operations and stayed overnight.

Impressions

Eric, impressed by the people he met working at each site, said that "the work they are doing is just great. I guess I knew of some of the services, but I never actually knew what kind of people did this work and the joy they had in what they are doing."

In particular, he described his experience with Sister Kate Crispo, who runs the Center for Community Collaboration, a drop-in center on Clinton Avenue in Albany.

"She is 79 years old and full of life," he said. "She didn't seem to have a fear of what she is doing. She really epitomizes everything we saw."

Driven to help

Elizabeth Callahan, a sophomore from Latham, echoed those sentiments when describing Tracie Killar, director of New Day Art, an afterschool program for children in the South End of Albany (see last week's issue of The Evangelist).

"It was really great to see someone like that who is so driven to help children," Elizabeth said. "She is not worried about money or credit for her work. She is just doing it because it needs to be done."

Lasting impact

At the end of their Albany visit, the students met with Sister Maureen Joyce, executive director of Catholic Charities, and Bishop Howard J. Hubbard.

Sister Maureen commented on the potential for the two days to have a lasting impact on the students.

"When students at a prominent university return to their communities and there is an awareness of the services that are exercising the social mission of the Church," she said, "they begin thinking about their role, how can they raise the awareness of their peers and what they should be doing to advocate change."

Maureen Toohey, who coordinates the Urban Plunge for Catholic Charities, said the experience offers an important foundation toward future service.

"They've had a really good exposure to know what is in their own communities," she said. "They all said they would like to do volunteer work or be more involved with Catholic Charities as a result of their visit."

(The "Urban Plunge" is organized by Notre Dame and sponsored by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany. It is designed to "provide a two-day immersion into the challenges of and responses to poverty in students' home regions," according to Notre Dame's Center for Social Concerns.)

(1/22/04)