6 • Call 1.800.348.4732 “We decided to start a summer camp,” says Clare. “We found there was a great need for a safe space for children in our community during the summer — a space for kids to continue to grow mentally, physically and spiritually.” But the summer program has a larger purpose. It has become a place for St. Mary’s students to get a glimpse of life on the West Side and advocate for social change as they build relationships within the parish and the neighborhood. It also offers the kids a chance to meet college students, role models who demonstrate that education is a pathway to life beyond the barrio. And it enables the university and the parish to work along- side each other to strengthen the whole community. “Our neighborhood is caught in a cycle of poverty and injustice,” says Clare. “For St. Mary’s students to be a presence and involved in our worship community has an incredible influence on the families. These rela- tionships don’t end with the child — they encompass parents, grandparents and extended family. This camp clearly fits our university and the Marianist mission of faith and service in action.” The gifts of service: a two-way street Holy Rosary and St. Mary’s launched the summer camp in 2016, with Catholic Charities providing educational, training and support resources. This year’s camp ran for seven weeks, providing a day- camp experience for children ages 7 - 17. The camp is free, alleviating expensive child care costs for parents. Six university students — Summer of Service volunteers at St. Mary’s — cared for and mentored the campers. The program offers St. Mary’s students a chance to live in a Marianist Lay Community while working together on a service project — in this case, the summer camp. The counselors gathered several times weekly, for dinner and in prayer, to plan the coming week’s camp activities and reflect on their experiences and the relationships they were building. They filled entire days with activities that included reading, music and arts and crafts. They also taught the kids how to make healthy meals and snacks. “Many don’t get these at home,” says Clare. Through the association with Catholic Charities, the summer camp offers a nutritional meal and snack each day — a free service many families count on. To build social skills, the counselors spent a lot of time talking about bullying, treating people with respect and ways to deescalate tensions. And they helped older students begin identifying their emotions, an important step in healthy adolescent development. To foster faith formation, a week of vacation Bible school was laced into the program. “Building rela- tionships with our counselors, who model faith, reinforces these lessons,” says Clare. Looking back on her role as camp counselor, Laura sees the reciprocal nature of this work. “The summer camp not only is benefiting the neighborhood kids,” she says, “It’s also helping St. Mary's students open their eyes to the reality of some of the families living closest to us.” Without building these connections, she adds, “We just can't see their hardships.” “This camp clearly fits our university and the Marianist mission of faith and service in action.” – Clare Acosta Matos, Lay Marianist and director of civic engagement, St. Mary’s University Diamond Estrada, a St. Mary’s University student and Summer of Service volunteer ,with Liana Morales, a summer camp student