SSP celebrates 20th anniversary
By KATE NAGENGAST
News Writer
As students rushed to the Center for Social Concerns (CSC) last week to submit applications for Summer Service Projects (SSP), few may have realized the significance of the event. This summer marks the 20th anniversary of the SSP program at Notre Dame.
The SSP program has changed through the 20 years. Besides a dramatic increase in participation, the program has also developed financially and academically. Participants currently receive a $1,700 tuition scholarship and three credits in theology for eight weeks of service.
The project is typically in an area of geographic and academic interest for the students. Upon returning to campus in the fall, they follow-up with discussion groups or a 24-hour retreat.
"For the students, it is an intense eight weeks devoted almost totally to some social issue," said Sue Cunningham, director of the SSP program since 1986. "Whether it's pregnant teens, homeless men, neglected children, or anything else, it provides students with the chance to learn from the clients themselves, their co-workers, [the alumni] … really an entire community. That education is just priceless."
But this sophisticated service program came from humble, yet determined beginnings. In the 1970s, students often ventured to Latin America and areas of the U.S. to provide service during their summer vacations through the Community for the International Lay Apostolate (CILA), CSC's predecessor. However, it was not until 1980 when Father Don McNeill, current director of the CSC, began to coordinate efforts with the Alumni Association that the framework for today's SSP program was established.
"I came on board the very first year," said Charles Lennon, vice president of university relations for the Alumni Association. "I've been involved ever since trying to make the program more productive for the alumni contacts and the students themselves."
That first year was the summer of 1980 when McNeill sent five students to work in Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and St. Louis.
Since then, 2,093 students have participated in the program including the 204 students who traveled to 124 alumni clubs to work at 128 sites in 138 cities nationwide last summer.
Cunningham explained, "Notre Dame is unique in that we have such a strong alumni club network to make this program [successful]."
The program is especially dependent upon the memorial of a particular alumnus, Jim Andrews. He is the co-founder of Universal Press Syndicate with fellow alumnus, John McMeel, Andrews died unexpectedly in 1980.
It was then that McMeel, his wife, and Kathleen Andrews, Jim's wife, decided to turn tragedy into generosity.
"They wanted a memorial here at Notre Dame that wasn't bricks," said Cunningham. "They wanted something alive and student oriented, so they started the James F. Andrews Scholarship Fund. That is still a key part of [the SSP] program."
The fund began at the recommendation of Dick Conklin, who was the assistant vice president for public relations and information at that time. He realized that many Notre Dame students want to do service in the summer but can't sacrifice the income of a summer job. In response to this need, The Andrews Scholarship has consistently supplied the $1,700 tuition scholarship to students whose alumni club sponsors cannot afford to pay for the scholarship. This is especially true of smaller alumni clubs or larger clubs who want to sponsor more than one student. Last year, 88 of the 204 SSP participants were Andrews Scholars.
The club's main responsibility is to feel the need to contribute to their community and display a willingness to support the student with housing or social activities. The Andrews Scholarship takes some of the financial burden from the club.
"The Andrews Scholarship supports approximately four to six new clubs each year. This year we are shooting for 149 clubs and 250 students," Lennon said.
"Our primary concern is that [the students] also have the opportunity to have a somewhat normal life while they are [doing their service]. The biggest support we [at the Alumni Association] can provide is encouraging the alumni to make the student part of the Notre Dame family by providing them with transportation or taking them to club functions, et cetera" said Lennon.
"[Sponsoring an SSP student] is looked upon as the alumni club's gift to the community, or at least to a specific agency in their community," agreed Cunningham. "One of our hopes is that when the student is gone, the alumni club will continue a relationship with that agency, and it often happens that way."
The alumni sponsors often have the opportunity to learn more about their own community, while the agency has an enthusiastic Notre Dame student willing to help. The students serve as any other volunteer would, but they usually have a lot of responsibility. For eight weeks, it's at least a full-time job.
The Service
In Rapid City, S.D., there is a Boys Club whose motto is "fun with a purpose." The Club's goal is to teach the boys that come there, typically ages 6-17, teamwork, discipline and love.
"Although we are a small community, we have one of the largest and most active Boys Clubs in the country," explained Rick Hanafin, a '66 Notre Dame graduate and the Alumni Contact for the Black Hills SSP.
"We've been hosting an SSP for about 10 years now," he continued. "The first time we hosted a student it went so well. We realized what a good thing it was for our family, especially our kids to have a student with us. It's also good for the alumni club to be updated on campus life."
Ryan Carlson, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Letters, was the SSP student sent to Black Hills last year.
"I rode my bike down to the Boys Club every morning at 7 a.m. and hung out with guys for about eight hours," Carlson said.
"I organized four field trips per week, supervised the kids and just got to know them. I felt like I was just killing time with them, but these kids don't have a lot of structure in their lives so any time they can spend with an older kid is good for them," said Carlson.
"I actually decided to go because I want to do mission work later on in life and I was scared I wouldn't be able to do it. So I went to test myself."
He seems to have passed the test. "I know the Boys Club feels the quality of student they have every year is just outstanding," Hanafin said. "For us locally it has been a good mechanism to rally the alumni club members to host a student. Over the years, people get to meet the students and enjoy them. As long as they send the students, we'll take them.
"We even talked about expanding the program someday. There's a lot of non-profit agencies in the community that could benefit from a similar type of program."
The Future
"One of the things I hear from students all the time is, `I've been so lucky!' or `I've been so fortunate in my family and my ability to come to Notre Dame. I want to give back,'" said Cunningham.
"For the most part [the students] feel like they are going to help, and what they don't realize is this is such a huge education. When they get back they admit that they've learned so much more than they could possibly give."
The CSC continues to focus on the expansion of the SSP program with five specialty programs built around the summer service model. The Leadership Intern Program for African-Americans and Hispanics, the ACCION Internship Program, the National Youth Sports Program, the Campaign for Human Development and the International Summer Service Learning Program, are all prime examples of the selflessness and success that surround SSPs.
"There are a lot of opportunities at Notre Dame to expand classroom education You can learn a lot about yourself [by taking part]," Cunningham continued. "We are not trying to make everybody social workers. It's just a chance to learn more about who you are. The students here are the future and the more they know about social issues the better off our country will be."
All News Stories for Friday, February 4, 2000
