Dec. 26, 2004

The Notre Dame Monogram Club's dual mission centers on providing support to both current and former Notre Dame student-athletes. One of those programs includes scholarship/stipend assistance that allows a hand-picked group of student-athletes the opportunity to participate in life-changing summer service projects, as coordinated by the Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns.

The Monogram Club has provided stipends for these programs since 1986, allowing student-athletes to perform summer service across the nation and even worldwide. Participants keep daily journals and present a final paper while gaining class credit - and immeasurable personal gains - for the experience.

Most recently, four members of the cross country/track-and-field programs were sponsored by the Monogram Club during 2004 summer-service projects. The participants included All-America distance runner Kerry Meagher, who worked in Portland, Ore., at the Elizabeth House for pregnant teenagers. Three of her teammates also completed summer service work: Elizabeth Webster (Mott Children's Hospital oncology ward in Ann Arbor, Mich.), Catherine Schmidt (Casa Teresa pregnant women's shelter in Orange, Calif.) and Mary Alice Phillips (Family Services Society in Marion, Ind.).

The summer of 2003 saw rowers Katie Chenoweth and Alison Ruddy and men's distance runner Kevin Somok participate in Monogram Club-sponsored service projects. Chenoweth - who went on to an international service project in the Philippines during the summer of '04 - spent the summer of '03 working in Hartford, Conn., with the House of Bread outreach programs. Ruddy preceded Schmidt in serving at Casa Teresa while Somok worked with children from low-income migrant families in Park City, Utah, through a program coordinated by St. Mary's Church.

Rower Natalie Ladine - who went on to earn All-America honors as a senior in 2004 - shared her love for sports during a 2002 summer service project working with children in Honduras.

Participants in the summer of '02 included former volleyball player Kim Fletcher and former rower Natalie Ladine (both worked with children in Honduras), former lacrosse player Ellie Weille (South Bend Boys and Girls Club), former rower Jacqueline Hazen (Bay Cliff Health Camp, on Michigan's upper peninsula) and current fifth-year fencer Danielle Davis, at the South Bend Women's Care Center. Davis went on to complete a 2003 international summer service project, teaching sports to the young girls in Honduras.

Meagher's summary of her experience included several poignant observations:

"The women and girls who live (at Elizabeth House) form an incredibly supportive and devoted family ... Each girl is responsible for cooking a dinner for the house and house chores. These factors make it very much a home, rather than a shelter or program. I truly felt welcomed and part of this larger family, an amazingly funny, loving collection of unique women from all walks of life. ...

"By providing a supportive family during the pregnancy, yet respecting a mother's rights as an adult and promoting independence, the staff truly empowers the women. (The mother's) often begin as troubled teens brave enough to make an important life decision, yet terrified and excited at once. They emerge as strong, confident mothers with resounding hope for the future.

Kerry Meagher has earned All-America honors in cross country and the mile run.

"Sometimes they just needed someone to listen, a ride to an appointment, company on the bus, a babysitter, a friend, someone to make them get outside and have fun - I did all thee things and loved it.

"When people learned what I was doing, I often heard, `Bet that's depressing.' In fact, it was truly uplifting. ... Despite my college education, I was the student. ... I was delighted to see so many Catholic values acted on and I learned to incorporate them into my own life. I now have a number of excellent role models in that respect. ..."

Hazen relayed the following first-hand summary of her summer-service experience:

"I had the privilege of working at Bay Cliff Health Camp on the shores of Lake Superior on the upper peninsula of Michigan. Bay Cliff is a camp for children with disabilities, ages 3-17. Campers attend an individualized schedule of speech, occupational, physical, visual and oral therapy, while actively participating in traditional camp activities like swimming, arts and crafts, skits, nature walks, cookouts and overnight campouts.

Rower Jacqueline Hazen ('04) had a memorable 2002 summer-service experience working at the Bay Cliff Health Camp for children with disabilities.

"I spent my summer catching frogs, picking berries, and reading books with my cabin of five six- year-old boys. The dedication of the staff at Bay Cliff is amazing. All the staff live on camp, interact with campers during meals, playtime, and evening activities, and help create special activities that are Bay Cliff traditions: camp-wide Birthday Party, the elaborate 4th of July Parade, and the Teens' Prom.

"Counselors spend about 22 hours a day living and playing with their cabins and tracking campers' progress towards cabin goals. The immense output of love and energy from the staff is reflected in the smiles of the campers. I truly enjoyed my summer and am grateful for the chance I was given to discover such a wonderful community."

Fletcher and Ladine - who gave a firsthand report to the Monogram Club board during its fall meeting - spent nearly seven weeks in Honduras, primarily in the city of Siguapapeque, where they coordinated a sports camp for young girls. In addition to teaching volleyball, basketball and soccer, the ND student-athletes also spent some time in the classroom (teaching English) and played recreational games with children in rural communities. They spent the final week in San Pedro Sula, again focusing on bringing the joy of sport to the young people of Honduras.

Former Irish volleyball player Kim Fletcher particpated in the 2002 summer service project in Honduras.

"They were looking for athletes to be involved in this program and it was a very rewarding experience," says Ladine. "This was always something I wanted to do and I am a pre-med major, so service work may be part of my future.

"A lot of the girls were shy at first and many had never touched a volleyball before - they thought we were gods. Soccer is very big there and they play soccer with anything that is round.

"It was my first time out of the country and Honduras is the second-poorest country in this hemisphere - it was rewarding to make an impact on people's lives."