FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saint Mary’s College to Participate in “Rebuilding Together” for 7th Year
Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579
March 31, 2011 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Saint Mary’s College students, faculty and staff will roll up their sleeves on Saturday, April 9 to spruce up a Saint Mary’s sponsored home as part of Rebuilding Together 2011. Rebuilding Together is a national program that restores selected houses belonging to elderly, disabled or low-income homeowners. In South Bend the project focuses on a different neighborhood each year, improving up to 25 homes selected through an application and screening process. This year’s homes are on the city’s west side.
Volunteer teams from schools, businesses and other service groups will participate in the event, which is now in its 23rd year. This is the seventh year Saint Mary's College has taken part in the event. The College’s Office for Civic and Social Engagements (OCSE) is sponsoring a home on the 700 block of S. Albert, which belongs to an elderly woman. They will be at the home from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., painting, cleaning, caulking, and doing yard work.
“This project allows us to love our neighbors, one house at a time,” Carolyne Call, OCSE's director said. “It gives students, as well as faculty and staff, the opportunity to engage in hands-on work that makes a very real and immediate difference in someone's life. It also allows us to meet people in the community, hear their stories and ease some of their burden. This is especially important now in such uncertain economic times.”
The College will provide $3,500 as part of its Rebuilding Together sponsorships, and contributions from the community are welcomed to help achieve this goal. For information on the event or to make a donation to Saint Mary's project, email OCSE or call (574) 284-4573.
OSCE is Saint Mary’s College’s resource center providing information on community service, one-time volunteer events, service-learning, and special speakers and events relating to community engagement. For more information, please visit OCSE and Rebuilding Together online.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” in the U.S. News & World Report 2011 College Guide. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.