aura Dicún, a sophomore at St. Mary’s Univer- sity in San Antonio, didn’t expect the highlight of her first year as a summer camp counselor would involve a couple of shy kids. But of all the challenges she experienced at camp — hosted by the university and Holy Rosary, the Marianist parish located adjacent to campus — these relationships proved to be the most endearing. “I found that the three of us loved to play tag,” she says. “After that, they wanted to play every day!” It was the opening Laura was looking for — a bridge connecting her to the children, their families and the university’s surrounding community known as the West Side. Fifty years ago, a Peabody award-winning docu- mentary called “Hunger in America” showed in vivid detail the desperate realities of life in these impoverished ZIP codes. Although this largely Hispanic neighborhood is rich in history, culture and intergenerational families, poverty still dominates the landscape.Two years ago, a study commissioned by the Economic Development Innovation Group, a Washington, D.C.-based company, painted a bleak picture of hardship, inequality and lack of opportunity. According to the research, nearly half of adults in some sections of the West Side don’t have a high school diploma and nearly 60 percent are unemployed. With the poverty rate stuck at 42 percent, stuck is how most people feel — with no way out. Yet, while many yearn for a life elsewhere, Clare Acosta Matos, a Lay Marianist and director of civic engagement at St. Mary’s, and her husband, Yonatan, moved to this neighborhood five years ago and put down roots. Clare is painfully aware that the St. Mary’s community and her neighborhood look like two different worlds, ever-striving to intersect. But three years ago, after a conversation with Catholic Charities and the parish council at Holy Rosary, they came up with a plan. AGENTS CHANGE Holy Rosary Parish and St. Mary’s University team up to offer a summer camp for children and families living in one of San Antonio’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. By Alex Z. Salinas of Laura Dicún, a St. Mary’s student and Summer of Service volun- teer, enjoys playing tag with Joaquin Gonzales, Ruben Castañeda and Sebastian More. 4 • Call 1.800.348.4732 Opposite page: St. Mary’s Summer of Service volunteer, Alexis Soto, challenges Abigaile Garcia to a race. L ALL PHOTOS: ROBIN JERSTAD