marianist.com/donate • 7 A stimulating environment For Rosa de la Garza, 66, and her husband, Joseph, 74, both members of Holy Rosary, summer is a challenging time as they care for their granddaughter, Juliana, 11. So when Holy Rosary launched the summer camp, the de la Garzas jumped at the opportunity to enroll their granddaughter. “Juliana’s an only child and spends all of her time with us,” says Rosa. “This camp has been a blessing. She gets to mingle and interact with other children.” Part of those interactions take place on the St. Mary’s campus where the children participate once a week in stimulating field trips, such as visiting with school reporters about how the college newspaper is published or touring a residence hall. For Juliana, a voracious reader who’s going into sixth grade, a trip to St. Mary’s Louis J. Blume Library was her favorite. “I like the library because you get to learn things you don’t know, and then you can teach others,” she says. For youngsters like Juliana, spending time on campus offers an opportunity to think about the future. “One of our counselors grew up in this neighborhood,” says Clare. “The children were amazed when she told them that she had walked in their shoes, and were encouraged when she talked about what they might accomplish one day.” Strengthening community, changing lives Iliana Mallett, a senior at St. Mary’s, served as a camp counselor in 2016 and 2017. She says her experiences were life-changing. “Participating in Summer of Service, I found my vocation,” says Iliana, who wants to go into higher education in the area of civic engagement. “With- out these experiences outside the classroom, my life and time in college would’ve looked very different. Nor would I have met some of my closest friends or discovered the beauty of the West Side community.” Iliana recalls the stress of organiz- ing the camp in its first year, then being relieved after receiving words of encouragement from parents — many thanking her and other coun- selors for looking after their children. That kind of gratitude goes a long way. Marianist Father John Thompson, who’s been pastor at Holy Rosary for more than a year after serving in Mexico, says the summer camp is an example of the Marianists’ continued commitment to building up the West Side community. “The camp is a learning and spiritual space for kids in the neighborhood, and you can see the tremendous good it does for their parents,” he says. “Recently, the Marianists invested in a salaried, full-time youth min- ister, someone to ensure there’s also space for our young adults so there isn’t a gap in their faith formation.” The formula to keep young community members engaged is simple, says Father John: good music and good preaching. “Music moves the heart, and if it works in tandem with the spoken word, it’s all for the better,” he adds. The summer camp’s enrollment has grown every year. The plan is to keep it growing. “I’d love to see this offered year-round, as an after-school program and summer camp,” Clare says. “We, as Marianists, as Catholics, must continue responding to the needs of our community, continue being agents of change.” ■ Alex Salinas is communications coordinator for the University Communications Office at St. Mary’s University. Summer camper, Michelle Mendez, practices her chess moves. “The camp is a learning and spiritual space for kids in the neighborhood, and you can see the tremendous good it does for their parents.” – Father JohnThompson, SM Below: Father John Thompson, SM, pastor of Holy Rosary parish, watches Sebastian More playing a card game.