Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary’s College
Notre Dame, Ind. 46556
(574-284-4579
October 10, 2008 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Saint Mary’s College students have a Halloween treat for families at Hope Ministries in South Bend on Sunday, October 12. Members of the Social Work Club and residents of McCandless Hall have arranged for a bus to take families from the shelter to Matthys Farm in South Bend where kids can take a hayride, choose a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, walk through a corn maze and visit the animals in the petting zoo. At least 30 clients of Hope Ministries are expected to attend.
“Everyone is really excited about this. It should be wonderful for the families going and enriching for Saint Mary’s students to get to know the families from Hope Ministries,” said Mallory Price ‘10, vice president of the Social Work Club.
All Saint Mary’s residence halls choose a human services agency to serve during the academic year and McCandless chose to serve Hope Ministries. The Social Work Club worked with McCandless residents to organize this event. Some of the money to host the trip came through a grant from the College’s Office of Civic and Social Engagement. This is the first time Saint Mary’s has planned this event for Hope Ministries’ families.
“We decided that we really want to get involved with the community, and while donating money or collecting (food and clothing) is beneficial, it wouldn’t really give the people at Hope Ministries something to be excited about or look forward to,” Price said. “Some people take for granted that they get to go to a pumpkin patch every year, but it is something some kids are not fortunate enough to experience. We really wanted to give the families, especially the children, a day where they could have fun and spend quality time together.”
The media is invited to cover this event. The bus should arrive at the farm between 1-1:30 p.m. The address for Matthys Farm is 57754 Crumstown Highway, South Bend 46619. You can find directions on their Web site.
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. The College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2009 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
