Urban Plunge
Bringing students face to face with homelessness

Angela Rizzo grew up in southwest suburban Evergreen Park, and is no stranger to seeing homeless people: in her hometown, in the Loop, on a trip to Washington D.C.

She has personal experience with the phenomenon, as well, with an uncle whose mental illness led to time living on the street.

But the 21-year-old St. Mary University junior never saw the extent of the problem until she took the “Urban Plunge” organized by the University of Notre Dame, spending three days volunteering at a senior center and transitional shelter in Waukegan.

“I never realized there were so many kids,” said Rizzo, taking a break from preparing dinner Jan. 4 at the PADS Center at 8th Street and Lincoln Avenue in the far northern suburb.

Rizzo and other students from St. Mary and the University of Notre Dame joined students from Waukegan High School and St. Martin de Porres high school at the center, spending time playing with young shelter residents and hosting a post-Christmas party as well as cooking and serving dinner to the residents.

Before dinner, students from universities and high schools joined residents playing Ping Pong, pool and air hockey in one room and board games in another. Earlier in the day, the students spent time at Park Place Senior Center, visiting with elderly guests.

The experience began Jan. 2, when the university students arrived to a potluck dinner at St. Dismas Parish in Waukegan and a “wrapping party” to prepare the gifts the parish youth group bought for PADS residents, as well as bag lunches to be given to PADS residents Monday morning. They then spent time Jan. 3 at the senior center and the PADS administration center, giving the high school and college students a chance to get to know one another and to learn about the social service programs the agencies provide. That evening, they were recognized for their service by the Waukegan City Council.

The experience concluded Jan. 5 with a Mass and meeting with Waukegan Mayor Richard H. Hyde.

Terry Zawacki, director of faith formation at St. Dismas Parish in Waukegan, organized the effort in conjunction with the University of Notre Dame, which sends students to urban sites around the country, and the local high schools.

For him, the goal is not only to open the university students’ eyes and ears to the people in inner cities, but also to have them meet and inspire high school students.

The volunteer experience itself inspired Timika Williams, 17, a senior at Waukegan High School. Even though she lives in Waukegan, she said, she never knew about the PADS center until she joined the urban plunge students in volunteering.

Williams spent the pre-dinner hours Jan. 4 playing with resident children.

“I think it’s a blessing that we could be here,” she said. “It’s great to be able to show these kids that people care about them.”

Sandy Stephens, a PADS advocate, said the volunteers bring much-needed supplies when they come to the center, everything from food to paper goods, and the more people come, the more the word gets spread.

The transitional center opened about a month ago, Stephens said, to serve a clientele of up to 42 people at a time, mostly women and children. They can stay for several months while they get help finding employment and stable housing. On Jan. 4, Stephens was expecting about 30 residents to spend the night, including senior citizens and a two-week-old baby.

The Waukegan-area PADS program continues to provide overnight shelter on different nights of the week at 18 area churches, she said.

“I think PADS is a great place,” Williams said. “I didn’t know it existed.”

Several students at St. Martin de Porres were familiar with the center, said Katherine Caskey, because a team of six came to clean the building on St. Martin’s Nov. 3 feast day, a day of community service for school students and staff.

Others came to join the urban plunge, including freshmen RJ Saura and Vanessa Copado.

Neither had been at PADS before, but they had volunteered at other community agencies and welcomed the chance to contribute.

“I like to give back to the community,” Copado said.

“It makes you feel good to help people,” Saura added.