form relationships with those they serve. “It’s about creating personal connections in a spirit of solidarity with people who are often passed by and ignored,” says Egan. “By listen- ing attentively and offering kindness and conversation, [students] can make a small but significant difference.” This past spring, Labre acted as a pilot for


the University’s crowdfunding efforts—with overwhelmingly generous results. Within five days the student-run organization was able to meet its fundraising goal of $2,000 to sup- port the group’s summer outreach efforts, but donations continued to come in. The group went on to more than double its goal, winding up with a total of $4,600 raised. “All of our basic needs will be met,” says


Nicole Chmela, Water Tower ministry’s program director, who has been with Labre for its entire eight-year history. But these op- erating goods—things like hot dogs, granola bars, lemonade, and the coolers in which to put them—aren’t the most important parts of Labre’s work. “We use food as the mechanism for


interaction and dialogue, but really it’s more about building a relationship,” Chmela says. Those relationships have included highs


and lows. Chmela says they have seen some people move back into housing, and others have moved away but later returned. There have also been some individuals experienc- ing homelessness who Labre members have continued to see since the group’s inception. Although the focus is on the change that


can be enacted on the lives of those on the street, there is also a change that occurs within the students involved. “It’s really at the heart of our Jesuit education,” says Chmela. “Students going out to meet people where they are, sharing their stories, and then com- ing back and reflecting on that in light of their own lives.” Being on a campus in the heart of Chicago


means students are surrounded by need; those who are struggling to make ends meet are often as close as the nearest sidewalk. Labre serves as an avenue for students to get out of their classrooms to really see what’s going on in the city. “Labre is an avenue for students to . . . ex-


perience some reality of the streets,” says Chmela. “That informs how they use and value their education, then in turn, what they will do when they leave Loyola. And I think that’s really a beautiful thing.” L


SCHOOL OF EDUCATION The teach achers’ assistant


Last year, Anne Bond received what may have been the most daunting assignment of her college career. Bond and her classmates in Loyola’s reading teacher program were each tasked with crafting a curriculum for books selected by Illinois Reads, an initiative of the Illinois Reading Council that promotes literacy by highlighting the work of local authors. But this was more than just a classroom exercise— the students were told that their work would be made available to teachers statewide for use in their classrooms.


Bond admits to being a bit nervous about


creating something that would have such a broad reach. But she also recognized that it was an excellent opportunity to hone her skills as a teacher. For her book she selected The Detective’s Assistant by Chicago author Kate Hannigan—which is aimed at the same elementary grade levels that Bond hopes to one day teach—and she began developing a curriculum that includes thematic discus- sions, Smartboard activities, and a vocabulary review. Her goal was to create engaging activi- ties for students and an easily accessible guide for teachers, and Bond and her classmates helped each other make their lesson plans as classroom-ready as possible. “We all thought about what we would want to pick up if we were teaching,” she says. The assignment stemmed from a collabora-


tion between Loyola and Illinois Reads, which each year selects a group of books aimed at age levels from pre-K through adults. Loyola professor Jane Hunt developed the project as a way for students to gain experience in designing curriculum materials while support- ing literacy education in Illinois. Over the past two years, 17 Loyola students have completed teacher guides that are currently available for download on the Illinois Reads website. “It has been a really great way for our under-


graduates to become involved in a statewide project,” says Hunt. “There are so many teach- ers who are hired who never write any kind of curriculum that is even shared at a school or district level. And our teacher candidates are working on materials that teachers anywhere can have access to.” For Bond, the project had another


unexpected benefit. She decided to send a nt


Loyola senior Anne Bond reads a copy of The Detective’s Assistant.


message to Hannigan through the author’s website and was pleasantly surprised to receive a prompt reply. The two struck up a conversation, and Hannigan was able to pro- vide insight that allowed Bond to expand her work on the book’s themes. She also added information to her guide on how teachers can connect with Hannigan for school visits or Skype chats with their classes. And when Bond shared her work with the author, Hannigan was so impressed that she asked permission to post a copy of the guide on her website, too. “I think the partnership between all of these


people who really care about reading and who care about kids getting a quality reading education is so beneficial,” Bond says. “It has created so many great guides for teachers to use, and great relationships with authors and teachers all around the state. So many children have benefitted.” Tammy Potts, chairperson of Illinois Reads,


agrees that the collaboration has been a big success. When she’s shown the guides created by Loyola students to teachers, Potts sums up their response in one word: “Wow!” She says that’s a testament to the talent and creativity of the students, which in turn has furthered the mission of Illinois Reads. “It’s a win-win,” Potts says. “Students get to


learn and practice in the Loyola environment, and the teachers in Illinois get to reap the benefits.” —Scott Alessi


SUMMER 2016 29


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