St. Mary’s Home has a secret treasure that has been hidden for the last 5 years. But thanks to three DePaul University freshmen participating in a work-study program called EDGE (Educational Development Grant for Employability) the Big Dipper ice cream shop is back in business.
Allyson Makuh, Katie Noah, and Michael McGonigle have chosen to do community service at St. Mary’s Home every Monday as part of their work study program to fulfill one of the many program requirements. But I couldn’t help but wonder if they would do community service without it. And each volunteer had a unique answer.
Michael said, “I would still volunteer and want to give back to the community, but I don’t think I would have known about St. Mary’s Home without EDGE”.
“Volunteering here is great. Interacting with the Residents reminds me of my grandpa, who I miss a lot,” says Katie, who is far from her Californian home.
For Allyson, the appeal is the backgrounds of each of the Residents. “I love to hear about their stories and personal experiences. They are all so interesting.”
Our volunteers’ first “customer” of the day was Resident Elsie Sawicki. She loved the ice cream but said that she was hoping for “a prize since she was first in line.” The fun continued when Resident Teresa McFadden asked if “Monday would always be ice cream day.” After a quick response of “you bet!” from the group, she joked, “I might have to skip lunch on Mondays now.”
This was just the second week of many to come where the Big Dipper will be open from 3 to 4:30 p.m. serving anyone who
brings a smile.
Our caring servers l. to r., Allyson, Katie and Michael.
Where Ice Cream Only Costs a Smile