DATE: Sunday, July 27, 1997                 TAG: 9707250220

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 04   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MARK YOUNG, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   66 lines

SAMARITAN HOUSE VOLUNTEER EARNS GOOD MEMORIES THE NOTRE DAME UNIVERSITY JUNIOR SPENT HER SUMMER HELPING OUT WITH PROGRAMS.

Being a positive role model can mean just wearing a funny yellow T-shirt and providing a push to a boy's swing; sometimes it's just looking when a little girl says ``Look at me!''

For Shaye Loughlin, 20, it meant these small things and a lot more.

Loughlin, a rising junior at Notre Dame University, spent her summer as a volunteer for Samaritan House in Virginia Beach.

Loughlin worked with children whose families suffered from homelessness or domestic abuse. In the course of her duties, she was ``van driver, counselor, conflict resolution specialist, and baby sitter,'' said her supervisor, Children's Advocate/Project K.I.D.S. Coordinator Susan Owens. Aside from accompanying children ages 3 to 15 on field trips, Loughlin helped them make arts and crafts and provided day care support while their mothers attended training and support groups.

At a going-away party held recently at a local park, Loughlin's charges looked back on their summer together.

``My favorite thing was `Hercules,' '' said 4-year-old Cary, whose last name cannot be used because of confidentiality concerns.

Loughlin had her first Slurpee in Virginia Beach. ``She shared that moment with us,'' said 15-year-old Precious, another of her charges. Other outings included a puppet show and a trip to the Marine Science Museum.

``She did things with them that other kids take for granted. Going to see ``Batman'' or ``Hercules'' is a really big deal for these kids. Even McDonald's - for these kids - that's money they don't have. To see their excitement, it's amazing,'' said Owens, who said she has seen the value of this summer program firsthand. ``People say you can't change the world, but sometimes you can change a little piece of it. If you affect one child, that makes a difference.''

Loughlin volunteered under a program sponsored by her university's alumni association. This is the third year a Notre Dame student has helped out at Samaritan House. Each year many student volunteers serve nationwide. While she has served here, a friend worked in Florida at an AIDS hospice, and another helped teen-age prostitutes in Canada.

Loughlin has been baby-sitting in her hometown of Hunt Valley, Md., since she was in sixth grade and seems to have a special way with her young charges. Some mothers said their children looked forward to seeing her everyday. ``They didn't care if I was with them or not. In the morning they'd wait right by the window - sometimes for a half hour. I'd tell them they'd see her anyway when she came, but they'd wait right by that window,'' said one mother of her two children.

During her nine-week stay, Loughlin lived with local sponsors Kim Melnyk and her husband, George. Madeline Melnyk, 3, gave up her room during Loughlin's visit but became a special friend just the same.

``I'm her only friend in Virginia Beach,'' she quipped.

The Southeastern Virginia Notre Dame Alumni Club and the university's alumni association will contribute $1,700 to Loughlin's education this fall in recognition for her efforts this summer.

Despite the fact that she might have earned more money in another job, Loughlin said, ``I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I've had an awesome summer.'' ILLUSTRATION: Shaye Loughlin, 20, of Hunt Valley, Md., worked with

children during her nine-week stint at Samaritan House.

Photos by PHILIP HOLMAN

Shaye Loughlin gives a child a push on a swing during an outing at

Kings Grant Neighborhood Park.

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