On the first day of the National Youth Sports Program, a continuous line of South Bend children stream off the bus at Notre Dame's Stepan Center to begin 25 days of sports, arts and education.

Under the warm summer sun, the program directors and student counselors begin to sweat as the count passes 300 children, then 400, finally stopping around 425 children.

They had over 30 percent more children than 2003-a record year for the 14-year-old program.

For the Center's program directors, Rebecca Pettit and Carl Loesch, and student counselors, the challenges of running a sports camp for so many children from economically depressed areas in South Bend are formidable. The rewards, though, are similarly great.

"At the end of camp," said Pettit, director of Urban Programming and Initiatives at the Center, "we see such dramatic changes in these children.

"We see improved attitudes, an enthusiasm for our sports and arts programs and warmth for Notre Dame and its campus.

"This is direct service that has tangible results to 400 families in the community," added Pettit.

"This is a story that will be told over and over again among countless families."

The National Youth Sports Program at Notre Dame is one of 200 such camps held on campuses around the country. It is funded in part by the NCAA, but also though in-kind donations from Notre Dame, the City of South Bend, the Andrews McMeel Scholarship Fund and private alumni donors.

The benefits of NYSP are many. For the children, the sports camp provides a structured and caring interaction with the Notre Dame community.

For student camp counselors, this is a chance to engage in their local community and see the impact of service-learning.

For the University, it is a powerful step toward integrating and supporting the South Bend community.