Loyola will host its 17th annual Wolves on the Prowl day of service Nov. 12 at Good Shepherd School and Immaculate Conception Church on Baronne Street. Loyola alumni, students and faculty will volunteer to repaint areas of the campus, clean classrooms, renovate church chairs, clean up the church area and organize a workshop.

Laurie Leiva, director of alumni engagement, expects 25-35 alumni to volunteer in the New Orleans area. She said Loyola’s Wolves on the Prowl event is the largest and longest service event put on by any Jesuit university. According to Leiva, it is the Office of Alumni Engagement’s responsibility to organize and publicize the event with help from the Office of Mission and Ministry and Loyola’s Student Government Association.

“The Wolves on the Prowl tradition of alumni and students gathering together to serve their communities is a tradition that we are proud of,” Leiva said.

According to Deanna Howes, director of communications for the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, Loyola New Orleans is one of 13 Jesuit alumni chapters across the nation that will be working to impact their communities Nov. 12 for the Jesuits’ national day of service.

Leiva estimates more than 300 people nationwide will participate in the service day this year. With an average of three and a half hours per project, she expects Jesuit universities across the country to complete more than 1,000 hours of community service.

Howes said national Jesuit service days have been sponsored by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities for five years, and she believes the program is important in upholding the shared Jesuit value of engaging in community service and forming “men and women for and with others” at all
Jesuit institutions.

“These projects are meant to bring Jesuit alumni together from all walks of life and all different institutions,” Howes said. “In D.C., for example, we had over six schools represented at our service site last year. While it takes some work to plan, the end result makes it worth it when we see people making connections with each other and really enjoying giving back to their local communities.”

Michelle Clarke Payne, A’06, has served with Wolves on the Prowl since her freshman year at Loyola in 2002. After 14 years, she thinks the event is a great way to stay connected with the university and give back to the New Orleans community by putting her faith into action.

“There is something special about gathering here in our own city to provide service to the community we live in while other alumni chapters across the country are doing the exact same thing,” Payne said. “It’s a great way for the Loyola community near and far to come together and make a difference.”