Connections - An Alumni and Friends Magazine by Holy Cross College, Notre Dame, IN
One Who Answered the Call,
Tim Holewczynski '09
Tim Holewczynski is a May 2009 graduate of Holy Cross College and someone to know. While he admits to having been uninvolved for his first few years, his international experience to Ghana in 2009 changed him. He returned from his trip and and hit the ground running. "Holy Cross had always presented me with opportunities to do good, but before my trip, I ignored them. When I returned I felt I couldn't ignore God's call for me to do more with my life," says Holewczynski
Upon his return from Ghana, Holewczynski noticed a lack of service organizations at Holy Cross College and thus found his mission. He started a chapter of the group Tri Kappa International (TKI) that originated in Ghana, wanting the group to focus on students who felt a call to serve after their international experience. TKI took off at the end of Holewczynski's junior year and it quickly became a school-recognized club. "My main objectives were to have a fall and spring break trip to build houses with Habitat for Humanity. Over fall break, our group worked with Notre Dame's Habitat for Humanity club and built one full house on the west side of South Bend."
Holewczynski wrote a proposal to fund the spring break trip expenses and submitted it to the Student Government Association. While the SGA agreed to fund the majority of the trip, Br. Chris Dreyer obtained a $400 grant from the Indiana Campus Compact and Holewczynski received $280 towards the trip from the Meijer Store on Portage Road in South Bend. Between the grants, donations, and contributions from the students, TKI ended up spending less than half of the money provided by the SGA. "In a time when everyone is reducing budgets and spending, we proved that there are still generous donors who want to help. We could have relied solely on what was given to us by the school, but we found funding and were diligent about spending the money responsibly," Holewczynski explained.
“I recruited eight guys and seven girls to travel to Picayune, Mississippi to build a house in Pearl River County where Hurricaine Katrina destroyed hundreds of homes. The trip was a complete success. We actually worked on two houses," says Holewczynski enthusiastically. “The first house we built was for a grandmother and her four grandchildren who were living in a FEMA trailer after her house was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Our little group was able to help two families into a great new homes. That's a big deal! We labored hard and had fun," says Holewczynski. He is proud not only for what they accomplished, but for having helped give students a chance to participate in such a worthy project. Instead of taking a typical spring break vacation of fun in the sun, they carried out the mission of the Brothers of Holy Cross by driving the Holy Cross College bus to Mississippi and helping those in need.
The formation of this service organization was not Holewczynski's only contribution to Holy Cross College. He has also served as President of the Residence Hall Council, was a Student Senate and Adoration Crew, was Vice President of Athletics, and was a Residence Assistant for Basil Hall. He even became a varsity athlete, running for the cross country team! Holewczynski graduated May 9, 2009, with a BA in both business and liberal studies. "None of this could have happened without the wonderful relationships I have developed with faculty, staff, peers, and local business associates. I owe almost all of my accomplishments to Br. Chris Dreyer for his support and encouragement. He taught me to never settle, to remain restless, and push myself towards excellence," says Holewczynski. Holewczynski will be missed, but he leaves a legacy of involvement and social awareness that will not be forgotten at Holy Cross College.