Katie Day

Katie Day is a young Regnum Christi member who stands out in her high school for her spirit of service and her involvement in a wide range of activities. After being selected by a U.S. senator as the Plymouth High School representative for an Indiana Service Leaders Summit, Katie was interviewed for an article in the November 7, 2007 issue of the South Bend Tribune, a local newspaper in her home state of Indiana. The article, reprinted with permission, appears below.

She enjoys helping but doesn´t want credit

RUSTY NIXON
Tribune Correspondent

PLYMOUTH, November 7, 2007. Grabbing the headline is not something that appeals to Katie Day.

The Plymouth High School senior has made a lifestyle out of quiet service to others.

"I feel guilty being interviewed for this," she said with obvious candor. "It´s community service. It´s the integrity you have when nobody else is watching."

Katie caught the attention of one particular someone else. U.S. Senator Evan Bayh selected Day as the Plymouth High School representative for the fifth annual Indiana Service Leaders Summit, held recently at Indiana-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Katie began her service early, joining her church youth group and getting involved.

"We´ve always done a lot of volunteer projects," she said. "I actually feel really bad taking credit for this.

"When I do a project, I really don´t want it broadcast that´s what I did. It seems wrong to do that."

Along with her church group, Katie is active as a volunteer for Angels in Action, Key Club, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and is president of her National Honor Society chapter. The daughter of Ron and Lori Day, of Plymouth, Katie will take her heart for service even further after graduation.

She will take a year before going to college and spend time with the Catholic service organization, Regnum Christi.

"I was a co-worker for 40 days in Atlanta over the summer," she said.

"I absolutely loved doing it. My parents are so supportive of me. I was surprised that they let me take a year off before going to college, but they said if that´s what I really need to do, then go do it.

"I go to Michigan and they study me and based on what they observe they determine where I will best be suited. My dad wants me to stay in the United States, but I´d kind of like to go overseas."She said her best memory of service was a time in Chicago.

"We were going door to door, encouraging people to come to Mass," she said.

"We spent time talking with one man; he had a very sad story. His wife had left him and taken his son, and he said he was going to be at Mass that Sunday.

"When he didn´t show up, I was really sad, so we went back to talk to him and nobody was at his house. We left him a long letter telling him that we loved him and hoped to see him at Mass soon.

"On the way out, one of his neighbors stopped us and said that after we´d talked to him the last time, he talked to his wife and they were getting back together and he went to get his son."It obviously wasn´t anything I had done, but I love that story so much."