The idea behind Hitting for Hunger was not a new one for Frank Zirille. In fact, he came up with it when he was the director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. It seemed ideal, mixing his interest in sports with a way to raise money for charity.

Except instead of Parkview Field and the TinCaps, it was Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs.

Wrigley said no, but the idea never left Zirille’s mind.

Zirille, 68, has now been executive director of Wellspring Interfaith Social Services Inc. for eight years, and his great idea is finally coming to fruition Sunday. Folks can purchase 10 swings of a bat at Parkview Field, pitched by TinCaps president Mike Nutter.

Ticket sales are going well, Zirille says, but seeing as this is the first year for the event, it can be nerve-racking not having a previous year of experience to prepare him.

Zirille has always been interested in volunteering, but his path to Fort Wayne and Wellspring has taken a few detours and roundabouts.

Q. How did you get started volunteering?

A. When I was in school (at Notre Dame), I always worked as a student in the sports information department. I went and taught high school in St. Louis at the first high school west of the Mississippi, which was a good experience. Kids were great. It was a very disadvantaged school. I even became tennis coach without ever playing tennis in my life; they needed a coach, and I needed the money.

Then Notre Dame offered me a full-time job back as assistant director of sports information. This was back in 1966. I accepted that job, and it was a good year. We won the (football) national championship. It was a fun year, but my undergrad degree was in sociology, and I think I had more of a yearning to be in a more helping profession. Athletics were fun, but they didn’t seem to go where I wanted to go.

At that time, the (Charles Stewart) Mott Foundation in Flint, Mich., was supporting community school education. You could get your doctorate, and they were training you to be a community school director. I wanted to explore that. I went up to Flint in order to find out about that program. In that building where the Mott Foundation was, was also the Big Brothers/Big Sisters building. I ended up stopping in and talking to the director. I became more aware of Big Brothers/Big Sisters because at that time, there wasn’t a program in my area.

It was sort of ironic: When I came back to South Bend, within a couple of weeks, there was a little ad in the South Bend Tribune. They were looking for a director in Niles, Mich., to start a Big Brother program, 10 hours a week. I thought it was – what do you call it? – kismet or something. I answered the ad and went up there and started working 10 hours for a year. I couldn’t continue to work at Notre Dame because of the odd hours. So I ended up teaching again for another year and a half until that (Big Brothers) program became full time. I was there five years from 1967 to ’72.

(One weekend,) I came with other people to Muncie on a Saturday to talk about Big Brothers/Big Sisters. We broke down in small groups, and in my small group was Don Wolf. Don for many, many years was the CEO of Do it Best (in Fort Wayne). He wanted his company to be involved in some charity, and Big Brothers fit for him.

They were looking, and I was fortunate. You know some days you’re on some days you’re not? I must have had a lot of coffee because I was popping and had a lot of enthusiasm. After the meeting, he said, “If we get a program in Fort Wayne, would you be interested in talking about it?” I said sure. So it was probably only four or five months later (when) he called me to come down. I interviewed for the job and actually started here April 10, 1972. That’s when the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program started (in Fort Wayne), and I was the first director. At that time, I was the only person. I had a part-time secretary. It was like starting a business. It was challenging and fun, and there was a payoff. The payoff was that kids were given opportunities. We were affecting lives, and that was important.

Q. How long were you director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters?

A. Until ’94. After 22 years, I thought it was probably time for a change. I was sort of looking at my options. The Chicago job was open. That (Big Brothers/Big Sisters) program was about a third of the size of Fort Wayne’s. It was interesting because it hadn’t done well, so it presented a real unique challenge. I was there eight years, from ’94 to 2000.

Q. How did the program change while you were there?

A. What we had done in Fort Wayne was we reached out to other counties, and we had offices in other counties, so we decentralized. In Chicago, their model had always been “downtown office,” and they really didn’t have much presence where a lot of the poverty was. So when I interviewed, my vision was to establish some offices in high-need areas, not only to reach kids but also to reach volunteers. We were able to do it, and we were able to grow the agency on the par sizewise with Fort Wayne.

Q. Why did you leave?

A. I came back here because I have kids – what are they? 43, 42 and 41 – and they all ended up in (Fort Wayne), which doesn’t happen that often. At that time when I came back, I had six or seven grandkids. I have 10 now.

Q. Do you think you’re retiring any time soon?

A. No, no. I mean I enjoy what I do, and I have energy. That’s a tough one. Certain friends, I tell, “When you’re talkin’ behind my back, come and tell me,” because you’re the last one to figure out that you’re no longer relevant. I think I’m probably my worst judge. I know what I expect out of myself, and as long as I reach that level, I’ll work as long as I can.

Q. Why do you like volunteering?

A. It’s fun for me when you see kids responding to the program, responding to counselors. I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that about 23 percent of people that work in our summer day camp were at one time kids in the summer program. I mean, that’s cool.

Q. Over the years, have you seen volunteerism go up or down?

A. I’m just back from my 50th high school reunion, and (my generation) didn’t do anything. I worked ’cause my dad had a business, and we sold ice cream, but there was very little social action by the kids (then), and now there’s quite a bit, and I think that’s more important.

jyouhana@jg.net