WILMINGTON — The Diocese of Wilmington was a stop this summer for two groups from Catholic Heart Work Camp, a series of short-term service trips that bring together young people from all over the country.
After hosting a camp in Dover in June, about 200 teens and adult leaders descended on the Wilmington area in July. From their home base at Saint Mark’s High School, they fanned out around the area to lend a hand at various locations. Some were at the Jeanne Jugan Residence or Marydale Retirement Village in Newark, others at Resurrection Parish in Pike Creek. Others helped a blind Wilmington resident, and a group of about 30 spent their days at Catholic Charities in Wilmington.
Diana Healy, one of the adult leaders who accompanied the group at Charities, arrived from Pasadena, Md., where she is a member of St. Jane Frances Parish. She said the teens from her parish held fundraisers to be able to attend Catholic Heart Work Camp. It is something they mark on their calendar.
“The kids look forward to this all year, to be able to serve Christ by serving others. For some of them, they’re returning for a second year,” she said. “You don’t quite know exactly what to expect. You have to trust the Holy Spirit that when you get here, you’re going to be in the right place at the right time.”
At Charities’ main office, the students did a lot of painting, among some other tasks. They also did some work outside in the searing heat and humidity that finally dissipated halfway through the week. Most were from the northeast. Lisa Schieffert, director of program operations at Catholic Charities, said the youth were a great help to the agency.
“It’s awesome having youth here bringing a little bit of energy to us. I just love the fact that they want to spend a week of their summer living the faith,” she said.
Taylor Donlan, 18, a recent high school graduate from Long island, N.Y., participated in Catholic Heart Work Camp for the third summer. She said she was a bit apprehensive the first year she did it, but after a few days she knew she wanted to continue.
“The work that we do is very helpful, inspiring,” Donlan said. “My first year, we helped an old woman fix up her house, and she was in tears by the end of it, and it just left an impact on me.”
Another returnee is Nina Boeckeler, a 16-year-old who was one of several students from Northborough, Mass., to make the trip. She was in New Jersey last year, “and I loved it. I wanted to come back again. I like doing service.”
Boeckeler, a member of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Northborough, said working outside in the heat was challenging, but she believes it helped tighten the bond among the students.
“If you were trying to lift something, and it was too heavy, you were like, ‘Hey, can you help me out?’ And you work together. I feel like it brought our group closer together. I think it’s a good bonding activity, and it’s also nice to help people,” she said.
Another of the Northborough group, Julia Landgren, also 16, said she is part of the Youth Service League at her parish, and her friends did the CHWC last year, so she wanted to experience it. The idea of helping others appeals to her.
“I think it’s really cool to experience places you haven’t gone, and you get to help people around the country. Honestly, doing the work every day is my favorite part of the day,” she said, adding that she’ll be signing up again next summer.
One of the younger volunteers was Logan Greenbeck-Marsh, a 14-year-old from Pasadena and a member of St. Jane Frances Parish. She also participated last year and said the experience changed her.
“I feel a lot closer to God now. Everything is lovely,” she said. “I love to help people. Everybody I’ve met here is wonderful. It’s truly amazing.”
Andy Laman, 16, also of Northborough, said the people in his group were great to work with.
“I think people work well together when they’re all here for a similar reason, and I think that’s been put on display,” he said.
Greenbeck-Marsh, who will be a high school freshman this fall, appreciated the opportunity to meet teens from other parts of the country who share a faith and a desire to help others.
Each day, after they finished their volunteer work, all of the groups would return to Saint Mark’s, where they would share details about their day. The campers also had prayer time and Mass, adoration and reconciliation. They ate in the school cafeteria and slept on air mattresses and cots in classrooms. They also had some free time and were able to take advantage of the gymnasium and athletic fields.
“You learn quickly to live in community,” Healy said. “We have the opportunity to go out and meet other Catholics from all over the United States, serve with them and learn from their experiences and relationships with God.”
Boeckeler said they had the right amount of free time to get to know the campers in their group and some of the others. Donlan, a member of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Islip Terrace, N.Y., said the programs they had when they returned to Saint Mark’s were “amazing. They just really bring us closer to God.
“I can feel the presence of God when we’re all together.”
