September - St. Augustine Catholic
September - St. Augustine Catholic
September - St. Augustine Catholic
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God’s Love<br />
Transformed by<br />
B y A m e l i a E u d y<br />
Local Youth Make a Difference<br />
in the Lives of the Poor<br />
Sweating through their work clothes, cleaning toilets,<br />
sleeping on the floor in a parish hall and swatting<br />
away bugs is not the way most teenagers would<br />
choose to spend a week during their summer vacation.<br />
But that’s exactly what about 50 teens did for a week<br />
in early June – and some even paid money to do it.<br />
Amelia Eudy<br />
Julia Moody, 15, and Brian O’Shea,<br />
15, rake leaves in the yard of an<br />
83-year-old disabled gentleman<br />
from <strong>St</strong>. John Parish.<br />
As participants in two social justice<br />
programs – SPLUNGE and Urban Plunge<br />
– youth and young adults were given an<br />
opportunity to form relationships with men,<br />
women and children who are easily forgotten<br />
or neglected. All came away with a better<br />
knowledge of the needs in their community<br />
and many agreed that the experience helped<br />
them understand that simple acts can truly<br />
change and transform the world.<br />
In Putnam County, one of the poorest<br />
counties in Florida, 15-year-old Hayley<br />
Bowker struggled to extend a paint roller<br />
dripping with pink paint. She is not an expert<br />
painter, nor is pink her favorite color, but<br />
Carolyn “Sue” Clark wanted a rose-colored<br />
house. Clark relies on the help of a motorized<br />
wheelchair to get around her small, tile-floor<br />
home. It’s the only place she gets to see these<br />
days because she is homebound and lives dayto-day<br />
on a low, fixed income.<br />
“I never liked the color the government<br />
painted my house and we never had the<br />
money to do anything with it ourselves,” Sue<br />
said. “Ever since I lost my husband it seems<br />
like everything has been dark. Pink was my<br />
husband’s favorite color.”<br />
Although the temperature reached 90<br />
degrees as crews painted, being able to help<br />
someone living below the poverty level<br />
touched the hearts of the young volunteers.<br />
“They feel like they’re making a difference in<br />
people’s lives and that’s very empowering,”<br />
said Jan Balota, youth director for <strong>St</strong>. Elizabeth<br />
Ann Seton Parish in Palm Coast. Youth from<br />
<strong>St</strong>. Elizabeth Ann Seton and <strong>St</strong>. John Parish<br />
in Interlachen participated together in Urban<br />
Plunge, a program designed to serve the<br />
people Christ wants us to serve. The youth<br />
worked closely with volunteers from the <strong>St</strong>.<br />
Vincent de Paul Society of Interlachen who<br />
helped identify the clients and their needs.<br />
“We try to take care of their (the poor<br />
and disabled) spiritual needs, but they have<br />
physical needs, too,” said Father Bob Napier,<br />
who is especially familiar with the needs of<br />
the community surrounding his parish, <strong>St</strong>.<br />
John in Interlachen. Father Bob moved out<br />
of the rectory to give the female volunteers<br />
a “home base” for the week. He enjoyed<br />
hosting the teens at his parish and stressed the<br />
importance of giving them opportunities to<br />
14 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>September</strong> 2007