“They live
without their cell phones, and are asked to do hard physical labor in the hot
sun and to come face to face with a neighbor who is in need.” - Kevin Bohli, Director of the Office of Youth, Campus and Young Adult Ministries
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22,
2018
ARLINGTON,
Va. – Eight-hundred and thirty teenagers from throughout the Catholic Diocese
of Arlington will serve the
underprivileged in eight northern and central Virginia counties during
WorkCamp 2018, June 23-29. The
teenagers will focus on projects designed to make 120 homes safer and
drier. This year’s 135 projects include
everything from replacing a roof for a disabled man to painting a house and
weatherproofing windows for a single father with six children.
The homes are located in Stafford, Spotsylvania (Fredericksburg), Hanover, Louisa, Orange, Caroline, Culpeper, and King George.
“The
first time I went I was skeptical and thought I wouldn’t like it,” say 15-year-old Clare Sparling of St. Mary of Sorrows
Catholic Church in Fairfax. But when Clare arrived at WorkCamp last year, she
says, everything changed. “There was such a
great camaraderie. Everyone was enthusiastic, and the residents were so
appreciative,” she says. This will be Clare’s second WorkCamp. “I came
back with such a positive outlook; I want to experience it again,” she says.
According
to a study conducted by the
Corporation for National and Community Service, 30.6% of Virginia residents
volunteer, making Virginia 16th among the 50 states and Washington,
D.C. and according to a study by the U.S. Department of
Labor and Bureau Statistics, teenagers between 17-19 years-old had a relatively
high volunteer rate of 26.4% in 2015.
“WorkCamp pulls teens out of their comfort
zone and forces them to confront so many new circumstances. They live without
their cell phones, they are placed in workgroups with 5 complete strangers, and
are asked to do hard physical labor in the hot sun and to come face to face
with a neighbor who is in need,” explained Kevin Bohli, diocesan Director of
the Office Youth, Campus and Young Adult Ministries, which organizes WorkCamp. What’s
more, Bohli says this experience teaches them countless life lessons and
encourages them to confront where God fits in their life.
This
will be WorkCamp’s 29th year sponsored by
the Diocese of Arlington's Office of Youth, Campus and Young Adult Ministries. The
weeklong experience—based out of Massaponax High School in Fredericksburg this
year—will also include daily Mass, an evening program complete with music and
talks to help the young people reflect upon the experience, and other
high-energy activities for them and their adult leaders.