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We moved the location of
the “Service Plunge” this year. We operated
from the “Gathering Space” in the lower
Church, and we purchased pretty blue t-shirts for the
teens. We started each day with prayer and shared from
time to time what it was like to work at the various
sites.
Forty teens and many parents arrived Monday, June 28th,
the first day of the Service Plunge. It was pretty hot,
but they all made it to the Franklin “Y”
to the ropes course. We start the “Service Plunge”
here because it builds community among all the teens
that are all different ages. If you were to ask the
teens what was the best part of the day….almost
everyone would say that that the high ropes was the
greatest!
We did our usual car wash at the Council on Aging on
Tuesday and a few teens also stuffed envelopes for their
newsletter while they were there. After the car wash
and a quick lunch, this group joined another group at
the Wakefield Estate where they worked together in the
woods clearing a path. On this day also four teens and
a chaperone went to Bethany House in Framingham to visit
the retired sisters. Still another group went to Fr.
Bill’s Place to make lunch for the clients and
then to stack the shelves at Mainspring in Brockton.
A large group went to Long Island Shelter on both Tuesday
and Wednesday and spent time picking weeds in their
garden: a garden that helps to feed a number of people
who spend time at Long Island Shelter. It was a tough
job….and some of the kids really had to be careful
of the thorns in a particular spot.
On Wednesday a large group also sent to Cradles to Crayons
in the morning and afternoon. This is a worksite where
our young people see firsthand how really poor some
families are, and it makes them realize how much they
have….it is a real eye opener.
In the morning on Thursday, we visited several other
worksites: 65 Miller Street, Quincy Interfaith Social
Services, Mass Hospital in Canton, and the South Neighborhood
House in Boston. A small group planned the Liturgy for
our Mass later in the day and still another group organized
the salad for our luncheon over at the Council on Aging.
The whole group met at the Council on Aging around noon
and the teens sat and ate with the senior citizens.
We played a game with the seniors after lunch and the
teens brought in prizes for the winners. Mary Sheedy’s
grandchildren and Amy Teehan’s daughter Emma distributed
the prizes. We all had fun this week but it was hard
work. It was truly a wonderful experience and we never
heard a complaint from our young people. They were all
faithful to their commitments. Ellen Cronin and I are
most grateful to the parents that help make this possible
and, we are especially proud of these young people who
gave up some of their summer to help make a difference
in our world, a world that sometimes speaks so negatively
about teens. We are looking forward to “Service
Plunge 2011.”
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