Arlington, VA Teens Spend Time to Fix Homes for Needy Families
Over 800 teens from Arlington, VA opted to start their summer break by getting their hands dirty and doing something good for their neighbors in need.
A total of 830 young men and women joined the WorkCamp 2018 program of the Arlington Diocese of the Catholic Church of America from June 23 to 28 to serve the underprivileged residents from northern and central counties of the state. The teenagers were tasked to repair the homes of 120 families.
Falls Church News-Press talked to 15-year-old Clare Sparling of St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church in Fairfax to talk about her experience with the WorkCamp program.
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"The first time I went I was skeptical and thought I wouldn't like it," Sparling said to describe how she felt when she first arrived at WorkCamp in 2017. But after spending some time within the program, her perception changed. "There was such a great camaraderie. Everyone was enthusiastic, and the residents were so appreciative," she said.
She also mentioned that she joined the second WorkCamp again because she enjoyed her time with the program last year.
According to diocesan Director of the Office Youth, Campus and Young Adult Ministries Kevin Bohli, the objective of the WorkCamp is to pull the teenagers out of their comfort zone and inspire them to deal with different 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," Bohli also said.
WUSA9 also mentioned that some of the work that the teen volunteers had to deal with include painting the house and weatherproofing its windows for a single father who lives with his six children, as well as to replace the roof of the home of a disabled man.
