A group of St. Anne’s teenagers did their best this summer to live out the Gospel message close to home.
This summer, more than 40 members of the church’s youth group returned to the northwest side of Detroit, where they have worked the past four summers, to brighten up the area.
Under the direction of Lynne Huff, St. Anne’s youth minister, the group sought out a project to fulfill their summer mission message, ‘Justice…just do it!? The teens worked in conjunction with the Motor City Blight Busters, a nonprofit group which secures vacant houses, cleans up debris, mows lawns and renovates and builds housing in the area.
Huff felt the teens would be better served helping out others that are near them, as opposed to traveling to another state on a mission project.
‘It was an avenue to connect with our own area and reach out to people,? Huff said. ‘We felt it would be better to do something locally, where we’d have an impact on people.?
Among other things, the teens tore down a garage, cleared out an abandoned vehicle, swept near a commercial district in their neighborhood, worked on two new housing projects, and filled four large dumpsters by clearing out a house that had been firebombed.
Huff said the neighborhood residents welcomed the teens with open arms and wanted to help in whatever way possible. She also said the experience left a mark on the teens.
‘I think they gained an appreciation for people that live in Detroit,? she said. ‘There are a lot of great people here that are trying to make better lives for themselves. They now understand poverty and how it affects all people. I think that was a real eye-opener for them to see how we can all connect with one another.?
For her part, youth group member Katie Luczak, 15, of Ortonville, believes that objective was met.
‘I feel like I did my part with helping out people,? she said. ‘A lot of people from the community came by to ask if they could help. It was cool to see them come together.?
Luczak said while the area she and the rest of the teens visited is experiencing hard times, the residents are quality people, one reason she plans to help out there in the future.
‘It’s not as bad as people think it is,? she said. ‘There’s a lot of nice people there. I’m planning to go back as long as I can.?