Service Week, July 8 – 12, 2024
Media Alert – 50 Teens from St. Joseph Parish (Libertyville) to Volunteer at Local Non-Profits During Service Week, July 8 – 12, 2024
WHAT: Fifty teens from St. Joseph Parish (Libertyville) will spend a week of their summer vacations volunteering at local non-profits starting on Monday, July 8, 2024. Each day, volunteers will have different service opportunities at Feed My Starving Children, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Equestrian Connection, that helps people with disabilities, and the parish’s bed ministry that builds, assembles and delivers beds to children in need.
The parish’s SHINE (St. Joe’s Helping in Neighborhoods Everywhere) outreach is a local service week for seventh graders through high school-age youth. The goal of the service week is to build community, grow in faith and serve others.
In collaboration with non-profit hosts, media can cover volunteers participating at these sites: * Media note: Please coordinate in advance with archdiocesan and/or parish communications staff to cover events. *
• Monday, July 8 from 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.:
Equestrian Connection, 600 Bradley Rd., Lake Forest. This charity provides equine-assisted therapy to improve the physical, mental and emotional well-being of children and adults with special needs.
The teens will help with indoor and outdoor projects such as painting pasture fences, pulling rocks and horse hoof irritants from the pastures, bush whacking on the trails, cleaning the waterfront and indoor arena, washing the stall walls, etc. If there’s inclement weather, the volunteers will focus on activities in the barn.
• Tuesday, July 9 from 10 – 11:30 a.m.:
Northern Illinois Food Bank, 13950 W. Business Center Dr., Lake Forest.
Teens will inspect, sort and package food. Their efforts will help ensure that nutritious meals get to those in need.
• Thursday, July 11 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.:
St. Joseph Parish Bed Ministry, 130 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville.
Teens will sand, cut, drill and build the frames at a space the parish owns nearby, which also houses the parish’s food pantry.
o Additional background: St. Joseph Parish Bed Ministry provides free beds for children whose families can't afford them. The parish started the ministry in November 2018, meeting weekly, and has built and donated more than 2,000 beds to kids in need in northern Cook, Lake, McHenry, Kane and parts of DuPage, Boone and Walworth (Wisconsin) counties.
From April 2023 - April 2024, the ministry delivered 763 beds alone. Currently, the parish has over 100 requests on its list, and more come in daily.
Once the beds are made, they are delivered to the child’s home/room as well as a donated mattress, pillow and bedding so it is ready to be slept in. The bed ministry relies on donations for bedding, which includes pillows, sheets, blankets and comforters.
• Friday, July 12 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.:
Feed My Starving Children in 742 E. Park Ave., Libertyville.
Teens will pack meals for children around the world in need of food.
WHEN: Monday, July 8 – Friday, July 12, 2024
The parish’s SHINE (St. Joe’s Helping in Neighborhoods Everywhere) outreach is a local service week for seventh graders through high school-age youth. The goal of the service week is to build community, grow in faith and serve others.
In collaboration with non-profit hosts, media can cover volunteers participating at these sites: * Media note: Please coordinate in advance with archdiocesan and/or parish communications staff to cover events. *
• Monday, July 8 from 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.:
Equestrian Connection, 600 Bradley Rd., Lake Forest. This charity provides equine-assisted therapy to improve the physical, mental and emotional well-being of children and adults with special needs.
The teens will help with indoor and outdoor projects such as painting pasture fences, pulling rocks and horse hoof irritants from the pastures, bush whacking on the trails, cleaning the waterfront and indoor arena, washing the stall walls, etc. If there’s inclement weather, the volunteers will focus on activities in the barn.
• Tuesday, July 9 from 10 – 11:30 a.m.:
Northern Illinois Food Bank, 13950 W. Business Center Dr., Lake Forest.
Teens will inspect, sort and package food. Their efforts will help ensure that nutritious meals get to those in need.
• Thursday, July 11 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.:
St. Joseph Parish Bed Ministry, 130 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville.
Teens will sand, cut, drill and build the frames at a space the parish owns nearby, which also houses the parish’s food pantry.
o Additional background: St. Joseph Parish Bed Ministry provides free beds for children whose families can't afford them. The parish started the ministry in November 2018, meeting weekly, and has built and donated more than 2,000 beds to kids in need in northern Cook, Lake, McHenry, Kane and parts of DuPage, Boone and Walworth (Wisconsin) counties.
From April 2023 - April 2024, the ministry delivered 763 beds alone. Currently, the parish has over 100 requests on its list, and more come in daily.
Once the beds are made, they are delivered to the child’s home/room as well as a donated mattress, pillow and bedding so it is ready to be slept in. The bed ministry relies on donations for bedding, which includes pillows, sheets, blankets and comforters.
• Friday, July 12 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.:
Feed My Starving Children in 742 E. Park Ave., Libertyville.
Teens will pack meals for children around the world in need of food.
WHEN: Monday, July 8 – Friday, July 12, 2024
Contact: Media Relations Office, 312-534-8227.