Mendham parish teens serve the poor on Appalachian mission trip

Fifty-four teens and 24 chaperones from St. Joseph Parish in Mendham traveled to Paintsville, Ky., from June 18–24, as part of the parish’s 15th annual Teen Appalachia Mission Trip. The team worked in conjunction with Good Neighbors, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that serves the working poor in Johnson County, Ky.

Good Neighbors arranges the sites that the Mendham Mission Team work on each summer. This year the team’s projects included roof and foundation repair, painting, siding, building decks and wheelchair ramps, and replacing windows and flooring. In return, those, who receive help, are required to undergo financial training to teach them to budget and save; they often turn around and help others in their community. The local families the team serves do not receive any government assistance.

The Mission Team builds special bonds with the families they serve, often having meals together and taking the time to get to know the families and their stories. The experience is life-changing, not only for the families, but also for the volunteers.

“This trip allows our teens to foster relationships and grow in our God-given mission to care for our sisters and brothers in need,” said Mark Tosso, St. Joseph’s youth director “The mission develops community within our parish and connects us all to new friends and wonderful families in Kentucky.” Julia Schoenbrodt, a senior at Mendham High School, said, “Our annual mission trip to Appalachia is a unique experience for us to help others. Seeing how others are living just eight hours from our home in Mendham is eye-opening. It reminds me to be grateful for what I have and how impactful trips like this can be in people’s lives.” Parent volunteer Jill Kendrick, said, “Watching 15- to 18-year-olds from my community volunteer to work long days in the heat and humidity as missionaries was truly inspiring. The collaboration between St. Joseph’s in Mendham and Good Neighbors in Paintsville, Ky., obviously benefits the struggling homeowners whose properties are improved but I would suggest, also benefited those of us who volunteered even more.”