About 300 high school students from all over the country were visiting Alexandria last week. But they were not here to vacation. The students were taking part in the Catholic Heart Work Group, a social-service organization that provides able-bodied workers to perform hard work for those in need.
“Our program is service oriented and relationship building,” said Brian Reinhart, director of the Orlando-based Catholic Heart Work Camp. “The students in the camp build relationships with each other and the people they serve.”
Founded in 1993 by Steve and Lisa Walker, Catholic Heart Work Group is a way for high school students to find adventure during the summer months. The program is organized to help participants grow in their faith while forming new relationships. Reinhart said that the students often come to life-altering realizations in as little as a week.
“When we start out on Sunday, they’re tired,” Reinhart said. “But by Wednesday, they are moved by the whole experience. It’s not just cleaning and painting. It’s a way for them to put their faith into action.”
Camp participants arrived in Alexandria on July 16 and left on July 23. They stayed at Bishop Ireton High School, sleeping in the classrooms and eating in the cafeteria. School officials worked with city agencies to find those in need, coordinating the camp participants with sites that needed help.
“They did a lot of cleaning and scrubbing,” said Carol Augustine, program director at St. Martin’s Senior Center. “They were a wonderful group of kids, and they were very hard workers.”
All over town, the students went to work for individuals in need as well as social-service providers. They did yard work at Community Lodgings and cleared trash for elderly residents. Maureen Franks, co-chair of ALIVE’s Family Emergency Program, said that she worked with several participants who cleaned office space and organized a food pantry.
“They were interested in learning about ALIVE’s mission, and they were eager to do missionary work in a new town,” Franks said. “They were very high energy and very helpful.”
Mary Kelly, campus minister at Bishop Ireton, said that the participants of Catholic Heart Work Camp went above and beyond the call of duty in Alexandria.
“Even in those Code Red days, they were out there working,” Kelly said.