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Local high school students from Walpole spent a week of their summer vacation volunteering at the Bowery Mission in New York City with their local Young Life area. Rather than vacation or hanging out with friends, these students decided to make a difference in the lives of the homeless community in NYC. Working 14-15 hour days, they cooked, prepared and served meals to 600-700 people a day, cleaned, stocked shelves, sorted donations and directed chapel services.
This turned out to be the best week of the summer for the entire group. According to the Young Life area director, John Papirio, "This was a life-changing trip for all of us, as we learned to care for each other and how to best serve the homeless community and build relationships with the men in the program."
Young Life is an international organization that goes into the world of kids, crossing barriers to build bridges of authentic friendship. Kids' lives are dramatically impacted when caring adults come alongside them. Because their adult leaders believe in them, they begin to see that their lives have great value, meaning and purpose.
