WorkCamp has restored Laura and Ken Miller’s faith in humanity. For more than a year, Laura has been homebound with stage five kidney disease and a broken foot, relying on Ken to help with everyday tasks. Following several upcoming surgeries on her kidneys and her foot, Laura would have to use a wheelchair but had no wheelchair ramp leading out of her home. Then the WorkCampers came.
“This is a miracle for me,” Laura said.
Last year, the Millers heard that a WorkCamp crew was working on another home in their neighborhood, and Ken visited the worksite to ask if they could build a back deck with a wheelchair ramp. When he learned that the repairs were for free, he applied immediately for WorkCamp.
Last week, two WorkCamp crews with eight teens rebuilt the Millers’ back deck and installed a wheelchair ramp that leads to the driveway. The experience with the crews has been great, Ken said. “They seem like good kids … they are so polite.”
Nearly 600 teens from 37 diocesan parishes attended this year’s WorkCamp in Winchester June 17-23. During the week, crews of WorkCampers, led by adult volunteers and contractors, traveled to worksites in Virginia and West Virginia to complete home improvement projects for 86 residents. For more than 170 different projects, crews constructed and repaired new decks, stairs, wheelchair ramps, roofs and flower beds.
First-time WorkCamper Nahya Haley, 14, a parishioner of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Fredericksburg, said that she appreciated WorkCampers’ willingness to work hard and still show enthusiasm during the evening program. “Even after a hard day, everyone is excited and pumped up for praying,” she said.
During the week, WorkCampers stayed overnight at Frederick County Middle School, or “Homebase,”in Winchester. Each day began with morning Mass, followed by a to-go breakfast. Crews then assembled and drove to their worksites. In the evenings, teens returned to Homebase, where they showered, ate dinner and participated in the evening program that included group activities, prayer and a speaker.
Many teens return to WorkCamp after enjoying the the service experience in years past. Participating in her third and final WorkCamp, Lilia Miravite, 17, a parishioner of St. Bernadette Church in Springfield, said that she hopes to encourage other teens to grow in their spiritual life.
“I love growing (in) my faith at WorkCamp, and this year I’m really focused on helping other people grow in their faith and marking sure that they’re having a good time but also feeling God through all of our work,” she said.
Daniel Colón, 17, a parishioner of Holy Family Church in Woodbridge, said that talking with others about the faith has inspired him. “It’s really touching and inspiring at the same time to see how different people are encountering their faith,” he said. “I feel like I want to grow more; hearing those stories touched my heart.”
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge visited the teens June 20 and led them in Eucharistic adoration during the evening program. He encouraged WorkCampers to follow Mary’s example of rejoicing in God and challenged them to celebrate their faith outside of WorkCamp.
“Before you leave here on Friday, will you renew your commitment, will you go home to proudly share with others the faith we profess, the joy that is ours in Christ, and renew your promise to try every day just to grow closer to him?” Bishop Burbidge asked.
Father Peter J. Clem, parochial vicar of the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, said that many teens have sought him out to ask questions about the faith. Throughout the evenings, he said, “people have been pulling me aside, saying, ‘Hey Father, can I ask you a quick question?’ — people I don’t even know … Being a spiritual father to anyone and everyone has been really humbling and filling me with so much joy.”
Another benefit of WorkCamp, said homeowner LaMisha Allen, 46, is the skillset that teens gain on the worksite. “The fact that they are able to participate in this program and learn these skills that I wish I had learned at that age … it’s been great getting to watch them participate,” Allen said.
Allen has already experienced the benefits of WorkCamp firsthand. When she moved into her Winchester home several years ago, Allen did not have any savings left to repair the dilapidated front and back decks. Last year, WorkCampers built a wheelchair ramp and front deck so Allen’s aged parents could visit her home with ease. Since the crew was unable to finish the back deck at the time, the project was reassigned to crew 39.
While the back deck posed some structural challenges, second-time WorkCamper Yoryi Roque, 16, a parishioner of Good Shepherd Church in Alexandria, said that his prior WorkCamp experience with deck construction has come in handy. “The ground is just layers of rock, so you always have to jackhammer and use iron bars. We thought it would take at least twenty minutes, but it took an hour of just digging,” he said.
Despite challenges on the worksite, Roque said that praying a daily rosary has helped encourage him. “I think praying the rosary is how I got spiritually connected more. I’m going to do that again today, tomorrow, Thursday and Friday and everyday.”
First-time WorkCamper Jane Bremberg, a parishioner at Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria, said that WorkCamp’s emphasis on daily Mass and prayer has helped strengthen her relationship with God.
“The push to spend more time with God every day is really nice, because at home I’m extremely busy, and sometimes prayer gets pushed out of my schedule,” she said.
Most crews work on projects for one or two residents per worksite. WorkCampers on crew 69 served tens of residents at NW Works, Inc., an organization that helps adults with developmental disabilities learn marketable skills and find jobs in Winchester.
WorkCampers rebuilt raised flower boxes and garden beds for the nonprofit’s residents to grow vegetables. The project will help residents develop gardening skills, and the bulk of their crops will be donated to local food banks and the local Knights of Columbus #3572 soup kitchen.
“The residents are so nice, so interested, and it’s been really nice to have them come by and see what’s going on,” said Noel Mazzola, 15, a parishioner of Church of the Nativity in Burke.
Ian Van Dusen, 17, a parishioner of St. Matthew Church in Spotsylvania, added that while he didn’t know much about the work site before he arrived, meeting the residents was a great surprise. “Normally you have a resident, and it will be the resident of that home. But here, it’s a business, so there are hundreds of residents,” he said. “Just seeing their faces as we’re building this stuff and talking to them, it’s been great.”
This story has been updated.
