The Project Appalachia Collection
June 4 - 5, 2022

After all Masses during the weekend of June 4 – 5, teen and adult volunteers who will be attending the Project Appalachia trip will be outside the church (in the Gathering Space if inclement weather) seeking donations to help fund the 2022 trip.

Every summer for the past 30 years, teens from our parish travel to Preston County, West Virginia (in the Appalachian Mountains), to do home repairs for those who are in great need.  This is a coming of age experience for the high school students, and all return home with a greater appreciation of how fortunate they are, and more importantly, a desire to help others less fortunate in the name of Jesus Christ, that will last their entire lives.

We ask that you remember the teens (and the adult volunteers) who put their hearts and souls into this trip each year and the less fortunate in West Virginia they serve; and make a donation to help fund the trip.  The funds collected goes to paying for all the building supplies needed to do the repairs, room and board, food for sixty people, vehicle rentals and fuel, registration fees, and other various costs of the trip.

Thank you so much for your kind consideration. Your donation (checks can be made payable to St. Gregory the Great Church, with Project Appalachia written in the memo section) will make a huge difference in the lives of our teen volunteers and the folks we help in West Virginia.  
May God bless abundantly you for your continued support.

July 17 - 24, 2021. Due to the Pandemic we will accommodate a smaller group, so any interested teen / adult should contact me ASAP if they want additional information. While all interested adult volunteers will be considered , we have a particular need for individuals in the healthcare profession,have experience working with teens (teachers, coaches, youth ministry), kitchen staff, and individuals who have some carpentry / building knowledge. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Rich Pieslak:
rpieslak@optonline.net

July 2020
The St. Gregory the Great Youth Ministry / “Project Appalachia” team worked at our own campus this year, since the pandemic prevented us from going down to Preston County, West Virginia as we have done for the past 24 years. Rich Pieslak once again did the organizing, material and food procurement and fundraising.

For the week of July 13 - 17, we had 24 teens and 15 adults participate, logging 500 man hours. We also hosted two barbecues and prayer services. The projects we completed were:
 

• Demolition of old dumpster enclosure/built a new one
• Power washed the lower academy front wall
• Scraped, power-washed, and painted 5 exterior doors in the church / chapel
• Power-washed the entire outside of the church
• Painted and repaired the 4 columns in front of the church
• Power-washed the deck in the priest residence
• Edged, weeded, pruned trees, and spread 10 yards of playground mulch in the preschool play area
• Assembled a new bed frame for a vegetable bed in the community garden
• Installed an aluminum screen around the lower fence in the community garden to keep out rabbits
• Assisted in the preparation of a new pollinator garden in front of the tunnel. This included cleaning the area, spreading 10 yrs of organic soil, and planting new plants.

Thank you to our volunteers!

Teen Volunteers: Mara Anderson, Brianne Wilbert, Jack Mills, Casara Sexauer, Lynell Sexauer, Brendan Appert, Brielle Blakely, Justin Parisi, George Mularadelis, Matt Barker, Anthony Ziliani, Katie Ziliani, Jason Galluci, Sorella Galucci, Brian Herbert, Tyler Provost, Bryce Goodwin, Mark Plaus, Nickolas Buckley, Matt Cooper, Samara Smith, Jake Vieira, Justin Cooper, Jack Barker.

Adult volunteers: Rich Pieslak, Michelle Anderson, Chet Siwczak, Jeanmarie Curran, Deborah Blakely, Tracey
Mularadelis, Carolyn Herbert, Clare Goodwin, Nick Foley, Maureen Smitley, Steve Cooper, Denis Smith, Jane Luciano, Peggy Catalina, Susanne Catalina, Mark Ciccone, Dwight Torlay

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