Teens in the pink to earn the green

A plague of pink plastic flamingos will soon be descending on front yards in Albany, placed there by enterprising teens as a way of getting to Houston.

That sentence makes perfect sense if you are one of the more than 250 teens from across the Albany Diocese who are brainstorming, planning and running fundraisers to help them attend the National Catholic Youth Conference, to be held in November in Houston.

From bake sales and spaghetti suppers to fashion shows and flamingo "flocking," teens are pulling out all the stops to finance the costs of their trips.

All together now

"I'm looking forward to this trip immensely," said Erin Golden, 16, a parishioner of Our Lady of Victory Church in Troy. "When you walk into the stadium and everyone is there -- that's the experience I'm looking forward to. Everyone has been so overwhelmed by the experience when they go."

Thousands of young people from across the U.S. will attend the meeting, but it isn't always easy for their families to come up with the funds to go. With plane tickets, conference fees, and room and board, attendance can be pricy.

To ease the burden, many parishes split the financial responsibility three ways: one-third is paid by the parish, one-third by the family, and the remainder through fundraisers.

Pink nightmare

The teens at St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany and St. Pius X in Loudonville are sharing an idea for an unconventional fundraiser that involves avian lawn ornaments and a group of good-natured people willing to pay money to play a little joke on one another.

According to youth minister Joan Marso from St. Vincent's, parishioners pay to have teens visit a neighbor's lawn during the night and install more than a dozen pink flamingos -- with a note saying who "flocked" them and why.

"You can also buy insurance to keep your yard from being flocked," she said.

Cash dash

For many parishes, fundraising for the NCYC has become more than just support of a youth program; it has turned into a vital community-building and intergenerational event.

"Sure, we want your money, but we also want to help in building the parish community," explained Sister Susan Wieczynski, pastoral associate for youth ministry at Corpus Christi parish in Round Lake, which is sending 12 teens to the conference.

Youth there have sold Christmas cards and held numerous bottle drives to pay their way.

Service mode

At St. John the Baptist parish in Valatie, fundraisers are required to be "fun-raisers," where teens provide direct service to parishioners.

"You can't stand at the door with a can and say, 'Give us money because we're going on a trip," explained the pastoral associate for faith formation, Connie Smith.

Instead of begging for cash, the teens at St. John's put in hours of sweat equity to develop and produce an annual parish tradition: a fashion show.

In addition, two CPR instructors are running "CPR for Friends and Family," with admission fees going to the parish NCYC fund. Other events have included a sports swap and equipment sale managed by Cathy Draper, who has had two children travel to the NCYC in past years and now is helping her son attend.

"These all-church activities are what brings the community together," she said. "The kids are so excited to go. They always have a great time."

Rules to follow

At Our Lady of Victory parish in Troy, teens are expected to raise most of the sum needed to go to the conference by themselves; they are not allowed to take substantial donations from wealthier parishioners.

Each fundraiser is also required to incorporate an intergenerational social involvement aspect. As a result, 18 young people have held every fundraiser in the book: garage sales, bake sales, a pancake breakfast, bagel brunches and bottle drives.

The biggest fundraiser has been a garage sale, which brought in close to $3,000.

Variety of events

Besides participating in the flamingo caper, St. Vincent's teens also participate in a number of other community-building events throughout the year: "Chocolate Sunday," when parishioners are treated to chocolate ice cream as they wander through a cake walk, bake sale and book bargain table...a haunted house for the younger set to wander through towards the end of October...and Fair Trade coffee, which is sold at parish poetry readings and coffeehouses.

Kate Leathem, 16, a parishioner of Our Lady of Victory, calls the fundraising "such a big job," but she thinks the results will be worth the effort.

"It'll be neat to meet other teenagers and see how they live their faith," she said. "I want to widen my experiences, and create bigger relationships with God and with other youth. I want to grow as much as I can."

(At this year's National Catholic Youth Conference, titled "River of Life," participants will take part in workshops on Catholic issues, attend concerts by Christian artists, volunteer for service projects, and hang out in Bayou Village, a "thematic park" featuring exhibitors, arts and crafts, a computer lab, games, sports and interactive educational experiences.)

(8/21/03) [[In-content Ad]]