HYC Philadelphia: Recap of Track 1

HOPE Youth Corps (HYCs) all around the world require financial, emotional, physical, and spiritual sacrifice from their participants and leaders. But for every area in which they sacrifice, they receive a hundred fold in return. Such was the case with the recent HYC in Philadelphia which reached its completion in June. Over the course of 12 days, the 20 participants and the leaders experienced and learned lots serving both in Schwenksville, PA, and in North Philadelphia. Although the trip started and ended in June, the fundraising and planning efforts began months before then, and the impact of the trip has already extended far beyond that time frame.

Over the first couple days of the trip, our team was able to work with One Day At A Time (ODAAT), an organization that helps individuals recovering from all sorts of situations in the neighborhoods of North Philly. Started by the now deceased Henry “The Rev” Wells, ODAAT runs several half-way houses throughout North Philly where people getting out of prison, overcoming addictions, or dealing with HIV/AIDS can receive support. The HYC team was able to clean out one of the main administrative buildings that ODAAT runs, as well as help set up for an upcoming charity concert that was scheduled for later that week. Out in the surrounding neighborhood, our team had the opportunity to help repaint some city blocks as well as do some landscaping in some of the nearby lots and playgrounds. Many of the participants were taken aback by how grateful and appreciative the members of the community were. Despite the perceived “rough” appearance of the neighborhood, many passersby stopped to share kind words or even brought water for those working out in the sun. What appeared to have the greatest impact on our team was the stories that those who worked with ODAAT shared from their own lives. Hearing about what the neighborhood and the individuals have been through and some of the current situations went a long way in showing the our HYC team what exactly we were helping accomplish in the short time we were there.

The next couple days of the trip were spent back at Camp HOPE for Kids (CHFK), where our team engaged in several projects to maintain and repair the facilities. We were able to build a retaining wall to hold back some of the run off that had been slowly eroding one of the main walkways in the camp, as well as repair some of the fences in the camp and redo the flooring in some of the cabins. Despite the humid and hot weather, the participants worked efficiently and without complaint. The work our team did over those days helped ensure CHFK that was in good shape to welcome our guests in the second week of the trip: Camp Miracles.

Camp Miracles is a mentoring program that is run throughout the summer at CHFK. Children aged 8-16 from North Philadelphia and from Highland are paired up with mentors for a week of camp. Not only do the mentors and their mentees get to experience all the excitement of camp that rock climbing, zip lining, the pool and just nature in general can involve, but they also get to form friendships that help them both to grow and learn from each other. The HYC participants went above beyond as mentors, with some getting gifts for their mentees, and all of them giving their mentees the time and energy to make camp extra special. Apart from the everyday camp activities already mentioned, there was also a talent show where the kids could showcase their talents for all the Camp Miracles and HYC participants as well as the Pre-teen camp that was being run at CHFK simultaneously. Particularly touching was when one of the kids from North Philly got to sing, the crowd rushed the stage like it was a concert by a world famous performer. The smile on the kids face from all the attention was a reminder of what Camp Miracles is all about. On the last day of Camp Miracles, the kids got to showcase their talent once again in a group song and dance performed for the donors that make Camp Miracles and the other programs run out of CHFK possible. The farewells and goodbyes that followed shortly after the show were sad but hopeful. It was evident that camp is a highlight of the year for the kids coming from North Philly and Highland, and the HYC participants are a big part of what makes it so special.

Apart from serving at CHFK and in North Philly, our team also had the opportunity to serve and fellowship with the Midtown Region of the Greater Philadelphia Church of Christ. Our HYC team was able to assist with singing songs during worship, as well as sharing in front of the congregation for the welcome and the sermon. We were also able to serve and learn from the campus ministry in Philadelphia with two days of reaching out and sharing our faith on the campuses of Temple, Drexel and Penn Universities. On campus we were able to hold several Bible discussions which the HYC participants got to lead. A number of students who we reached out to on campus came out to these Bible discussions, and have started studying the Bible to figure out their relationship with God as a result.

Being able to meet both physical and spiritual needs like this is what HYC is all about. All the planning, money, travel, sweat, tears and energy that went into this HYC were all worth the end results. Although the memories made, the fun that was had, and even the fact that the trip didn’t go over budget are all great results in their own way, they pale in comparison to the way that lives were impacted both physically and spiritually. This applies as much to our HYC team as it does for the people we served. For every way in which we met the needs of those we served, our needs were met by the community in North Philly and those at CHFK. We all learned lessons from each other that will last a lifetime. One of the participants has already made the choice to make Jesus Lord of her life and be baptized! The long reaching impact of this HYC is already apparent.