Brendon Hayes has been active with the St. Joans Youth Group, having attended the Leadership Conference in Kansas City in 1998 and joining trips to Pine Ridge and New York. He plays guitar and enjoys art, mainly photography. Brendon says, "I want to go on a Sister Parish delegation because it would be a wonderful way to meet and form relationships with people from another culture.
Jessica McMunn "I want to give of myself and to be accepted by the Guatemalans." Jessica is a student at Southwest High School who has had an interest in other cultures. She speaks Spanish and has some Hispanic blood. Jessica has also hosted a foreign exchange student in her home. She also has volunteer tutored, including working at Sharing and Caring Hands.
Ben Grosscup Ben has a long history of political activism for a person of few years. He just returned from Washington D.C. where he helped prepare a youth platform for peace that will be delivered at an international conference in The Hague, Netherlands. He has participated in and helped organize other peace protests. With St. Joans, Ben has attended leadership camp, been to Tennesee and New York, and even helps with setup for Sunday Masses. He sings and acts as well as plays guitar and drums. "I want to expand my view of the world from my relatively sheltered middle class life, ... "
John Each John states, "I want to go on the Sister Parish delegation because I see this as a way to get a better understanding of God and learn more about my faith." John has been involved in youth programs at St. Joans "forever". He also is involved in school with S.E.E.D., an environmental group. John is currently taking Spanish and lists art as a favorite hobby.
Brian Luttenegger Brian has a great deal of intercultural experience already. He has traveled to Europe, stayed at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, visited the Caribbean, and had several foreign penpals. Brian has also had extensive leadership experiences and has been involved with the St. Joans Youth group. He has volunteered locally for many organizations in diverse settings. Brian brings computer skills to TNII which may be helpful as the Sister Parish relationship has struggled with email communications. He says, "I want to move out of my comfort zone and do something I am not familiar with." Seems that Brian has done a lot of that already in his young life.
Toby Luttenegger Toby is Brian's younger brother. He shares many of the same interests but is especially keen on geography and world cultures. Toby offered this quotation in his application, "To know about others is to reduce the barriers to a full life." At St. Joans, Toby has traveled with the youth to Pine Ridge and Milwaukee and helped in nursery and Sunday School. He has served in numerous volunteer roles and is active in school. To add to his interest in world cultures, Toby collects foreign coins and paper money.
The chaperones are:
Marge (Bonnert) Gustafson SJA Youth Minister
Aimee Rumpza(Leach) SJA Youth Volunteer
Mark Quinn Sister Parish Committee member and Spanish Teacher
A Preliminary Schedule includes:
Friday, July 16th-
Saturday, July 17th-
Sunday, July 18th-
Monday, July 19th-
Tuesday, July 20th-
Wednesday, July 21st-
Thursday, July 22nd-
Friday, July 23rd-
Saturday, July 24th-
Sunday, July 25th-
Monday, July 26th-