Holding signs, left to right: Michael Onuoha, Christiana Onuoha, Landon Willett. Back row, left to right: Nicholas Cope, Hunter Korte and youth minister Maria Korte. | COURTESY OF JENNIFER ONUOHA
With original plans cancelled, St. Francis de Sales youth honor veterans with carwash fundraiser
BY MARIA KORTE, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
For the last 11 years, the St. Francis de Sales Parish Youth Ministry in Paducah has held a St. Francis de Sales Military and Veterans Family Dinner.
The meal has been prepared and served by all of the youth. During dinner, you would hear music and the sounds of veterans sharing stories, and a speaker from the parish would tell of their military background and history. (Our parish has veterans that span from peacetime, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, the Bosnian War, the War in Afghanistan, the Iraq War and some are currently serving as far as Russia right now.)
But this year, the night that the youth have enjoyed spending their talents and treasures to celebrate our parish veterans was taken away due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Over the summer it was becoming apparent to me that this was going to become an issue when the fall rolled around. So the youth core team members, the youth, and I and started planning fundraisers. Unfortunately they were cut short by coronavirus surges in Kentucky, but the youth did manage to raise some money at a Sept. 19, 2020 carwash that was graciously held at the Auto Zone on Jackson Street.
It was a hot day and all of the kids kept their masks on and worked really hard shining up all of the generous cars that pulled over for a carwash. Nicholas Cope was one of the SFDS youth who washed cars that day. (He spent the summer washing cars for extra money and is an avid car enthusiast that hopes to someday be an auto mechanic.) Nicholas patiently taught all of the other kids how to wash cars properly. He proved that there is an art to car washing and did an excellent job. The youth group raised over $200. That was then was donated in the name of our parish veterans and military to the Western Kentucky Hugs Project – a nonprofit that send packages to military overseas and away from home. Just like all nonprofits, they too are struggling during this time because of less fundraising, so every bit helps.
Maria Korte is the Youth Minister and Director of Sacramental Preparations at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Paducah.
Originally printed in the February 2021 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
