Mentors continue to flow in and out of the EASY program to work with their special students. An important request: we need several more mentors, specifically to work with fifth grade boys. Ask some of those who are mentoring and they will tell you it is fun and rewarding; and the kids like it. Many a day someone will come up to Nancy Smith and ask expectantly, "Is my mentor coming today?"

Please contact Nancy; tap her on the shoulder or call 262-672-5859.

EASY needs thin dry erase markers, new #2 pencils (they get short quickly and the erasers are not long enough), and microwave containers.

Lego Robotics

After school activities, such as Emmaus After School for Youth (EASY), the Wednesday supper, Wednesday evening Bible classes, and Wednesday evening worship service will be canceled whenever weather conditions close Racine Unified Schools.

It's on our Parish Education page.

This past month has seen the kids baffled and excited as they try to figure out how to approach challenging experiments. Have you ever tried to balance eleven nails on top of the head of one nail? How about pouring water along a string, which is stretched from one cup to another? Yes, there were mishaps and frustrations but once they understood how to do it, wow!

You could hear shouts of delight from all around the room. “I did it!” “Wow! This is cool!” Yes, we do talk about gravity and adhesion and cohesion.

Age made no difference—people ranging from 6 and 7 years old to 60 and 70 years old joined together for the October 13 Food for Kidz pack at the State Fairgrounds in Milwaukee. Seventy-seven people from Emmaus filled two school buses for the event, traveling to pack food to be sent to the people of Haiti.

Donning hairnets and plastic gloves, the kids and adults divided in groups of 6 to 8 people, each forming their own little assembly line. Loud cheers could be heard each time one of the boxes was filled and ready to be sent. The Emmaus group not only gave of their time, but they also contributed $1,000 toward the purchase of food to be used for the packing. Pennies, dimes, and quarters were combined with larger gifts made by Emmaus members and friends for the Haiti food pack.

Dear Rev. Janz & Nancy Smith:

Thanks for the wonderful gift to help the cleanup in the Gulf oil spill disaster area. I have forwarded your check to the National Audubon Society with a note to have it used for that purpose.

I really enjoyed myself last Thursday and thank the kids and staff for what they did. It was very heart warming to see young people with so much enthusiasm and caring.

If you ever need someone to talk about birds or see a bluebird trail in the future, I am always available to help out.

Sincerely,

Dear Nancy:

To you, the camp counselors and the campers, thank you once again for a summertime event the St. Monica’s residents and staff have come to look forward to. Summer would not be complete without a visit from the campers.

There is nothing in this world that makes a day brighter than the sight of children's sparkling eyes and smiling faces. It’s always thrilling and amazing to see so many youth walk into our Home who are so courteous and well behaved.

It has been said that smiles are contagious; and thank goodness for that, because the smiles the youth have are something our seniors love to catch. The interaction between two different generations is, needless to say, heartwarming and most definitely a valued gift.

Thank you so much for your love and friendship over the years. Please send our heartfelt words of thanks to all involved who make this event happen, and to the campers who are at the heart of our day.

Sincerely,

―Barbara A. Schoeffel
Director of Activities

P.S.: What a delight it was this summer to see a camper whom we have met over the past summers evolve into a counselor herself. To be able to follow the growth of a sweet young girl into a sweet young woman is an added bonus. It was an "aha!" moment.

See more photos from Neighborhood Camp on our Flickr page.