Nearly 300 high school and college students will be descending upon Knoxville to participate in a Catholic HEART (Helping Everyone Attain Relief Today) Workcamp on June 30–July 6.
Teens will be performing community-service projects in the East Tennessee region by day. At night, they will be laughing, sharing, praying, singing, and spending time together in high-energy, faith-filled programs including music, testimonies, drama, videos, and more. This year marks the sixth time that Knoxville has hosted this event. Groups will be traveling from Texas, Florida, Minnesota, Delaware, Michigan, Virginia, and Indiana to serve Knoxville.
The participating youth have fundraised all year in order to travel to Knoxville to participate in this experience. The teens will be based at Knoxville Catholic High School and All Saints Church, where they will eat, sleep, and shower. The teens sacrifice the comforts of home to come to camp. Participants will sleep on air mattresses in classrooms, shower in locker rooms, and eat cafeteria food.
Catholic HEART Workcamp (CHWC) is partnering with local agencies to set up the work projects, which will include painting, yard work, home repair, light construction, working with children and the elderly, and more.
“It is a truly life-changing experience both for the teens and those who they serve,” said Annie Nassis, manager for the Knoxville CHWC. “It transforms how these teens see the world around them. Our volunteers give up a week of vacation to sweat and sleep on the floor to serve strangers. It is inspiring to see how their small actions can truly change the lives of others.”
