Photo Courtesy of YIM

ATLANTA—Jillian Tetrick went to work at a Memphis, Tennessee, dementia day center this summer.

From clearing overgrown weeds and painting to brighten a hallway to a party celebrating summer with the center’s clients, Tetrick said the week experience in June broadened her faith and connection to peers.

“It felt personal to me. It was a really good experience,” said Tetrick, 17, a homeschooled senior. Her grandmothers have faced dementia so the opportunity in June was heartfelt, she said.

Her experience with Catholic Heart Work Camp revived friendships. Her connection to her parish community at St. Peter Chanel Church felt broken, a consequence of the pandemic.

“I fell back in love with that community. This is a community I can still thrive in,” she said.

Tetrick’s service experience was in part thanks to a local nonprofit that offered her a $500 scholarship.

Youth in Mission helps bridge the financial gap for teenagers and young adults with a mind to serve on upcoming mission trips.

Eligible middle school, high school and college students who plan to participate in a 2022 mission trip can apply for a Youth in Mission scholarship by going to www.yimcharity.com. The application deadline is Nov. 15.

Local donors and corporate sponsors allow Youth in Mission to fund archdiocesan youth serving in the world. Parishes and schools such as Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, St. Peter Chanel Church, St. Pius X High School and many others have sent teens, with the help of Youth in Mission funding, to serve, from Peru and Uganda to Memphis and the Appalachian Mountains.