on a mission | Projects

Mission of Hope ministry of St. Joseph Church in Strongsville worked on its first project in 2007 in response to the Hurricane Katrina devastation in New Orleans. Since then, the team has taken a trip annually to lend assistance where it is needed. The team will wrap up projects at St. Patrick Church, its former school that is the charter school South Side Academy, and in the Oak Hill neighborhood Friday. On Saturday, the team will have breakfast with St. Patrick members, who will participate in Families on a Mission.

Families on a Mission: The project of St. Patrick Church, 1420 Oak Hill Ave., Youngstown, involves volunteer work at various sites from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Activities include cleanup at the Dorothy Day House, setting up an exhibit at OH WOW children’s museum, serving breakfast at St. Vincent de Paul Society dining hall, weeding and planting on Midlothian Boulevard with Youngstown Litter Control and Green Youngstown, assisting at Youngstown Boys and Girls Club, clean up on South and Oak Hill avenues as a follow to Mission of Hope and visits to three nursing homes.

Mission of Hope: A sample of past projects include assisting Placematters in Felicity, Ohio, by refurbishing community ballfields and creating a community park; cleaning and making repairs for New Directions Housing Corp./Repair Affair Louisville Casa Latina (Catholic worker house) in Lousville, Ky.; renovating a house for school autism program in Charleston, W.Va.; working with Habitat for Humantiy in Charleston, W.Va.; and partnering with Rebuilding Together Cleveland for a parish project. Visit www.sjohio.org/missionofhope.

Response: Mission of Hope members said residents in the Oak Hill Avenue neighborhood have stopped at work sites and thanked them for helping.