A Note From Mary

Dear Headlights people,
I am so excited for you! Headlights is such a great oppurtunity to learn about others, and in the process, perhaps, a bit about yourself. Come with an open mind and heart, ready like a bone-dry sponge to absorb all that you will experience. Don’t undervalue a single moment of your week, from the moment you gather in the parking lot to the day you finally recover from your service-week sleep deprivation. Rather be the sponge and listen, absorb all the experiences around you, for the Lord has an uncanny way of speaking in the most obscure and unexpected ways. Expect to grow and to be challenged, to experience amazing witnesses of service and hope in the midst of struggle and perhaps despair. Expect to come home different, and know that your experience will continue to germinate for many days, and even years, as you ponder what you have seen and heard and touched. When I was in Cincinnatti, it was a peanut butter banana sandwich (which I highly recommend as a headlights staple to give you the energy to serve well) that challenged me to deeply examine my relationship to those in poverty, and authentically question the manner in which I should serve them. (Give me a call if you want to hear the whole story…or ask Colleen 🙂
To speak simply, expect that the Lord has great things to teach you, and that he loves to teach us through the most unexpected means. So don’t try to expect what is entirely unpredictable, but be the sponge, ready to soak up every experience. You will be in my prayers this week!
-Mary Woelkers, headlights in spring 2009

Words to live by on headlights (and always!)
We can do no great things, only small things with great love. -Mother Teresa

Getting Ready For Spring 2011

Spring Break is coming quickly and we are getting ready for our Headlights trips!

This spring there is a group traveling to Rochester, NY and to Kansas City, MO. Students have been working hard to raise funds and prepare for the trips ahead. The Rochester trip is, as always, a popular draw for students. The stories they have heard from the students who have gone in the past and the sisters hospitality there creates a great amount of interest. This year’s trip to Kansas City is a new adventure for our students. Read below about each trip and the students participating!

Rochester, NY

Carroll students have been visiting Rochester, NY for at least 9 consecutive spring breaks to live and work with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester, NY. The sisters in Rochester go above and beyond in welcoming Carroll students and teaching them about actively engaging in Catholic Social Teaching and works of Justice. Students will be working in schools, soup kitchens, foster homes and a community center to experience the work of these sisters. Each morning the students will wake up to pray with the sisters and then each night will engage in reflection on their days of service.

To learn more about this community visit: http://www.ssjrochester.org/

Andrea Ward
Darbi Brady
Emily Mihalic
Chelsea Ford
Rachael Lowe
Anna Curtin
Whitney Bloomdahl
Katie Majerus
Hannah Hirschfeld
Ben Kolar
Amanda Page
Amy Reagor
Ben McIsaac
Dan Minor (Carroll staff member, Institutional Advancement)

Kansas City, MO

Our trip to Kansas City this spring is a new experience for students participating in the Headlights program. Through working with the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, KS we will be spending the week at Cristo Rey Kansas City. An inner city high school that prepares teenagers for college and gives them an opportunity to learn professional job skills. Carroll students will be working in classrooms with the students and building relationships with them throughout the week. This trip will also include a trip to the Catholic Worker house in Kansas City, evening prayer and reflection and speakers throughout the week. We will be staying with the sisters who live in Kansas City and are excited about the hospitality they have offered to us. Different from the Rochester trip we will be driving to Kansas City, so will have some great road trip stories to share.

For more information about the Sisters of Charity and Cristo Rey visit:

http://www.cristoreykc.org/
http://www.scls.org/

Ardis Van Meerten
Sarena Plesner
Amy Sherman
Kirsten Rotz
Kelsie Hahn
Ryan Anderton
Jacob Winegart
Hayley Dahlem
Laura Gillette
Matea daRosa
Lee Martin
Fred Collins
Colleen Dunne

Students will begin writing blogs as we get closer to preparing for leaving and each day while serving and learning. So please check back often. Thank you for your prayers for and support for us!