Norfolk Youths Help Out at Appalachia Outreach

During their April vacation, Daniel Boudreau and Christopher Luciano of Norfolk, Boudreau a junior, Luciano a senior at Boston College High School, with 10 of their classmates volunteered to go to Wheeling, West Virginia for an immersion program sponsored by the Appalachia Institute of Wheeling Jesuit University.

During the week, Dan and Chris with the group drove over 800 miles traveling the entire length of the state working with various programs. One of those programs was Appalachia Outreach, a group which distributes various goods to homes in need throughout West Virginia.

Another was the Keeper of the Mountains, a group which creates ecological awareness about mountain-top removal for coal mining. Another was the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) where the BC High boys helped local residents doing construction, cleaning, and other various tasks and where they learned about the eco-tourism of the region with some of the best hiking and water rafting in the country.

The week concluded with BC High faculty Elena Gourlis and Patrick Tiernan calling the boys to an action reflection where they brainstormed how to continue building cultural awareness back at BC High.

Photo L to R Michael Norcott of Swampscott, Mike Kelley of Revere, Aaron Parry of Hanover, John Lyons of Hanover, Jimmy O'Donnell of Melrose, Steve O'Sullivan of Walpole, Adam Foley of Hanover, Andrew Hannon of Hanover, Ben DiMaio of Pembroke, Sean Cameron of Raynham, Dan Boudreau of Norfolk, Chris Luciano of Norfolk.

Boston College High School is a Jesuit, Catholic, college-preparatory school for young men founded in 1863.  The school enrolls approximately 1600 students from more than 100 communities in eastern Massachusetts. For more http://www.bchigh.edu