Blessed Kateri Catholic Church's youth group LifeTeen spent some time with the Summerhill Villa seniors

What do most high schoolers do on a Saturday night? Many would say hang out with friends, catch a movie, or maybe get some Christmas shopping done. 

Not these teens. 

On Saturday December 15th, over 30 teenagers gathered to decorate 7 Christmas trees for several lonely or needy local residents.  Among the recipients were the Summerhill Villa seniors living in the Alzheimers unit.

Each tree was adorned with little ornaments, and accompanied with a personalized card from the teens.  And after all the trees had been decorated, they were packed up and ready to deliver. 

The next day, several teens went down to Summerhill to deliver the trees to the seniors themselves.  “Seeing the expression on their face was amazing,” says LifeTeen member and Saugus senior Carolyn Bangasser.

“When we walked in, they all had their heads down, but once we started talking to them, they lit up.  You could see that we really made their day,” says LifeTeen member and Saugus senior Eric Nicholson.
 

And after setting up the trees, Nicholson played the guitar while everyone joined in for some Christmas carols. 

LifeTeen member, sophomore Karly Ryan also said that singing with the seniors was an experience to remember.  “Most of them were pretty quiet, but once we started playing ‘Jingle Bells’, almost everyone was singing along, it was so great just to see their faces.” 

The teens visited the seniors with Alzheimers, because Summerhill volunteer Mary Dembkowski said that they are most forgotten during the holidays.  “Most of these seniors rarely get visits, even from their family.  When people come to carol, they go to the other building, rarely this one; so this really was a treat,” said Dembkowski. 

Life Teen is a Catholic ministry that serves the Church and leads teens closer to Christ by providing an environment that leads High School teens into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and encourages vibrant Eucharistic celebrations and opportunities for teens to grow in their faith.

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