CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic High School student-athletes teamed up with Catholic Charities’ Refugee Youth Program at Veterans Memorial Park on Aug. 1–2 to organize two field days for nearly 60 children from countries across the world: including Afghanistan, Congo, Burma, Syria and Eritrea.
Smiles flashed as elementary, middle, and CCHS Cougar Caritas volunteers competed in Tug of War, dashed through an obstacle course and beat their pals in a variety of events from Egg Carry Relays to Wheelbarrow Races.
CCHS senior, Gavin Banks, commented on the lively spirit of the day, noting that he thoroughly enjoyed watching the joy in the campers’ eyes. “Their competitive drive was displayed through many field games and revealed their true best character…especially the water balloon showdown.”
The majority of the volunteers, like CCHS Seniors Lizzie McFee and Joe Hickman, were first-timers unfamiliar with Catholic Charities’ youth program, but no strangers to summer fun. McFee reflected, “Tires, cones, ropes and eggs. That’s all these children needed to have the time of their lives.”
For Hickman, the field days represented so much more than just a couple of days of laughs. “I enjoyed getting to know the campers because I know they have encountered multiple struggles in their daily lives. I wanted to create a special place for them to express themselves, to be a kid,” he explained.
The school’s connection to the youth program was reinvigorated during the 2021-’22 school year through the Cougar Caritas Club, a student-driven service group grounded in the school’s mission to inspire Christ-filled lives committed to the dignity of all life.
Faculty advisor Jeremy Kuhn noted, “For these incredible young women and men, organizing the field days was simply a joyful channeling of God’s love through concrete action.”
CCHS assistant principal, Dr. Maria Leahy, shares that opinion, adding that “the partnership has been as beneficial to our students as those they help. We are given the opportunity to appreciate the similarities shared, as well as to celebrate talents, culture and the uniqueness of each individual we serve.”
— Mary Caroline O’Brien, special to the Catholic News Herald. Photos provided
