Barrington Youth Refurbish West Virginia Shelter

BLUEFIELD, W.V. -- More than "500 Miles Away From Home," a group of Chicago-area high school students this week helped Bluefield, West Virginia's Open Heart Ministries enlarge and refashion its home for the homeless in Bluefield.

The young people, 34 in number, with seven adults along, are members or attendees of St. Anne's Catholic Community from Barrington, Illinois, a suburb Northwest of Chicago, 630 miles, or a 13-hour drive, from the environs of Bluefield, West Virginia. The group was divided working, some at the Open Heart Ministries' haven site and at a building, formerly a high school, now being used for a community youth center.

This is the third summer that Illinois youth from St. Anne's have forayed into Appalachia to help where needed. In the summers of 2014 and 2015, the group was in Kentucky. A handful of the young people were on their third summer work excursion.

The work took place Monday-Friday, June 27-July 1. The youth on Friday joined in a Fourth of July celebration in downtown Bluefield.

Open Heart Ministries is a Christian-based, non-profit community alliance dedicated to assisting temporarily homeless people irrespective of age, color, race, or religious affiliation. With God's grace, Open Heart Ministries has served homeless families and individuals since 2009.