Our Lady of Hope Youth Group Our Lady of Hope Church 9711 West Devon Avenue Rosemont, IL 60018 847-825-4673 September 30, 2009 Parents of Youth Group Members: Every year cost of trips becomes a concern to everyone, especially in these harder economic times. In response, I have, I believe come up with a way for you child(ren) to earn money towards the largest cost event we have - the Summer Service Trip and some of the smaller events, as well. Iam a firm believer that the members of our parish and community support this youth group because of our visibility in the parish. Frequently, parishioners and visitors comment to me on how wonderful is the youth involvement in the regular Sunday liturgies as ushers, ministers, and lectors. We also get nice comments about the LPC and RE aides. It is this visibility of these youth at parish functions brings in donations. People see where there money is going. This last July, our second collection brought in over $4,000.00 because of this awareness. I believe we will continue this successful fundraising if we continue high visibility. To do this, we are initiating a way for every member to earn money towards the summer trip and other activities. Enclosed with this letter you will find a 2009-2010 Youth Group Calendar of Events. Some dates have § after them. These are functions which I believe are good for visibility. Money will be added to their “account” to defer your expense. (Of course, we will always accept donations towards the Youth Group.) We have already started a chart to show how much each member has eamed. This last weekend, 4 members earned $25,00 babysitting at the Marriage Encounter. ‘The average cost of pre- packaged service trips this coming year is $361.00 plus transportation, $361.00 is the cost basis we will use. We have set up many events and no one should have to pay for the trip or any other event, except the only function that will cost something is the Winter Retreat. ‘That will be $30.00 per child for 3 days and 2 nights. This covers 5 meals, materials and transportation. ‘The minimum eared for any event is $10.00 or a base of about $10.00 per hour. The House of Hope events could easily earn $75.00 or more for each member that signs up. | firmly believe that our parishioners and our business partners, who have so generously supported us in the past, will continue to do so and this will allow your child to take advantage of their generosity by being present to them. 1 will have to work harder to guarantee the success of this method, but I believe the involvement and visibility will pay off in the long run. If you have questions, feel free to contact me. Peace, an a. Deacon Jim