Mission Drive Day began with a spectacular music concert On a Mission for Nicaragua Jesuit Students Thrive on the Mission Drive Scan to view a photo slideshow from Mission Drive Day JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • FALL 2016 7 or the past three years, a group of Jesuit students and chaperones has traveled to Nicaragua for a week during the summer to serve the destitute in the city of Matagalpa (see p. 12). They have provided assistance and support at the local hospital, prison, town dump, and youth center. From this, the benefi ciary of Mission Drive 2016 was established. The annual school-wide drive was dedicated this spring to assisting Matagalpa. Michael Miller ’09, Jesuit’s Director of Community Service in 2015-16, set a goal of $12,000 raised, surpassing Mission Drive 2015’s total of $10,987 (which went toward The Lord’s Ranch in El Paso, Texas). With a determined effort they reached the ambitious goal – and then some. The annual fi ve-week Mission Drive culminated April 22 on Mission Drive Day, as the campus was fi lled with games, activities, food, competitions, and a music concert. And after all the money had been counted, $13,559.73 had been raised, exceeding the goal by more than $1,500. The funds were directed toward three things: a chapel for Matagalpa’s prison, operation of the local youth center (La Casita), and sponsoring six Matagalpan youths at World Youth Day in Poland in late July (see p. 8-9 regarding Jesuit’s World Youth Day experience). The funds were disbursed via the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, who host Jesuit’s annual mission trip to Matagalpa. Mission Drive funds are raised via a penny drive in the cafeteria, through classroom donations each Thursday, with $5 entries into an NCAA Tournament basketball pool, and via small fees associated with the events of Mission Drive Day. Jesuit’s Mission Drive dates back to the 1930s. The theme for this year’s Mission Drive was “Whatsoever you did to the least of my brethren, you did unto me,” from Matthew 25:40, which is written on a large banner at Jesuit. Students who have taken a mission trip to Nicaragua were the leaders of the drive. Mission Drive Day kicked off with a sensational music concert led by Jesuit’s music director, Nina Wegmann. It included a scintillating electric violin performance of “Canon Rock” by Spencer Whipple ’16, and the Jesuit choir singing the Gaelic classic “Dulaman.” F La Casita Youth Center, a benefi cary of Mission Drive 2016 Andy Wood ’92 raised money for the Mission Drive as a target for $1 water balloons
19096JH
To see the actual publication please follow the link above