Hi Everyone!

My name is Samantha Musso and I am an 18 year old senior at New Paltz High School and I will be attending Marist College in the fall.  During the week of July 7th to July 15th, I will be traveling with Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries (CYFM) to Harlan County, Kentucky for their 27th annual Capuchin Appalachian Mission (CAM).  This will be my second year particpating on this mission trip.

Our group, compromised of 58 youth and 29 adults, will be working to serve the community of Harlan County, Kentucky in a variety of ways, including Senior Ministriy (visiting the eldery at local nursing homes), Outreach Ministry (supplying locals with basic necessities like clothes, hygenie products, and cleaning supplies), Vacation Bible School (free day camp for children), and Manual Labor (helping to repair houses for people who do not have the means to do so themselves).

Personally, I will be a part of a manual labor team that will work closely with the Harlan County people and families to repair damaged homes.  This year, some of the manual labor projects could include: building/repairing handicap ramps for people with diabilities, putting an edition on a pre- existing home, and repairing roofs and floors.

Last year, I was also lucky enough to particpate on a manual labor team.  For the duration of the trip, we worked to complete an edition on a house that had been built the previous year on CAM.  Personally, I was able to repaint almost the entire mobile home and helped to complete a 13 year old girls bedroom (painting, laying a linoleum flooring, finishing a closet, and adding blinds to the new windows).  I am very grateful to have been provided with the opportunity to do similar work again this July.  

I am reaching out to all of you to ask for your support to make this mission trip successful.  Whereas I will give by going, we are asking our Companions in Mission to go by giving:

          Giving attention to the unjust situations faced by poor children and
          families in our country
           Giving up a few minutes of each day to pray and keep those who are partipating in your                thoughts, both as we prepare for the trip, and eventually spend our time in service
           Giving a financial contribution to help make the trip possible for our team.

Any financial assitance you could provide us with would be greatly appreciated!   

Here is a snapshot of some of our costs for this trip:

           $1440 covers the cost of renting one of our 7 vans for the week
           $990 covers the cost of renting one of our 2 cargo vans for the week
           $750 will give a family a roof that doesn’t leak
           $350 will replace a hot water heater so a family can take baths and wash dishes
           $100 will buy four pieces of plywood
           $65 will feed one of our 84 missionaries for the week
           $50 will help our Outreach Ministry provide for two families
           $40 pays for gas for one vehicle for a day
           $16 will sponsor a child for Vacation Bible School for the week 

If you can not provide us with any financial assistance, we ask that you keep us in your thoughts and prayers for the duration of our journey.

Thank you in advance!

Samantha Musso