All posts by Beth Ryzyk

ASP, General, What's Next

OYMT Training Session #6

REMINDER – Mandatory Parent Meeting

OYMT Training Session #6
Mandatory Parent Meeting  Sunday, June 11, 2023
3 – 5 pm(Leader meeting to follow)
Note the Location:
St. Barbara Orthodox Church
480 Racebrook Road, Orange, CT

Wear clothes you don’t mind getting paint on!
We’ll finish the saw horses we worked on
at the last construction training. 
Only 32 days until we leave for West Virginia! We so appreciate everyone’s commitment and dedication to our mission effort—you are all hard workers and with God’s grace our work will bear Good Fruit!
 
MANDATORY Parent Meeting: One parent for each teen needs to attend. We will go over the pack list and all the information you need for your child on the trip as well as have you verify essential health and contact info.

ALL Participants: Bring a copy of the front and back of your team member’s insurance card (leaders too!)

It’s hard to believe that we have only 2 Trainings left!
Useful information Links:

The Pack List

ASP Required Reading
If you have any questions, contact us at oymt.info@gmail.com. 
Looking forward to seeing you soon!

In Christ,
Susan

General

OYMT Training #2: Cultural and Sensitivity Session

Sunday, February 26th
TIME CHANGED to 1-3 pm
 
Holy Trinity Orthodox Church
74 Joe’s Hill Road, Danbury CT

We’ll learn about the people in Appalachia that we’ll be serving, and how to work with our families in a way that respects them and their homes. You’ll also learn all about installing flooring at this session!

Bring $5 for dinner and $175 final fee.

NO adult leader meeting
Mission Trip 2023: July 8-16
If you have any questions please email OYMT.info@gmail.com
General

OYMT Training Session #1

Sunday, January 22nd
from 3-5 pm
 
Holy Trinity Orthodox Church
74 Joe’s Hill Road, Danbury CT

We are asking that a parent attend the initial part of this meeting for some important information about the upcoming year.
Mission Trip 2023: July 8-16

We’ll explore the Appalachian Service Project’s 2023 theme of “Love Strong” and introduce you to the circular saw! Safety equipment will be provided.
All teens in 8th grade and up are welcome to join us—even if you just want to come and and find out what we’re about! As always, feel free to contact us if you have questions.

There are the 3 steps for signing up:
1. Complete the OYMT Covenant online.

2. Pay the $175 non-refundable deposit online by going to www.oymt.info and clicking the DONATE button. Write “Registration Fee” in the “Special Instructions to Seller” note. Please consider paying $180.25 to cover the online fees OR write a check for $175 made out to Holy Trinity Orthodox Church and mail to: Attn: OYMT at the address above.
3.
Register with our team on ASP by  going here.Returning team members will need to enter your password. New team members will need to create an account.Enter 13408 for the group codeClick on the “Join an existing group” buttonFill out the form and all medical information including doctor’s name and phone number, medications, etc. Leave no sections blank!For assistance with your username and/or password, contact volunteer@asphome.org  or 800-289-4254.
 Register before January 22ndIf you’re having trouble with your registration, we’ll help you complete it at the meeting. It serves as your emergency contact and medical information which we need for your safety.

If you have any questions please contact Susan Sulich (ssulich@yahoo.com) or Fr. Luke (padreluke@aol.com). 
 
We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones as we begin our new year!

In Christ,
Susan

General

OYMT Reunion Gala

Dear past participant of the Orthodox Youth Mission Team,

We are pleased to cordially invite you to attend the Orthodox Youth Mission Team’s Reunion Gala on Saturday, November 26th in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The evening will bring together past and present participants, benefactors, clergy, and friends and family that have been involved with OYMT throughout the past twelve years of service. We’ll celebrate TEN successful mission trips, and all proceeds will contribute to future service.

Date: Saturday, November 26, 2022
Time: 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Venue: 364 Mill Hill Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Tickets: $50, all inclusive
Cocktail hour, dinner, dancing with DJ Bill Lopez, and a silent auction.
RSVP: Kindly RSVP  by November 12, 2022.

Purchase tickets using the DONATE button on this page.

Please feel free to reach out to oymt.info@gmail.com or Lexi Klimaszewski (203-997-3462) with any questions or concerns. Additionally, please send any and all pictures from past trips to Lexi at lexiklim08@gmail.com for inclusion in a slideshow video. If you have any special physical memorabilia from any of the trips, we’d love to see that brought to the event for showcase as well.

We are fortunate enough to have had 106 people from the Tri-State Area alone participate in at least one OYMT trip over the past twelve years, and the majority returned for at least a second year. If you include participants from other states at our all-OYMT ASP centers in 2018, 2019, and 2022, that number tops 200. We truly hope to see as many former participants as possible at this event, so that it may be a true reunion and celebration of OYMT’s growth and service.

General

Last training session 6/30 5-7 p.m. at Holy Trinity in Danbury

Hello Orthodox Youth Mission Team!
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!

This is it! Our last training session will take place this Thursday, June 30th from 5-7 p.m. at Holy Trinity in Danbury. We have heard from our staff at our Center in Clay, WV and have additional information to share about our center. We will also go over final details and preparations for our trip.

After we will have a barbecue. We will provide meats and dessert. Please bring a side dish (salad, chips, watermelon). Feel free to bring any yard games (frisbee, whiffle ball, etc.) to play as well.

We will also be taking a group photo for our postcards!

A few reminders of things to bring:
– If you do not want to bring your “big bag” to the church on Pack Night—Friday, July 8th at 4 p.m. you may bring it to this meeting.
– PARENTS: snacks or drinks for the trip if you volunteered to donate. Snacks will also be used to supplement lunches on our trip.
– $5 for dinner
– Any additional stock or donations. ALSO: Everyone should have finished their thank you’s at this time. Please complete before Thursday if you have not.
– Bring any outstanding forms, insurance cards, etc. from last meeting.
– Your tool bag for the worksite if it’s not already here.

Adult Leaders:  we will meet after the regular session to divide up the bigger item pack list and go over final leader details.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday!

General, What's Next

Construction training Saturday 5/7 in Danbury

Hello Orthodox Youth Mission Team,

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

We hope you are all enjoying a most blessed and beautiful Pascha celebration! Guess what? Only 67 days until we leave for Appalachia! And, in case you didn’t hear, we have received our assignment. We will be going to Clay County, WV. You can click here to learn a little more about our center and the county we will be serving. 

This coming Saturday we have our construction day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Holy Trinity in Danbury, CT. We will be putting the tool and safety skills you learned last session to work and building a garden fence. A few reminders:

  • Eat breakfast before you come
  • Wear ASP work clothes (long pants, work boots, t-shirt with sleeves) and bring a reusable water bottle, hat and sunscreen (and rain gear if the weather forecast calls for it—there are no rain days on ASP!)
  • Bring your personal tool kit which should now be updated to include any missing items. 
    • Work gloves (2 pairs preferable)
    • Hammer
    • Safety glasses if you have them
    • Measuring tape
    • Carpenter pencil
    • Flashlight
    • Nail apron if you have one
    • Refillable water bottle
    • Hat or bandana
    • Sunscreen

We will provide lunch. Please bring $5.

You’ll also get to meet our two newest team members: Lexi and Jamison who come with lots of mission team experience and we look forward to officially introducing them to everyone.

We will expect to see everyone on Saturday since no one has let us know they are unable to attend. Only 3 training sessions left and each one is critical at this point—let’s push for a strong finish to our training. 

 

Looking forward to seeing you all!

In the Risen Christ, Susan

 

P.S. Bring any additional stock you may have received. Stock sales are going very well! You will be receiving information shortly on sending thank you notes to all your donors—don’t worry, there’s a form letter for you to use!

General

Tool and Safety Training Session 4/2 12-4PM in Danbury

Hello OYMT Members!

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!

Reminder for our Tool and Safety Training Session that will take place this Saturday, April 2nd from 12-4 p.m. at Holy Trinity in Danbury. At this session we will be going over how to safely use a wide variety of tools and complete skills that we may need for our work in Appalachia.

Please remember to bring your personal tool bag with the following items:

  • Work gloves (2 pairs preferable)
  • Hammer
  • Safety glasses if you have them
  • Measuring tape
  • Carpenter pencil
  • Flashlight
  • Nail apron if you have one
  • Refillable water bottle
  • Hat or bandana
  • Sunscreen

Please mark everything with your name and pack all items in a drawstring bag.

A leader will check that your bag is complete and then we will keep them at the church to use on our construction day and for the trip.

Other reminders:

  • Wear work boots or other heavy shoes—everyone will need these for the trip. If you don’t already have a pair it’s great to get them now and wear them for this and the following session to break them in. Nails and other debris on the worksite make sneakers insufficient for foot protection.
  • Long pants
  • T-shirts with sleeves
  • Stock sales

Eat lunch before you come. We’ll have snacks. As always, if you have any questions let us know.

In Christ,

Susan

P.S. At this point I have only heard that Lexi and Jamison are unable to attend so we expect to see ALL other team members at this training. Each teen will get signed off showing that they have trained in these areas. This is a critical part of what we do to keep everyone safe!

Any teen who does not make this session will need to be trained and provide documentation that they have completed this training for safety purposes. Skills include: sheet rock cutting and taping, using power tools such as chop saws and saws all, nailing, painting, flooring, ladder safety and more.  

What's Next

Safety Training 12-4pm April 2 in Danbury

Hello OYMT Members!

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!

Great job to everyone who attended the Sensitivity Training Session! For those St. Barbara teens who were unable to attend, please talk to Shaun Berner about making up the session.

Wanted to give you a heads up for our next session because there are a few items you will need to gather before you arrive. It is our Tool and Safety Training Session and will take place on Saturday, April 2nd from 12-4 p.m. at Holy Trinity in Danbury. At this session we will be going over how to safely use a wide variety of tools and skills that we may need for our work in Appalachia including, sheet rock cutting and taping, using power tools such as chop saws and saws all, nailing, painting, flooring, ladder safety and more. Each teen will get signed off showing that they have trained in these areas. This is a critical part of what we do to keep everyone safe! Any teen who is not able to make this session will need to be trained on these skills and provide documentation that they have done this training for safety purposes.

On the trip we and ASP provide most of the tools that we will use. However, it is required that each teen bring a few basic items that are used frequently. We would like everyone to gather these supplies and bring to the Tool and Safety session. A leader will check that your bag is complete and then we will keep them at the church to use on our construction day and for the trip. Please mark everything with your name and pack all items in a drawstring bag.

The following items are required:

  • Work gloves (2 pairs preferable)
  • Hammer
  • Safety glasses if you have them
  • Measuring tape
  • Carpenter pencil
  • Flashlight
  • Nail apron if you have one
  • Refillable water bottle
  • Hat or bandana
  • Sunscreen

Other reminders:

  • Wear work boots or other heavy shoes—everyone will need these for the trip. If you don’t already have a pair it’s great to get them now and wear them for this and the following session to break them in. Nails and other debris on the worksite make sneakers insufficient for foot protection.
  • Long pants
  • T-shirts with sleeves
  • Stock sales

Eat lunch before you come. We’ll have snacks. As always, if you have any questions let us know.

In Christ, Susan

ASP, Fundraising, General, What's Next

Training #2 This Sunday 2/27, Don’t Miss It!

Hello Orthodox Youth Mission Team,

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!

Our second training session will take place this Sunday, February 27th from 3-5 p.m. at Holy Trinity in Danbury (74 Joes Hill Rd., Danbury, CT). 

This is our fundraising session for our biggest fundraiser—Mock Stock Sales. For those of you who are new to the team, each teen will be sending letters to friends and family asking them to “invest” in their youth mission work. Each teen is required to bring names and addresses pre-printed on peel and stick address labels to use for this fundraiser. We recommend that families use their Christmas card address lists. If you have any trouble making your labels you can contact Beth (bethryzyk@gmail.com). Mock Stock sales will also take place at each parish during coffee hours and the procedure will be explained to your teen at the meeting. Families with more than one team member need only make one address list and siblings can share it. 

At this meeting the remainder of the payment for the trip is due. The total cost of the trip per teen is $350. Please bring a check (made out to Holy Trinity) or cash for the total minus the deposit you made initially for your teen’s fees. 

We are also looking for a parent volunteer to prepare something simple for meal (baked ziti, a ham, mac and cheese—whatever you like!). We can reimburse you for the cost of the ingredients if you wish.

Team members are asked to bring $5 for dinner.

As always, if you are unable to attend this meeting for any reason please let us know in advance. 

Thank you and looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday!

In Christ,

Susan

General

First Meeting today!

We are looking forward to getting together with everyone for our first training session this Sunday, Jan. 23rd from 3-5 p.m. at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, 74 Joes Hill Ave., Danbury, CT. This year’s theme from ASP is “Rooted in Love.” We will explore this theme and discuss what mission means and how we are called to be a part of it. All of our training sessions are essential for preparation for our mission trip this summer. If there is some reason you are not able to attend we expect to hear from you ahead of time.

Here’s a few things to bring:

IMPORTANT: In order to have everyone’s contacts and medical info in case of an emergency, ALL members—teens and leaders—are asked to please fill out the registration form on the ASP website BEFORE attending Sunday’s meeting. 

Instructions are here: Complete your individual registration to join our group by going here.

  • Enter 11567 for the group code
  • Click on the “Join an existing group” button

Susan Sulich
Group: Orthodox Youth Mission Team – #11567

Click on the ‘Join this Group’ button and fill out the form. NOTE: If you are a returning team member you will have to enter your password. If you are a new team member you will need to create an account.

For assistance with your username and/or password, contact volunteer@asphome.org or 800-289-4254

We will also have a laptop at the meeting if you are unable to fill out online but a parent will be needed.

As always, if you have any questions, contact us!