Benefit Concert in Trenton Will Help Youth Make Annual Mission Trip to South Dakota

This Sunday, May 22, at 6:30 p.m., the Trenton Village Theatre is hosting a benefit concert for the youth ministry at in Trenton as it prepares to embark on its annual mission trip to the Lower Brule Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

What started with four youth on the first trip has turned into a group of nearly 30 who are eager to make the journey to the reservation to help develop a refuge where children can find a safe haven from the dangers of drug abuse and alcoholism that permeate the reservation.

The trip was organized by Tom Clark, the director of religious education and youth ministry activities for St. Joseph’s. He and his wife wanted to take the kids on a mission trip, but realized that leaving the country would be difficult since it’s rather expensive and would exclude kids who can’t afford it, so they stayed within the borders.

“We wanted to find a place that is similar to being in an entirely different culture so that our teens could see that here in the U.S. there are a lot of people who have absolutely nothing,” said Clark.

Throughout the course of the year, the youth ministry holds fundraisers to pay for the annual trip. The group has held bottle drives, which can bring upward of $300, but it has never organized something as ambitious as a concert.

“This is the first time we’re actually doing an actual concert to benefit St. Joe’s youth ministry group,” said Joann Perna, the assistant director of Trenton’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Perna is also a member of Mission, the Christian contemporary praise band that will perform at the concert.

While there is no set dollar amount the group hopes to raise through this benefit, the group is grateful for any amount people can afford to donate.

“If we raise in the neighborhood of $5,000, that would be huge,” said Perna. “Whatever monies we make will be more than what we had. It just makes it that much easier.”

The people on the reservation will, ultimately, be the ones who benefit from the personal connection they make with the teens from St. Joseph’s.

“We get to connect with the people of the reservation, which is really the essence of what we do,” said Clark. “We go back every year to stay in touch with them.”

A $10 donation is requested for each ticket. Tickets are available at the St. Joseph Parish Office or by calling 734-676-9082.