Suzelle Serra

Journey to Veritas and see Where You Belong

By: Suzelle Serra

Suzelle Serra

ABSTRACT Camp Veritas is Catholic summer program servicing students within the ages of 12-18. Veritas goal is to inspire and form young Catholic teens into an active discipleship of Jesus Christ. It offers the perfect blend of athletic activities as well as spiritual activities including the Mass, scriptural Rosary, Adoration, confessions, education, and personal testimonies. Camp is currently offered at two locations in the state of New York each summer. The Camp is looking to expand to more locations throughout the United States such as Maryland and Michigan. This plan targets the catechetical students from 7th to 12th grade currently enrolled at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. The target demographic is 600 students. The plan is divided into three sections; the first contains all the client research based information. This includes the camps description, mission, goals, strengths, challenges, target public demographics as well as psychographics, budget and strategic research design. Following the research material comes the second section entitled Strategic Planning Detail, expressing the connection between the plans goal and the target public. This section includes the communication objective, message, spokes person and spokes entity. Lastly the third section includes the communication tactics containing an event description, timelines for the event, media contacts, budget, pitch letter, press release, and a brochure. I would like to express my gratitude for the opportunity to compile this plan for your company and I appreciate all the time you committed to aiding me in this task. I am thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful organization and I look forward to continual work with Camp Veritas.

Suzelle Serra

Suzelle Serra

CONTACT INFORMATION Camp Veritas 1653 Salt Point Turnpike Salt Point, NY 12578 Email: enroll2@campveritas.com Phone: (845) 266-5784 Website: http://www.campveritas.com/Pages/default.aspx HOURS OF OPERATION Office Hours: N/A Active Camp Hours: All day- (July 20-26), (August 17-23) DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES Camp Veritas is an effective and time efficient summer program that services both Middle School and High School students. Highly motivated volunteers and speakers who are qualified in their respective fields are recruited from around the country. Adult chaperones are required to submit background check paperwork and attend a Safer Spaces training session designed by the Archdiocese of New York. All activities are arranged in time intervals of one hour each to provide students with a variety of engaging activities each day. Camp is offered at two different locations at each year allowing campers to choose the one best suited for their needs. Each day students participate in spiritual activities including the Mass, scriptural Rosary, Adoration, confessions, education, and personal testimonies. The atmosphere at camp inspires and forms young Catholic teens into active discipleship of Jesus Christ. Campers are instructed on the teachings of the Catholic Catechism and of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church in an effective manner. Additionally, students are able to interact with over 30 consecrated religious throughout the week. As a non-profit organization, donors can claim their contributions as tax-deductible on their income taxes. http://www.campveritas.com/Pages/default.asp

MISSION STATEMENT Camp Veritas is a non-profit organization incorporated in the State of New York and organized exclusively for the purpose of inspiring and forming young Catholic teens into disciples of Jesus Christ by bringing all souls to the Foot of the Cross in the Eucharist. http://www.campveritas.com/Pages/aboutus.aspx

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STAFF Ryan Young Camp Director Camp Veritas 1653 Salt Point Turnpike Salt Point, NY 12578 Email: ryan1@campveritas.com Phone: (845) 266-5784 Elizabeth Young Assistant Director Camp Veritas 1653 Salt Point Turnpike Salt Point, NY 12578 Email: enroll2@campveritas.com Joe Crista Activity Coordinator Camp Veritas 1653 Salt Point Turnpike Salt Point, NY 12578 Email: enroll2@campveritas.com Kevin Donovan Director of Music Ministry Camp Veritas 1653 Salt Point Turnpike Salt Point, NY 12578 Email: enroll2@campveritas.com Mary Allen Nursing Head Camp Veritas 1653 Salt Point Turnpike Salt Point, NY 12578 Email: enroll2@campveritas.com

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SHORT-TERM GOALS: To contact and connect with Archbishop Lori To increase the number of New York parishes currently aware of Camp Veritas by 20% To begin stages of preparation for expansion into Maryland To contact and inform priests in the Baltimore area about Camp Veritas To increase marketing reach by posting relevant posts on Facebook page To encourage volunteers base by 10% To continue progress in Michigan in order to reach expansion in 2015

LONG-TERM GOALS To incorporate camp into normalcy of Confirmation preparation in the Archdiocese of New York in the next three years To open up additional camps in Michigan in the summer of 2015 To increase financial donors two fold in the next three to five years To provide three to four weeks of summer camp in the next two years To set up additional camps in two more states in the next three to five years To increase volunteer base by 50% in the next two years To increase student base into the 600-1000 range in the next three to five years

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STRENGTHS OF THE ORGANIZATION Camp Veritas has brought countless students to the foot of the cross. It is a nonprofit organization that ministers to over 400 students each summer. Only in its sixth year since it was founded, it has already seen amazing results, with at least a 70% camper and counselor turnover each year. This new program works on the basis of appropriate time management, perfectly blending equal amounts of time devoted to prayer, testimonials and spiritual activities as well as sports and recreation. The students that attend receive an average five hours of catechetical information daily through various mediums. Most importantly these students build relationships that promote their return each year. The camps continual growth is dependent on word of mouth. CHALLENGES OF THE ORGANIZATION Camp Veritas primary and most effective source of recruitment is through word of mouth. Due to this, reaching campers and volunteers that have not experienced it prior is challenging. The time commitment of a week can also be an impediment for someone who has a full time job and still wants to chaperone. Expansion into Maryland will require volunteers and campers from the neighboring areas. Weather can also offer up some obstacles of its own, because there are many activities that cannot be done in rainy conditions. This leaves a substantial amount of rescheduling on the hands of the activities coordinator. Finances are on a donor basis, and thankfully people are generous, however finding these generous contributors does take time and effort.

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COMPETITORS Life teen Camp: Covecrest 25 Falls Drive Tiger, Georgia 30576 Camp Guggenheim 1468 County Route 16 P.O. Box 664 Saranac Lake, NY 12983 REGULATORY AGENCIES Archdiocese of New York 1011 1st Ave New York, NY 10022 (212) 371-1000 Internal Revenue Service Exempt Organizations Determinations Room 4024 P.O. Box 2508 Cincinnati, OH 45201 Fax: (513)263-4330 REFERENCE PUBLICATIONS Catholic New York 1011 First Ave., Rm. 1721 New York, NY 10022 Phone: (212) 688-2399 Fax: (212) 688-2642 Email: cny@cny.org CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION Word of Mouth Postcards Bulletins Email Newsletters Priest Parish Packets Media Facebook

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CLIENT PUBLICS Rank Public 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Counselors Core Staff Campers/Students Administrative Staff Parents Host Staff Parishes Religious (CFR, SV) Priests Confirmation Programs Resources Time/Services Time/Services/Security Reason to Exist Organization/ Coordination Outreach/ Donors Location Services Outreach/ Marketing Testimonies/ Witness Sacraments/ Time Promotion/ Awareness Internal/External Internal Internal External Internal External External External Internal Internal External

Suzelle Serra OPPORTUNITY/ PROBLEM CLIENT STATEMENT Camp Veritas tireless efforts during the past six years have made an enormous impact on the lives of thousands of campers. In a culture of self, the camp has been able to take teens into a deep relationship with Christ and has inspired them to return year after year in search for continual growth in their faith. The camp has found a well-balanced recipe that provides these teens with ample recreation while simultaneously immersing them with educational materials based directly on the catechism and teachings of their faith. It has prepared catechumens for the Sacrament of Confirmation, as well as older students with the skills to live out the teachings of Christ in their lives fully. In the previous five years Camp Veritas has only been offered in the state of New York and although students and volunteers have come from far beyond those borders, making the journey for those from out of state is more difficult. However, the recent opportunity for expansion and growth into other states brings the challenge of finding students and volunteers from those areas and recruiting them. This is where the opportunity lies; because several North Carolina volunteers have already attended the camp there is an opening for students from this state to begin to attend Camp Veritas. These Carolinian students will serve as the beginning base for the upcoming Baltimore camp and increase the success rate at this new location.

Suzelle Serra TARGET PUBLIC DESCRIPTIONS/DEMOGRAPHICS The target demographic will be the current students ages 13-17 enrolled in Faith Formation classes or Life Teen meetings at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. These students consist of those preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation as well as other students that continue their attendance in Life Teen after Confirmation. There are approximately 600 students currently enrolled with some fluctuation in attendance at the parish. TARGET PUBLIC DEFENSE This target public is optimal because the current director of youth ministry has previously expressed her interest in Camp Veritas. There are adult volunteers from this parish that have served at Veritas and are personally invested in seeing their parish experience camp as well. The parish priest has likewise previously heard about the camp and is eager to learn more in order to send his parishioners there.

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Suzelle Serra TARGET PUBLIC PSYCHOGRAPHICS Experiencers Experiencers are motivated by self-expression. Young, enthusiastic, and impulsive consumers, Experiencers quickly become enthusiastic about new possibilities but are equally quick to cool. They seek variety and excitement, savoring the new, the offbeat, and the risky. Their energy finds an outlet in exercise, sports, outdoor recreation, and social activities. Experiencers are avid consumers and spend a comparatively high proportion of their income on fashion, entertainment, and socializing. Their purchases reflect the emphasis that they place on looking good and having "cool" stuff. Believers Like Thinkers, Believers are motivated by ideals. They are conservative, conventional people with concrete beliefs based on traditional, established codes: family, religion, community, and the nation. Many Believers express moral codes that have deep roots and literal interpretation. They follow established routines, organized in large part around home, family, community, and social or religious organizations to which they belong. As consumers, Believers are predictable; they choose familiar products and established brands. They favor U.S. products and are generally loyal customers. http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes/experiencers.shtml

DEFENSE OF TARGET PSYCHOGRAPHICS The Faith Formation and Life Teen students at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church are primarily experiencers. They are teenagers full of youth and enthusiasm; they can become consumed with an idea in an instant. However they can also lose interest almost effortlessly, so their attention is in high demand. As young teenagers they have a high energy level and need to release their energy via outdoor sports, social activities and other recreations. The St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church students are also believers, because they have been raised in a faith-filled atmosphere and are preparing or have received their sacraments of initiation. They have been taught by their parents to have moral standards and are guided by the routines set in place by their parents.

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Suzelle Serra STRATEGIC RESEARCH DESIGN In order to gather information about the interest of the desired target public there will be a need to provide quantitative surveys for the students. However this needs to be done in an engaging and interesting way in order to promote honest and valid feedback. During one of the faith formation classes and life teen meetings, a quick ten-minutes can be utilized to watching the Camp Veritas video and followed by a quick text in questionnaire on a sample group of 30 students. This online questionnaire will use the polleverywhere.com software as a way to collect the data. Questions will include their reaction to the video, how likely they are to attend, what are some things they saw on the video that most interests them, and other questions will address their previous experiences with summer camps. This kind of software will make it fun and interactive for students to provide their feedback using texting, a skill they are entirely familiar with and eager to use. The information gathered from the questionnaire will provide a foundation towards developing the wider event. BUDGET INFORMATION The estimated budget for this plan is $500.

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Suzelle Serra COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVE To recruit a minimum of 100 prospective campers from the existing 600 students from St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church during the dates of January 6th, 2014 to May 30th, 2014. The programs goal is primarily behavioral because it requires the students to take action and choose to attend Camp Veritas. The plans secondary goal is informational because in order for students to attend the 600 students will need to be aware of the Camps existence so they decide to attend. The communication objective will be to inform the students of the camp and persuade their attendance. This target public will serve as the foundation for future recruiting possibilities in NC. They will be offered the opportunity to attend both the current sessions for camp in NY as well as the Maryland camp. The recruitment at this church will indirectly inform other churches by the students word of mouth. This will advance Camp Veritas mission and goal by setting a foundation in NC for future camp locations. This target public will bring diversity as well as increase the likelihood of future volunteers. There are currently no students attending Veritas from St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, this makes the pre-program measurement at zero. After May 30th the number of registered campers will set the post-program measurement. The cumulative data will be presented on a Excel spreadsheet. MESSAGE Journey to Veritas and See Where You Belong This message appeals to the 600 students at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church because it aims at most teenagers greatest desire, to belong. As experiencers, these students are constantly searching for new opportunities; they are enthusiastic and seek the new. Camp Veritas is a camp like they have never experienced, they will also be drawn to it because they are blooming believers and this will give them a chance to meet other people like them. This slogan is the perfect message for these students because it calls them to make up their own minds and find where they fit in the world.

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Suzelle Serra

SPOKES ENTITY

Journey to Veritas and see Where You Belong

The design works nicely for the campaign because it is appealing to the desired target audience. It is creative and easily recognizable by the target public. The spokes entity can stand alone or with the message, by using the word Greensboro it is specifically personalized for the desired demographic at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. The design is also complementary to the organizations logo because it incorporates part of a Rosary; this displays how Greensboro can become a part of the larger Veritas organization. SPOKESPERSON This program will have two designated spokesperson, Susan Raybold, the current director of youth ministry at St. Pauls Catholic Church and Suzelle Serra. Susans role at the parish will make her a reliable source with established credibility, and my role as a spokes person is directly related to my age and previous experience in both the parish and camp. Susan will appeal to the believer part of the students and I will cater to their experiencer counterpart. I will be responsible for providing personal testimonies about the camp and Susan will attest to her enthusiasm of Camp as a counterpart to the faith formation program.

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Suzelle Serra EVENT DESCRIPTION Camp Veritas will partner with St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus Council #13236 and Feenys Frozen Yogurt during this event. The event Veritas and Frozen Yogurt will be held on February 15th, 2014 at St. Pauls Catholic Church Fellowship Hall from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Feenys Frozen Yogurt will cater the event, Council #13236 will be responsible for providing the funds and assisting with set up and clean up. The event will consist of icebreakers, Susan Reybolds introduction, Suzelle Serras personal testimony, frozen yogurt social, and games. Tickets will be issued free of charge at all of the faith formation classes during the two weeks prior to the event. The amount of tickets issued will provide an estimate of expected guests at the event. The event will be publicized on St. Paul the Apostles Catholic Church weekly bulletin during the two-week period and will be included in the announcements before each Mass. The event will begin with an address from Susan Reybold welcoming all the attendees and thanking them for their presence. She will serve as master of ceremony for the event and will encourage participation from the audience. Following her introduction she will play the Camp Veritas video. Afterwards Suzelle Serra will share her testimony; this will provide the students and their families with a personalized look at the camp experience. She will explain the large impact that the camp has on over 400 students like them each year and let them know how they can be a part of this wonderful experience. The students will then be asked to partake in the yogurt social and several icebreaker activities will commence. Following all the nights events the attendees will be asked to text their responses to an online software in order to gather feedback for their reactions to the event and their overall opinions about the camp. EVENT RATIONALE The main purpose of the Veritas and Frozen Yogurt event will be to persuade St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Churchs faith formation students to attend Ca mp Veritas during the Summer of 2014. Consequently the event will also inform all the attendees of the impact that Camp Veritas has had over countless students like them. The nights programing will allow the attendees to engage in fun activities while learning about this wonderful opportunity. The positive and interactive atmosphere will cater to the students as experiencers, and foster their natural tendency to be enthusiastic consumers that are motivated by their surroundings.

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Suzelle Serra EVENT TIMELINE Designated time line and dates that Camp Veritas and the event partners will adhere by. December 5th, 2013 Present a proposal to the Knights of Columbus Council about their sponsorship of Veritas and Frozen Yogurt. Meet with Susan Reybold, Father Joseph Mack to ensure their support of the event. Meet with Feenys Frozen Yogurt business owner to discuss catering prices. Send file with pre-measurement questions and video to all the qualifying faith formation teachers. Finalize arrangements with the church office to post announcement on church bulletin for two weeks. Print 150 tickets for the event and place them in the office for teachers to pick up. Design flyer and post it on the bulletin board for the parish. Contact Feenys with estimate number of attendees.

December 13th, 2013

December 16th, 2013 January 19th, 2014

January 27nd, 2014

February 1st, 2014

February 8th, 2014 February 9th, 2014 February 14th, 2014 February 15th, 2014

Set up fellowship hall for the event, this includes tables, decorations and stage. Host Veritas and Frozen Yogurt at Fellowship Hall, conduct survey and clean up. Send out thank you notes to both partners and participants.

February 25th, 2014

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Suzelle Serra EVENT DAY TIMELINE Susan Reybold will contact the Feenys staff and ensure t he reservation for catering are set for the evening and review the nights programing. Suzelle and the knights council will set up the remaining decorations in Fellowship Hall. Susan Reybold and Suzelle Serra will meet at fellowship hall to go over the complete presentation for the evening. Susan, Suzelle and the knight staff will arrive at fellowship hall and set up ticket table. Feenys staff will arrive and set up the catering table. Greeters will begin talking to people as they finish mass and exit the parish. Susan will welcome the attendees and begin her short introduction. Camp Veritas video will be projected on screen, following the video guests will be welcomed to grab yogurt and return to their seats. Suzelle Serra will commence her personal testimony describing her past experiences at camp and encourage questions from the attendees. Susan Reybold will guide attendees through several icebreaker activities for the night. Attendees will be reminded to text their responses for the feedback cards into an online software and will be thanked for their attendance as well as encouraged to have more yogurt. Clean up will commence for the evening and staff will be thanked for their help that evening.

10:00 AM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM 6:10 PM

6:30 PM 6:40 PM

7:00 PM

7:15 PM

7:45 PM

8:45 PM

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Suzelle Serra EVENT PARTNER Camp Veritas will partner with St. Paul the Apostles Catholic Church Knights of Columbus Council #13236 for the event Veritas and Frozen Yogurt. The council will sponsor the event as well as provide the necessary staff for set up and clean up. Feenys Frozen Yogurt will cater the event. EVENT PARTNER RATIONALE The partners for the Veritas and Frozen Yogurt event will be St. Paul the Apostles own Knights of Columbus council #13236 and a local neighboring business called Feenys Frozen Yogurt. Both organizations are known for giving back to their communities and are personally invested in the wellbeing of the parishioners at St. Paul the Apostles Catholic Church. Both the Feenys owners and the Knights council are believers; they are rooted in the same religious and conservative beliefs of the faith formation students and the Camp Veritas organization. The Knights of Columbus mission is in essence the same as Camp Veritas, which is to bring souls to the foot of the cross. The council has a budget set aside for parish events and this would be a perfect candidate for those funds. Feenys Yogurt is similarly invested in helping their community, and has done so in the past by contributing to fundraisers done by other Catholic Churches in the area, that is what makes them a complementary partner in the success of this event.

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Suzelle Serra PUBLICITY CONTROLLED Verbal announcement at the beginning of Mass Verbal announcement during faith formation and Life Teen classes Printed announcement of church bulletin Electronic Announcement on Feenys Facebook page Email to parents of registered parish students Tickets

UNCONTROLLED Press Release Word of mouth Media coverage

BUDGET The Knights of Columbus Council #13236 will sponsor the events food. Camp Veritas will allocate $300 of the total budget to this event. This amount will account for flyers, tickets, yogurt, and drinks. FEEDBACK There will be several forms of feedback throughout the event, verbal and written. Following the activities of the night the attendees will be asked to text their feedback to an online software that will be projected on a screen, the questions will also be printed on sheets at each table. Two weeks after the event the faith formation instructors will ask their classes for verbal feedback on the event, encouraging them to talk about it with others that did not have an opportunity to attend.

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Suzelle Serra MEDIA CONTACTS St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd. Greensboro, NC 27410 Telephone: (336) 294-4696 Fax: (336) 294-6149 www.stpaulcc.org Jeannine Martin Bulletin Editor Published weekly Circulation: 1,000 families Catholic News Herald Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center 1123 South Church St. Charlotte, NC 28203 Telephone: (704) 370-3334 catholicnews@charlottediocese.org Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor Published Fridays 28 times per year Circulation: 165,000 readers

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Suzelle Serra

January 15, 2014

Contact Information: Suzelle Serra (305) 542-5546 s_serra@uncg.edu

Jeannine Martin Bulletin Editor 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd. Greensboro, NC 27410 Telephone: (336) 294-4696 Dear Jeannine, I am the Event Coordinator for Veritas and Frozen Yogurt to be held on February 15th, 2014. Camp Vertias is partnering with St. Pauls Knights of Columbus Council #13236 and Feenys Frozen Yogurt to host 150 attendees for this event. Veritas and Frozen Yogurt will be a fun night in which the attendees will be able to learn about Camp Veritas by listening to personal testimonies, watching the Veritas promotional video, participating in group icebreakers while having a tasty frozen yogurt social night. The goal of this event is to expose these teens to an invaluable summer opportunity to grow closer to Christ in a new and engaging manner. Publicizing this event in the St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church Bulletin would be mutually beneficial. This story can show parishioners of a wonderful summer opportunity that the youth in the parish can become a part of. This event is one small step towards the goal we all share as followers of Christ, to bring each and every soul to the foot of the cross; and that is the Camp Veritas primary mission. As the event coordinator I would be elated to share more details for the event as well as pictures to accompany the article. Please feel free to contact me at s_serra@uncg.edu or (305) 542-5546. Thank you for your time, Suzelle Serra, Event Coordinator

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NEWS RELEASE February 15th, 2014 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Information: Patricia L. Guilfoyle, Editor Telephone: (704) 370-3334 catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

CAMP VERITAS RECRUITS IN TO NORTH CAROLINA Bringing the youth to the foot of the cross through Frozen Yogurt Social GREENSBORO, NC- On February 15th, 2014 Camp Veritas partnered with St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church Knights of Columbus Council #13236 and Feenys Frozen Yogurt to host a Frozen Yogurt Social. The event was an informational night filled with interactive activities and a personal testimony from a former camper hosted at the churchs fellowship hall. The Knights of Columbus Council #13236 sponsored the frozen yogurt catered by Feenys Frozen Yogurt for all the attendees. Director of Youth Ministry, Susan Raybold welcomed the guests and thanked them for their valued time. Former counselor Suzelle Serra shared her personal testimony after the Camp Veritas promotional video was played and the guests were encouraged to grab some yogurt as they were led in icebreaker activities. The Camp Veritas and Frozen Yogurt event presented the churchs youth with a future summer opportunity to spend a week in New York while growing closer to Christ and his beloved wife, the Catholic Church. This event is the foundation for St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church to send their students to Veritas, a camp that will bring them one step closer to the foot of the Cross. For more information on Camp Veritas or if you are interested in joining us as a camper, please visit our website at www.campveritas.com or call (845) 266-5784.

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Suzelle Serra APPENDIX Moore, M. (2011). Retrieved from http://feeneysyogurt.net/ Young, R. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.campveritas.com/Pages/default.asp (2013). St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. Retrieved from www.stpaulcc.org PSYCHOGRAPHIC DATA Strategic Business Insights: VALS2. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes/experiencers.shtml

MEDIA CONTACTS St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd. Greensboro, NC 27410 Telephone: (336) 294-4696 Fax: (336) 294-6149 www.stpaulcc.org Jeannine Martin Bulletin Editor Published weekly Circulation: 1,000 families Catholic News Herald Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center 1123 South Church St. Charlotte, NC 28203 Telephone: (704) 370-3334 catholicnews@charlottediocese.org Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor Published Fridays 28 times per year Circulation: 165,000 readers DEMOGRAPHIC DATA Interview and email data

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