Leadership Training Program

This year has flown by, and the boys can’t believe that the 2012-2013 LTP Session is over THIS WEEK!!  And the boys are going out with a BANG!!

This week’s virtue was BE LOYAL.  Our guest speaker Pawel Machura not only spoke, but brought his guitar and played some songs for the boys as well.  Be sure to ask your boys what some corporations and a juvenile detention center have in common.

The boys had several activities this week.  First they made some snack bags for the teen shelter that was visited during the Midnight Run.  Then the boys went outside for a competitive game of Angels and Demons, trying to listen, while blindfolded, to the right voice for directions!  And then off for a great game of BLITZ.  It was a great day for all.

Click here to watch the video recap of the day:http://animoto.com/play/pSsz0TGfpBKO92Ag6ptPlA

On Saturday, two full busloads of boys, dads, grandads, priests and brothers loaded up and headed downtown for the annual Midnight Run   The boys visited Scottish Towers, My Brother’s House, Bethesda Bainbridge and the YSI Teen Shelter, serving dinner, playing BINGO and handing out the donations of t-shirts, socks and toiletries that we’ve been collecting over the past few weeks.  After a beautiful mass at St Augustine’s the boys and men headed into the city subways to pass along more of the items we’ve been collecting.  And the night wouldn’t be complete without a run up the Art Museum steps and some late night breakfast at Minellas.  A special thank you to Jim Gabriele, Ed Morris, John Ziegler and John Gilroy for their help with the logistics!

Here’s a short video of this year’s Midnight Run: http://animoto.com/play/QUPr5lEz15115w7wRl6VxA

We look forward to seeing your boys again on Friday March 22nd for our last LTP session until next fall.  This week will include the team prizes, so be sure to come!  And after the session we will serve pizza and popcorn and watch the movie “Here Comes the Boom”.  If you’re boys are not staying for the movie night please feel free to come at 5:00 for the end of the year video; if your boys are staying for the movie night pick up is 8:00 p.m.

BE COURAGEOUS!!  That was this week’s virtue, and the boys had a great time learning about it!  After filling up on donuts the boys met this week’s guest speaker Christian Talbot, head of school at Malvern Prep.  Mr. Talbot mesmerized the boys with stories from his youth in New York, and how it felt the first few times he interacted with those less fortunate, specifically the homeless.    For this week’s dynamic activity the boys had to make shelters out of cardboard boxes.  The shelters had to be as protective and warm as possible, and Br. Francisco had to fit inside!  Both the speaker and the activity helped to gear the boys up for this weekend’s MIDNIGHT RUN, see below for more information.

The boys also played some football in the cold weather, which didn’t seem to bother them!  This week’s resolution is: I WILL CHOOSE WHAT IS RIGHT, EVEN WHEN IT’S HARD!!

Click here to watch the video recap of the day: http://animoto.com/play/M70KtKom8goWyJ3R9IV2CA

Thank you to all those who brought in t-shirts and socks to be handed out during the Midnight Run on March 16th. The Midnight Run is an opportunity for the boys and their fathers/grandfathers/uncles to truly touch the lives of others, those who are less fortunate than us.  This week we will collect toiletries — but we also still need some t-shirts and socks, so please bring whatever you can.  Everything is greatly appreciated and will be distributed to those less fortunate during the Midnight Run.  Click here to watch the video from last year’s run to give you an idea of what the boys do: http://animoto.com/play/HohJoQFNcUm407blJ0mGPg

We look forward to seeing your boys again on Friday March 15th!  The rest of the LTP schedule is as follows:

March 15th  Be Loyal

March 22nd  Persevere!!

And don’t forget the Midnight Run March 16th!

If you haven’t registered yet just click on the Registration Forms tab at the top of the page to download the flyer, registration and permission to participate forms.

What do Tootsie Pops, oven mitts and soccer all have in common??  They all take PATIENCE — the virtue the boys learned about during Week Two for the LTP Winter 2013 session!  And everyone needs patience in order to Be the Best Version of Yourself.

After some Philly soft pretzels and Sunny-D the boys heard an inspirational talk by Bobby Moren, youth minister from Corpus Christi Parish in Lansdale. Bobby spoke about patience with our friends, teachers, parents and others, and how our patience reflects the light of Christ among others.  Fr Peter made sure to hand out lots of Tootsie Pops to reinforce the idea of patience.

Then the boys got to work wrapping big boxes as tightly as possible.  Then each team had to open another team’s box while wearing oven mitts!  There was lots of cheering and screaming, while the boys patiently tried to successfully open the boxes!  They all had a great time and then they headed out side for soccer, a game that reinforces patience and strategy, as well as relying on your teammates.

Click here to watch the video recap of the day: http://animoto.com/play/RzMcUjUFTHthtyFZw8X5XQ

Thank you to all those who brought in t-shirts to be handed out during the Midnight Run on March 16th. The Midnight Run is an opportunity for the boys and their fathers/grandfathers/uncles to truly touch the lives of others, those who are less fortunate than us.  This week we will collect socks, and next week toiletries.  If the boys are able to collect 450 items total by March 15th there will be a special party on the last day!

We look forward to seeing your boys again on Friday March 8th, please feel free to invite friends to join us!  The rest of the LTP schedule is as follows:

March 8th  Be Courageous

March 15th  Be Loyal

March 22nd  persevere!!

And don’t forget the Midnight Run March 16th!

If you haven’t registered yet just click on the Registration Forms tab at the top of the page to download the flyer, registration and permission to participate forms.

We are off to an amazing start for the LTP Winter 2013 session!  On Friday the boys were reminded of this year’s theme — Being the Best Version of Yourself.  This week the boys worked on “Be Honest”.  After a delicious snack of tastykakes and chocolate milk the boys got started on the session.   The first thing they did was create their team flags, and what better icon to put on the flags than their own faces?  The boys painted each other’s faces and then transposed them onto the pieces of the flag.  They also created their team names, be sure to ask your son what team he’s on!  Each week the teams will compete for points from good sportsmanship, cooperation, cleanliness, etc.  At the end of the five-week session there will be an award ceremony to honor the teams with the most points — and there will be prizes!!  Then we headed outside for a rousing game of dodgeball.  The boys had a blast!

Click here to watch the video recap of the day http://animoto.com/play/hPfYg20mKuJtH4FiUSdopw.

The session ended with each boy receiving a wrist band to remind them to always work to be the best version of themselves!  The resolution for the week is: ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH!!

During this LTP session we will also prepare for the Midnight Run on March 16th. The Midnight Run is an opportunity for the boys and their fathers/grandfathers/uncles to truly touch the lives of others, those who are less fortunate than us.  It also gives the LTP boys the opportunity to put into action what they have learned at LTP – being the best version of themselves so they can love like Jesus.  We will be collecting the following items each week to be distributed to multiple shelters and homeless people in the city of Philadelphia during the Midnight Run:

March 1st  New white undershirts

March 8th Socks

March 15th  Toiletries

If possible, please have your son(s) bring new white undershirts to LTP this week.  If the boys are able to collect 450 items total by March 15th there will be a special party on the last day!

We look forward to seeing your boys again on Friday March 1st, please feel free to invite friends to join us!  The rest of the LTP schedule is as follows:

March 1st  Be Patient

March 8th  Be Courageous

March 15th  Be Loyal

March 22nd  persevere!!

And don’t forget the Midnight Run March 16th!

If you haven’t registered yet just click on the Registration Forms tab at the top of the page to download the flyer, registration and permission to participate forms.

The Winter LTP session begins on Friday, February 22nd and runs for 5 consecutive Fridays at St. Isaac Jogues from 3:30-5:15.  The theme will carry over from the fall, ”Being-The-Best-Version-Of-Yourself”  with a focus on five areas…
Friday, February 22nd – Be Honest

Friday, March 1st - Be Patient

Friday, March 8th – Be Courageous

Friday, March 15th - Be Loyal

Friday, March 22nd – Persevere

Throughout the session the boys will be collecting items for the poor in preparation for the midnight run scheduled for Saturday, March 16th.  More details to follow for the midnight run, but mark your calendars.

If your son participated in the Fall LTP session you do not need to re-register, but you need to send a check written out to LTP to Helen Gabriele (110 Waverly Circle, Phoenixville, PA – cost information is on the attached flyer).

If your son did NOT participate in the fall session please fill out the  registration form (under registration form at the top), permission to participate form and a check written out to LTP and mail it to Helen Gabriele (see address above).

Please share our Website with family and friends who may want to attend LTP.  They can come the first day to check it out and if they enjoy themselves they can register after the first day.

The final week of the Fall LTP Session was, in one word — AWESOME!!  The boys received a little insight on how to Be the Best Version of Yourself until our winter session starts — Be Disciplined!!  After an awesome snack of pizza and soda the boys discussed what it meant to Be Disciplined.  We had an amazing speaker, Ted Leeds, a young triathlete diagnosed with stage four cancer.  When the cancer was finished ravishing his body he needed discipline to go from walking only 4 minutes at a time to training for a half Iron Man.  And what do you need to be to be disciplined?

Be Dependant on Christ

Be Forgiving

Be Humble

Be Grateful

Then it was outside for some dodge ball — an LTP favorite!

Even though the fall session of LTP is over, we do have some GREAT stuff coming up!

December 9th is our Advent Retreat.  

And mark your calendars for FEBRUARY 8 — the start date for the LTP winter session.  The winter session will run for five consecutive weeks, Friday afternoons, 3:30-5:15, February 8th through March 15.  And March 16 will be our Annual Midnight RUn, stay tuned for more details!

Well, week Four of the Fall LTP Session has come and gone– and what a week it was!  The boys are really focused now on Being the Best Version of Yourself.  After an afternoon snack of donuts and juice the boys discussed this week’s topic – ”Be Grateful”.  Our wonderful speaker was Todd Painton, a man battling cancer who has learned to be grateful for each day, and especially for the Eucharist.  Then the boys were challenged to work together to develop either artwork, a song or a presentation on the Eucharist.  Who knew that the boys could rap about the Eucharist to the tune of “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”?!

Then it was outside for some football!  Click here to watch the video recap of the day http://animoto.com/play/wso3T70LbUWmdybtuci0iQ.

This coming Friday is our last day fo the Fall LTP session, and the topic will be Be Disciplined.  Please plan to join us at 5:00 to watch the end-of-session slide show.

And mark your calendars now, December 9th is our Advent Retreat.  More details will follow shortly.