Newtown High School students are invited to join a mission trip to support the clean-up effort in tornado-ravaged Oklahoma from July 21-26.  Airfare, ground transportation in Oklahoma and accommodations will be fully paid for by Ben’s Lighthouse. The trip is open to any person who is entering 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade or who just graduated from high school this spring.

The trip, hosted by Group Cares Workcamp, will take between 10 and 40 Newtown High School students to the vicinity of Moore, Okla., where destructive tornados ripped through wide swatches of many towns in May, killing 24 and destroying thousands of buildings. The Ben’s Lighthouse group will join 250 youth and chaperones from around the country to help in picking up debris, mending fences, and repairing siding and roofs, among other jobs.

A mandatory meeting for all high school youth interested in attending, and their parents or guardians, will be held Saturday, June 29, at 7 pm, at Trinity Church, 36 Main Street.

Ben’s Lighthouse is a non-profit organization dedicated to support the healing of Newtown’s children and youth through community-building events (like the recent Lighthouse Festival), programs and workshops, and community service projects. The organization believes that reaching out to help others in need is an important part of recovering from tragedy, especially among older youth and adults.

For more information about the trip, see www.benslighthouse.org/Oklahoma or call Paget Haylon at 203-270-6373.