`Fast'ing times for Our Lady of Good Counsel youths.

Byline: Michael Kane

WEST BOYLSTON - Call it a community mission; one group of youths trying to make a positive impact on their world spent, for the second year in a row, 30 hours without food last weekend to call attention to starving children in other countries. And, in doing so, the group raised nearly $8,000 - enough to feed 22 children for one year.

"Our goal was $7,200, $1 per child per day, enough to feed 20 children," Kathy Vignaly said. Vignaly is the adult mentor for Our Lady of Good Counsel's Youth Group, which took on World Vision's 30-hour famine challenge for a second year. This year, 26 members of the high school youth group participated in the famine, along with three friends or members.

High School Youth Group President Emily Swalec, who personally raised $1,040 according to Vignaly, said last year's experience paid off.

"I think this year we were a lot more orderly," Swalec, a West Boylston high sophomore said. "We knew what we were doing and had it organized better."

Fellow youth group member Jon Vignaly, the top fundraiser with $1,160, agreed with Swalec's assessment.

"There were a lot more kids who knew a lot more about what they were doing," Jon Vignaly said. "Different ideas could be thrown in."

Last year, the group voluntarily barred themselves in the church basement overnight, playing games, socializing and taking part in exercises meant to teach the group about the struggles faced in third-world countries.

This year, the group kept themselves busy for part of Friday by going extreme bowling and taking advantage of the generosity of a Good Counsel parishioner who repairs arcade video and pinball games and who invited the group to his house.

Swalec, whose last meal before Saturday night's post-mass supper had been Friday at 10:30 a.m., said the most difficult part of the famine was hearing other people talk about food.

Vignaly agreed. The junior at St. John's High School said he also had another commitment for school last weekend. As a result, he had to leave the youth group and enter an atmosphere surrounded by food.

"Watching people eat and being around food was hard," he joked, adding, that waiting for the 4:30 Mass to end on Saturday so the much-anticipated post-famine spaghetti supper could be served was the worst time. "Seeing the food and not being able to eat it is the worst."

On a serious note, however, he said the experience taught him a lesson.

"It makes you think about what these kids have to go through, while they are sitting there hungry," he said. "It's hard."

The theme for this year's 30-hour Famine was "Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Hungry." About 29,000 children die per day due to hunger and related illnesses, Vignaly said.

Last year, that number was visually represented by chains of 29,000 construction-paper rings hung around the walls of the church. This year the group's officers elected to try something else, Vignaly sad.

"They wanted to do something that had a dual purpose," she said.

As a result, the group collected aluminum can tabs. Those tabs will later be donated to Shriner's Hospital for Children in Springfield, Vignaly said. The hospital sells the aluminum to purchase equipment.

Once 29,000 were chained together, the tabs went around the walls of the church six times. "We actually collected double that," Vignaly said. "We're going to donate them all."

Another lesson learned last year was the length of time it takes to assemble the 29,000 piece chains.

"We started earlier," she said. "It wasn't as stressful. We started collecting tabs and yarn donations in September. We started to make the chain in October."

Far from being solely a fundraiser, the famine is also meant to raise awareness of starvation faced by children in other countries, Swalec said.

"Most people probably don't realize that 29,000 children per day die from hunger," Swalec said. "That's a lot."

Participants seek donations from businesses by selling advertisements displayed at the spaghetti supper, which parishioners pay to eat. Other money is raised through the sale of candy bars.

A third member of the youth group, Lauren Vignaly, also raised over $1,000 - $1,050 to be exact, Kathy Vignaly said. And, parishioners at Our Lady of Good Counsel donated $3,000, spurred in part by speeches Jon Vignaly and Swalec gave at masses.

"The parishioners have been overwhelming in their response to us," Kathy Vignaly said. "They've been more than generous."

All of the food for the supper was donated by Finders Pub, Kathy Vignaly said. And Gerardo's Bakery donated a sheet cake for dessert.

In addition to the 29 members who fasted, 15 members of the Middle School Youth group, while not allowed to fast, took part by assisting in other activities, including baking desserts, and selling tickets for and serving the spaghetti.

Middle School Youth Group Leader Tina Buono said the younger group was eager to help, and those old enough will likely move up to the high school group next year and take part in the fasting.

"It's a good group of kids getting together to have fun and do services," Buono said. "They're experiencing what it's like to give. Hopefully, they'll derive some satisfaction from that."

Kathy Vignaly has similar praise for the older group's members, especially Swalec.

"Emily has been an awesome president," Vignaly said. "She does a great job and leads by example. She participated in everything we've done. She's the perfect example of what a youth leader should be."

And the group as a whole shares a set of good qualities too, Vignaly said.

"They're just awesome. I can't say enough good things about them," she said. "They're just a joy."

To Swalec and Jon Vignaly, however, the best reason for the 30-Hour Famine is not the recognition, but the results.

"Basically, knowing you're helping someone eat is the best part," Swalec said. "Basically, you're saving a child's life."

For Jon Vignaly, he said the 10 hours or so he spent fundraising was well worth the effort.

"The $1,080 (he raised) is enough to feed three kids for one year," Vignaly said. "If you think about that, being able to save three people's lives just by raising money and taking a little time out of your life ... to save three kids is just awesome."

ART: PHOTO

PHOTOG: Banner photo/MICHAEL KANE

CUTLINE: Members of the Our Lady of Good Counsel Youth Group and Friends took part in a 30-hour famine to raise money for and awareness of starvation in the world. Participants were (back, from left): Joe George, Chris Sawyer, Tyler Moylan, Sarah Walker, Nicholas Buono, Emily Swalec, Kevin Barnaby, Dan Marsden, Courtney Lowe, Dana Cameron, Patrick Cameron, Jon Vignaly and Kristen Peterson; (center, from left) Mikayla Fitzpatrick, Alissa Baldarelli, Elizabeth Holland, Anna Salate, Lauren Vignaly, Molly Cronin and Daniele Snay; and (front, from left) Lori Lamberto, Jessica Dias, Rebecca Matias, Rachel Murphy, Maggie Hughes, AnneMarie DuVarney and Lisa Snay. Missing when picture was taken were: Fletcher Viders and Caroline Verduccio.