Campers take their "JUMP!" motto seriously...

Phoenix, Arizona, June 20-25, 2010 -- Several last minute registrations helped the organizers of the 3rd Annual ECYD Convention in Arizona reach its attendance goal.  Forty-three campers participated, most of them coming for the first time.

“The JUMP! convention was our best so far,” said Carrie O’Connor, a Regnum Christi consecrated woman who helped host the event.  “All the girls left with a better understanding of leadership and what it means to really live it out – but more importantly, lasting friendships with one another and with Christ, their best friend. The girls had the time of their lives!”

The event took place at a retreat center in the mountains just north of Phoenix, where the air is a bit cooler than the desert temperatures below.   Carrie said the area has been hit hard economically, and the good attendance was “a sign of God’s blessing.”

During the welcoming talk, the team leaders did a skit entitled “JUMP into leadership!” that set the tone for the week. They portrayed scenarios that were likely to take place during the convention, such as going out of one’s comfort zone to meet new girls, getting out of bed at the “Christ our King!” morning wake-up call, or

	. Forty-three campers participated, most of them coming for the first time.

swimming in the “icky pond.” The girls shouted, “Jump! Jump! Jump!” to encourage the skit actresses to take on the challenge. As the week went on, the same cheer would be heard many more times.

A highlight of the convention was the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament held during night prayers every day. A different team would accompany the chaplain each night as he carried Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament from the chapel to the conference room, accompanied by candles, bells and voices raised in song.

“We could see how their appreciation for this moment of prayer grew each day,” said Carrie.

The girls also took an outing to Slide Rock state park, where a rock-bed river runs through the mountains of Sedona, Arizona.  The girls who were daring enough got to jump off the cliffs along the river, complementing the “Jump!” convention theme.

As Celine Minton, a mom who attended as a chaperone, shared with other moms, “The convention is a hidden jewel! I was able to get a better bird’s eye view of how Challenge works and I was blown away! What a gift we have here, moms! …I believe in the formation of Challenge. When I meet young ladies who have had the benefit of years of participation in Challenge, I am convinced that God is at work here.”

The girls are eagerly brainstorming for fundraising projects in order to attend next year’s convention.