03/14/03 - GINA TUPY - community
1.
Gina
Tupy, a dedicated, cheerful, and generous community leader, is the Senior High
Youth Ministry Coordinator at the Church
of St. Michael. She devotes herself to the teens, or young
people as she calls them, of Prior Lake. Gina has worked to establish a teen counter,
Holy Grounds Coffee House, where teens, no matter from what town, religion, or
school they are from, can come together in a safe and fun environment. A board of directors, up to about fifty teens
runs Holy Grounds Coffee House; however, behind almost every attainment, there
is Gina. The teen center has come a long
way and now includes a big screen TV, large TV, Play station, karaoke, sound
system, pool table, fireplace, air hockey, foosball, and coffee counter with
just as much, if not more, choices that a professional coffee house could
offer. Gina spends her Friday and
Saturday nights between 7 and 11 o’clock
not with the adults, but here at the coffeehouse with her favorite age group –
the young people, supervising and enjoying herself. You can also find Gina at the home Laker
events because she truly believes that the young people in the community need
to be supported since they are the future.
She is well known for her lightheartedness, laughter, faith, and the
commitment she makes to teens – watching out for them (as they deserve nothing
but the best she says), and making sure they are brought up as good, strong
leaders with morals and values. She is
unique with her optimistic outlook on anything she is confronted with and her
special way of making anyone feel welcome and loved. Ask Gina what she does, and she will deny the
fact she does anything above and beyond, but don’t be fooled. Gina Tupy gives so much of her time, money,
and effort, it would probably take ten people to fill her shoes because she is
undoubtedly one of the parish’s and the community’s greatest and priceless
assets.
(She also is a resource person for
school administration in how to understand high school age students.)
2.
I am nominating Gina Tupy for her dedication to
the many youth of St. Michael. Gina is
the youth director at the parish of St. Michael. Her generosity of her time and talent towards
the Prior Lake
community is truly evident in the youth she has touched. Gina gave up her hair dressing business to
reach the youth of St. Michael. Through
her efforts she has brought the 9th and 10th grade
confirmation classes closer to Jesus and also more connected with the rest of
the world’s needs. Gina respects each
individual for who they are, not what they may have done. Gina Tupy is always with the youth and loves
them. The youth of St. Michael love her
also!
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