By Julie A. Miller
Catholic Herald

Catholic offers his service to youth

SUPERIOR -- Jim James, a member of St. Francis Xavier Parish, is dedicated to helping young people. In his free time he works to bring youth and young adults to the church and to community service not by preaching, but through activities.

James grew up in Iron River and has lived in Douglas County all his life. He and his wife, Bobbie, were married at her parish, St. Francis, in 1975 and have been parishioners there ever since.

James started working with young people because of his own three sons, Dustin, 13, Ryan, 17, and Brandon, 21. "I have been involved with the kids because of my kids, starting when my oldest was in third grade. I started coaching with the KC basketball league," James said. He and another parent, Tim Gallagher, ran the Knights of Columbus basketball league until the program was discontinued six years ago.

James' involvement continued as his children became teens and young adults. At his parish, James said, he and a group friends recognized that the church and community failed to involve teen-agers in the faith and in community projects, and didn't foster activities that appeal to them.

"They may not be the same activities that were around when we were young and we have to recognize that the world is changing and we have to change. That includes faith -- not changing the faith, but finding a way to keep young people involved in faith and in church," James said.

In 1996, James and Gallagher, who teaches the parish confirmation class, started the Spirit of the Lake 3-on-3 basketball tournament to raise money for the St. Francis Xavier Parish youth group. James said they organized the games to give young people a chance to play for fun outdoors. "Everybody could play," he said. "Nobody was excluded."

James was also involved in starting the practice of having the confirmation class take part in an overnight Easter vigil. The idea has since expanded and beginning in 2001 the all-night vigil was opened up to the parish and the public.

In 1999, through one of his sons, James got involved in a huge undertaking, that ultimately required cooperation of the the City of Superior, Douglas County, area businesses, parents, teens, young adults and the public.

Ryan James was interested in inline skating and skateboarding, but there was nowhere to participate in these sports. James said, "There is a perception that these extreme sports members are defacing public property and Cathedral and St. Francis all have signs that take away their opportunity to inline skate and skateboard."

James said that although some skaters, skateboarders and trick bikers are involved in school sports, the majority are not. These sports provide an alternative for them.

In the fall of 1999, with the help of the UW-Extension youth development office, a skate park advisory group was formed. An informational meeting was held and over 100 people, including city council members and then mayor, Margaret Ciccone, showed up. James said the turnout was enough to convince the city's parks and recreation department that there was a need.

The advisory group, chaired by James, was formed to put young adults in charge of planning a park facility. During the following year, the advisory group met weekly. James said a total of about 80 adults and young adults were involved, including a core group of about 10 people from age 13 through college age.

Funds came from the city, the county, civic groups and businesses. Donated materials and services also formed an important part of the project. Along the way the group also worked with the community, including neighbors of the proposed park, to educate them about the sports and to solve potential problems such as bathrooms and and parking.

James said, "A lot of praying was going on behind the scenes."

All the hard work paid off, and the park opened in the fall of 2000. It even remained open all winter. James said kids shoveled the ramps and kept skating. He has seen as many as 80 people at a time using the park. Many out-of-towners have come to use the park and some have asked James for help in getting parks built in their towns.

James added that besides the tangible benefits of the park, there were other more important benefits for the young people too.

"The intangible is that they know they can do these things -- attend meetings, speak in public before the mayor, the council, civic groups," he said. "They know how to find the mayor's office and know they can walk up and talk to the police chief or the chairman of the county board."

It gave a group of kids a way to shine in their own way, he added.

As a result of their work on the skate park, Ryan James and Zack St. Arnold, a ninth-grader, were asked to be part of the delegation that went to Madison for Superior Days, an annual trip to talk to state legislators about the city's needs, James said.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2001