NAMES: Augie & Dawn Leal

OCCUPATION(s): Parents, Youth Ministers, Shine Catholic Work Camp Directors, Musician (Augie), Creative Memories Consultant (Dawn)

WEDDING DATE: Oct 19th 1996

FAMILY: Monica, Chris, JaiMichael, Allysa, & Jordan

WE ENJOY: Playing and praying with ours kids!

How did SHINE start?

The summer before we were married we took a youth group to a work camp in Florida, it was such an awesome experience. The next couple of years we continued to take youth groups to camps around the country. The summer of 1999 was a turning point for us. After being encouraged to start a camp by a few people, I thought; Why not start a "Retreat Style" Catholic work camp that would consist of an awesome staff of young Catholics, a week of service, team building, daily morning mass, nightly praise and worship with a band with a full blown lighting and sound multimedia production, skits and drama's, nightly youth group prayer, nightly chapel, national speakers, concerts with top Christian artist, an evening of adoration, high energy music, and a dance!

Because of me being a musician and Dawn being in the hospitality industry and both of us being youth ministers we put all our resources together and began to build it. After gaining the support of youth ministers and teens from around the country and Catholic youth organizations like the N.F.C.Y.M. and LIFE TEEN. We put the word out.

In the summer of 2000 our first SHINE Camp was held in Houston TX with over 200 teens and YM's. It was awesome. That same summer we went to Phoenix AZ with about 100 teens and YM's. It was the beginning of SHINE.

Since then we have been to different parts of the country like Phoenix AZ, Oklahoma City OK, Bunkie LA, Baltimore MD, Minneapolis / St Paul MN, Chicago IL, Washington DC, Zanesville OH, Cleveland OH, Denver CO, Corpus Christi TX, Dulce NM, Memphis TN, Los Angeles CA and Dallas TX.

It has been a true labor of love for us and our family. And as we continue to make this work camp one of the best Catholic resources in the country. Please pray for for all those out there that are willing to live out there baptismal call to serve, grow in their Catholic faith, and allow their "light" to "shine".

Augie