Denise and Michael Campbell are long-time parishioners and their children grew up here. We recently asked Denise some questions about her faith, her family, and St. Jude parish.
 
Q: What do you like about St. Jude parish?  
I love that St Jude is such an inclusive community. There are so many opportunities to join ministries.  If you’re a person who wants to get involved, there are many different ministries to join.

My older daughter, Meghan, was a student at St. Jude School, so I felt very involved as a part of the school community. My younger daughter, Erin, is special needs and did not attend the school, so I had the opportunity to get more involved with the parish community.

Q: In what way do you participate in parish life? 
I’ve been a parishioner since 1991.  I taught PREP for 15 years, and for eight of those years I was involved in teaching the Special Needs PREP. For the last three years I’ve been a member of the Board of Limited Jurisdiction. 

I’ve been an extraordinary minister of Communion for the last four years and am involved in the Hospitality Committee.  I also attend meetings for the Parents of Special Needs Children within our parish.

Q: How has parenting a child with special needs been a blessing to your family? 
I like to think that I parent both my children the same way, but Erin, my special needs daughter, is a very outgoing and social person.  She loves going to church and being a part of the community. In having a special needs child, I’ve found that everyone wants to help my daughter. I think it’s really important that she understands that she has the ability to help others, as well. Whenever I’m volunteering for a Hospitality Committee event, she comes along and is put to work.  She has also joined the ministry that stuffs the bulletins once a month.  I continue to look for opportunities in which she can get involved and give back.

Q: What advice can you give to other parents of children with special needs? 
One piece of advice I would give to other parents of special needs children is to get them involved. Getting them involved in extracurricular activities is good for them and for you as the parent. My child is very involved and has a lot of great friends. Some of my closest friends are parents of other children my daughter is friends with. By meeting other parents you can also share information. I’ve learned a lot from other parents while waiting for my daughter to finish a dance class or sporting event.

Q: What would people be surprised to know about you? 
I am a very outgoing person and love meeting new people, but I still get very nervous when I have to talk in front of a group of people.

Thank you, Denise!