News

Toppins named Global Outreach director

Mary Toppins of Appleton will succeed Mary Piette of Neenah as the new executive director of the Global Outreach Program. The program's board of directors selected Toppins on Aug. 5 to succeed Piette, who retired in July after serving as director since 1994.

	Previous article: from July 20, 2007 issue: • Global Outreach prepares youth worldwide     Director retires, alumni host Baltics visit

Toppins, a certified teacher, comes to Global Outreach after a career in the telecommunications industry. She taught religious education classes at St. Joseph Parish in Appleton for 14 years and this summer completed the Commissioned Ministry Program of the Green Bay Diocese with a specialization in pastoral ministry.

"The opportunity feels more like a calling than a job," Toppins said. "I feel blessed to be a part of Global Outreach, a program that is so instrumental in so many lives."

Joining in leadership are Jackie Martin of Neenah, president of the Global Outreach Board, and Fr. Larry Seidl, pastor of St. Matthew Parish, Green Bay, the new spiritual director. Fr. Seidl has been the spiritual director of the Global Outreach summer camp in Europe for the past four years.

Other new board members are Dave and Debbie Raupp of Green Bay, secretary; Don and Connie Babler, also of Green Bay; and Mark and Sue Lokken of Oshkosh. Other officers are Gary Elmer, treasurer, and Jennifer Schraufnagel, vice president.

Since 1991, more than 300 Catholic high school juniors from the former communist countries of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia and Lithuania have participated in Global Outreach at Catholic high schools in Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota. During that same time, nearly 50 American youths have participated in the Global Outreach summer leadership camps in Central/Eastern Europe.

Global Outreach students who will be attending Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Green Bay this fall are: Roncalli, Manitowoc -- Nikola Mazurekova from Slovakia; Notre Dame, Green Bay -- Zoltan Fuzy from Hungary and Miriama Rizmanova from Slovakia; Xavier, Appleton -- Samuel Hosek from Slovakia and Julija Baltrusaityte from Lithuania; St. Mary Central, Neenah -- Peter Tinath from Slovakia and Klara Kollar from Hungary; Lourdes, Oshkosh -- Jana Kocianova from the Czech Republic and Matyas Molnar from Hungary.

For more information, contact Toppins at: mktop@sbcglobal.net, (920)734-1136 or visit www.globaloutreachprogram.com.