B e ca u s e o f You…
Notre Dame Students Return- Doubled! Page 2
Future Stewards Are Engaged in Culture Page 3
NPS Recognizes FRIENDS Volunteers Page 4
Winter 2017
High Vistas Journal The newsletter for members of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Joy Ranch Kids Get Outdoors On The Parkway Youth join forces with Alternative Break students to get their hands dirty!
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he October weather couldn’t have been better on a day when a van full of students from Joy Ranch, a Christian home for children, arrived at the Blue Ridge Music Center in the Galax section of the Parkway to spend a day full of learning, service, and outdoor fun with students from the University of Notre Dame. Joy Ranch is a residential program for children ages 5-17 nestled in the hills of Woodlawn, VA. When Residential Care
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the Notre Dame students spent the morning learning about trail maintenance, and by the afternoon were mentoring the kids with their new skills. Side by side, they cleared debris and dug drainage ditches, talking about different plants and trail markings along the way. It wasn’t all work, though! The group enjoyed a hike, lunch and tour of the Music Center. The impact of the day was felt by all. “The main reason
The folks from Joy Ranch really touched me, and it helps me as I’m thinking what my next steps are. Director Susan Huxster arranged to bring some of the kids out for a service day on the Parkway, the experience was more special than FRIENDS could have ever expected. Thanks to the leadership of the FRIENDS Fisher Peak Chapter,
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that I think this service is so important, I love to work for the community, but really it’s kind of secondary to how much I learn on these trips from all of you and from everyone that we’ve met,” Notre Dame student Katie Luotto said. “The folks from Joy Ranch
really touched me, and it helps me as I’m thinking what my next steps are.” This year, FRIENDS plans to expand these kinds of partnerships and learning experiences. They are only made possible by your supportthank you!
ANOTH Students Return To The Parkway – Growing In Numbers Notre Dame Students Immerse Themselves Between Culture & Service to Discover What Appalachia Means to Them
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ince 2006, volunteers from the Fisher Peak Chapter of FRIENDS have annually hosted small groups of students from Notre Dame that are participating in our Alternative Break program. Coming from a wide variety of backgrounds, their engagement in the community begins as soon as they arrive— diving right into the environment, the culture and the people of the Appalachian region they’ve been studying for the weeks prior to their arrival. The Center for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame offers community-based learning experiences for students interested in a wide scope of regions, Appalachia among them. This is part of what the Center calls “engaged learning,” a form of education built on reciprocal exchange with communities both near and far for mutual benefit and development. These courses integrate academic content, community partnerships, and critical reflection on the challenges communities face.”
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Our region saw double the number of these students this year! In October, not one, but two groups of students from Notre Dame arrived in Appalachia. The Fisher Peak Chapter welcomed a group as they do annually, and the Northern Highlands Chapter in Allegheny County hosted one as well. “It’s essentially both a service trip, what we are doing now, as well as a course to prepare us ahead of time,” student Katie Luotto said of the Appalachian Seminar. “I think it’s really important to come in knowing the history of the region and some of the challenges that are present today. It also gives us a new appreciation of the culture.” The expansion of this project was funded by the Morningstar Foundation, and with the generous leadership of our Chapter volunteers, the growing interest from these young stewards will only continue to rise.
Did you know that we’ll be welcoming students from Virginia Tech, Boston University and Notre Dame in 2017?
“Their contribution of service during the week was felt in our community,” said FRIENDS Chapter Chair for Fisher Peak, Cary Simms. “It is very evident that these young adults appreciate, and are willing to put in the work necessary to preserve the Blue Ridge Parkway, our music and our culture!”
Alternative = FRIENDS Break Schools FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway
HER YEAR OF SERVICE AND SUCCESS FRIENDS Connecting the Next Generation with Appalachian Culture With the help of members like you, in 2016 we were able to...
reach 3,141 kids with the Junior Ranger Program fund 6 interns for the National Park Service host 4 groups of Alternative Break students Maggie Anderson takes a moment to stop and demonstrate how to play the dobro with students at the Mid-Day Mountain Music series held at the Blue Ridge Music Center.
Youth in Action: Meet Cora! Seven years ago, 10-year-old Cora Goforth began making cards to raise funds to support pancreatic cancer research after her aunt had the disease. Each year, she makes cards for a different charity, and provides them to friends and family for donations in an amount of their choice. Her parents have always told
u o y k n a h T Cora!
her that she is small, but she can make a difference. “You have hands,” they said, “use them.” This year she wanted to make a difference close to home. As her mother said, Cora “wanted to give to an organization that helps protect our local mountains.” She contacted FRIENDS, presenting the donation in a ceremony held by the Park Service and our FRIENDS Asheville Chapter. We are so thankful for young stewards like Cora to pave the way to a bright future for our Park!
Park Service Recognizes FRIENDS Volunteers
W
e here at FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway are so excited to announce the accomplishments of our Chapter volunteers. We recognize their efforts every day, and visitors do too when they stop and see a cleared overlook, hike a trail, stop at a visitors center or when they are able to participate in a cultural event along the Parkway. In October, several of our volunteers’ and chapters’ hard
Ridge District VIP of the Year Sandy Gallagher, of the FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway HUMPBACK ROCKS Chapter
work was recognized by our office, their peers, and by National Park Service staff members. Our most sincere congratulations go out to the award recipients for their efforts and accomplishments. Check out our blog post to learn more. You’ve made us proud, and we can’t wait to see what you do in 2017!
Plateau District VIP of the Year Brinegar Cabin Garden Volunteers and members of the NORTHERN HIGHLANDS Chapter led by Joyce Speas.
Park-Wide VIP of the Year The entire HUMPBACK ROCKS Chapter of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, led by Chapter Chair, Latane Long
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469 miles...87 Vistas Restored So Far in Virginia and North Carolina.
Download a special report on the Overlook Restoration Project from our website!
FRIENDS Board of Directors
FRIENDS Staff
President - KEN RANDOLPH, Rockydale Quarries, Corp Vice President - STEVE BEYER, Leisure Media 360 Secretary - LYNN DAVIS, Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources & Environment Treasurer - J. RICHARD WELLS, Leisure Media 360 Assistant Secretary and Treasurer -PERRY KEYS, Enterprise Software DAVID POTEET, Nomad Mobile Guides MARTHA BOGLE, National Park Service Superintendent, Retired KYLE EDGELL, Caricature Artist GEORGE HUMPHRIES, Photographer and Author, Mars Hill University BRANDON LaCROIX, The LaCroix Group EDWARD J. FUHR, ESQ., Hunton & Williams
SUSAN JACKSON MILLS, PH.D, Executive Director JENNIFER SNYDER, PH.D., Associate Director SAVANNAH SHARKEY, Membership and Donor Services MARCIE HANCOCK, Marketing and Communications Coordinator MARY ELLEN BELCHER, Administrative Assistant VIRGINIA EHRICH, Office Assistant
FRIENDS Volunteer Staff Kathy Van Duzer
P.O. Box 20986 Roanoke, Virginia 24018 540.772.2992 | 800.228.PARK (7275) www.FriendsBRP.org | Staff@FriendsBRP.org