Volunteer Opportunities with Christian Appalachian Project

VOLUNTEER CORPS: ONE-YEAR

Kathy Krause was looking for a new start. She had just retired after 44 years as a nurse when her marriage ended. When her sister needed her, Kathy packed up her home and moved to Kansas to help out. After two years, her sister no longer needed her, but she didn’t know what her next steps should be. That’s when an ad from CAP started appearing on her Facebook page. “Day after day that post kept showing up. I heard an inner voice telling me to give it a chance,” she said. “I applied, and here I am.”

Kathy’s nursing career was spent in convalescent homes and rehab units so joining the Elderly Services Program was a natural fit. She takes elderly participants to medical appointments, runs errands, and spends time socializing with them. “It is such a joy and honor to help them out, especially since they are healthy and living in their own homes,” she explained. “I have the opportunity to help them be happy and feel safe and feel a part of life again.” Kathy said it is a gift to help them stay in their homes and she appreciates the opportunity to take them to visit friends or attend church services.

“Anyone who wants to learn more about love than you ever thought necessary, anyone who has a giving heart and a willing heart and wants to grow in God’s love should consider becoming a volunteer with CAP,” Kathy said. Her own faith has been strengthened by those she serves. “I have been blessed with the opportunity to listen to stories about my participants and see how their faith is what got them through all the hard times.”

One-Year Volunteers are the foundation of CAP’s volunteer program. Our volunteers address issues such as education, poverty, hunger, substandard housing, and rural isolation while living in intentional community and making a commitment to spirituality and personal reflection. Individuals making a one-year volunteer commitment may be eligible to serve in CAP’s AmeriCorps program, which provides additional benefits.