Appalachian Voice Spring 2020

APPALACHIANVOICE

A NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF UNIVERSITY OF THE CUMBERLANDS

SPRING 2020

THE SPIRIT OF GIVING AT MOUNTAIN OUTREACH PROFILES IN SERVICE - MOUNTAIN OUTREACH

The families’ gratitude was clear. The moment they For Mountain Outreach (MO), ushering in the holidays means getting into the spirit of giving. The annual Gift came in from the cold, they began smiling. Their faces then became thoughtful as they decided which Day helps the MO volunteers do just that. toys would suit their More than 100 MO “The spirit of giving...helps us integrate into children best, and volunteers served 141 less-fortunate families our community. It reminds us what Christmas sometimes solemn as this past December at is all about and incorporates gratitude into MO volunteers prayed with them, but their Gift Day. They walked our daily lives.” faces always ended up families through the cheery as the families MO warehouse, helping Tara Currie watched their cars parents choose toys for English Major fill with food for the their children, handing them diapers and baby wipes if they have an infant in holidays. Approximately 20,000 pounds of kid-friendly the house, and loading food into their vehicles. Toys foods like hot dogs, ravioli, applesauce, pudding for Tots went above and beyond in providing high- cups, cereal, pancake and cornbread mix, beans, quality toys for all ages, as well as giving of their time to rice, vegetables, canned fruit, fresh fruit, breads, and potatoes were stuffed into cars on Gift Day. volunteer at Gift Day. Continued on page 2

The majority of student volunteers were from the archery team at Cumberlands. Volunteering at MO’s Christmas Gift Day is an annual tradition for the team.

“We love doing stuff like this,” said Kris Strebeck, archery coach. “It’s kind of funny because the ones who have done this year in and year out are excited for it, and meanwhile the freshmen are kind of like, ‘What’s going on?’ But after a bit, they jump in and give an extra hand any way they can.”

Gift Day opens the students’ eyes to the need around them and provides glimpses into other people’s lives. The event is usually held the Saturday before students take final exams, so as a bonus, it can be refreshing for them to get outdoors and do something besides study.

This was senior Tara Currie’s fourth year helping with Gift Day. She says it’s one of her favorite events.

“I think it gets us into the spirit of giving, and it helps us integrate into our community,” she said.

“It reminds us what Christmas is all about and incorporates that gratitude into our daily lives. And,” she laughed, “we’re stressed going into finals week, so doing this reminds us there’s a light at the end of the tunnel!”

Some of the families served by Mountain Outreach may not have had a real Christmas otherwise. But with their cupboards stocked and presents under the tree, they were able to relax and enjoy the holidays.

The MO volunteers enjoyed them too, knowing that their spirit of giving made a real difference this holiday season.

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MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

DAY OF SERVICE

15 550 $12K

PROJECTS

STUDENTS

VALUE

35 1500 $37K SITES

VOLUNTEERS

VALUE

*PATSERVE and MLK Jr. Day of Service are events for which Cumberlands cancels classes so students may serve their community together.

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PROFILES IN SERVICE - APPALACHIAN MINISTRIES The students and staff who volunteer with Appalachian Ministries (AM) embody Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

One of the keys to making a lasting impact in an area is to invest in that area on a regular basis. Knowing this, AM serves local children every week.

The ministry visited three different sites in the community this fall. On average, approximately 65 children were served weekly.

Besides the weekly visits, AM hosted a few extra-special, fun events for the kids! They organized a fall festival complete with face painting, pumpkin painting, carnival games, and plenty of food. The festival was hosted on Cumberlands’ campus, which helps introduce the children to a college environment in the hopes that someday the cycle of poverty in their family may be broken through higher education. Volunteers with AM also provided a Thanksgiving meal at each AM site and ended the semester by throwing a big Christmas party for the kids! Each child heard the story of Jesus’ birth and received a sweatshirt, hygiene bag, and toy handpicked for them by current Cumberlands students and AM staff.

Shoes 4 the Soul is one of the most well-known ministry events on campus.

Cumberlands served nearly 500 children from the community at Shoes 4 the Soul. These children were picked from the family resource officers at Williamsburg Independent, Pleasant View, Boston Elementary, Whitley North, and Whitley East. Each child got their feet washed by a college student and received a new pair of shoes and socks, a backpack, and a hygiene bag.

Appalachian Ministries added another AM site in Jellico, TN, in January 2020! The team is excited to see the impact God will have there.

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Matthew 19:14

My gift, in the amount of $

YES!

I want to make a

DIFFERENCE.

, is to make a difference for people in need and to change lives one good deed at a time. I Services provided by Mountain Outreach would specifically like my gift to benefit one or more of the following: Ministry outreach with Appalachian Ministries A student working to obtain a degree I would like to make this a recurring monthly gift

To pay by credit card, please complete the section below: Visa

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Please return this coupon, along with your gift, to: The President’s Office • 6191 College Station Drive • Williamsburg, KY 40769

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THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JEH DANKE SEHR THANK YOU GRACIAS MERCI GRAZIE ARIGATO DO JE

THANK YOU

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES THESE STORIES POSSIBLE

PROFILES IN SERVICE B-SQUAD BED MINISTRY

This year, Mountain Outreach (MO) partnered with B-Squad, a local non-profit organization, to construct beds for underprivileged children in our local area. The B-Squad identifies children who do not have a bed to sleep in and provides them with brand-new beds. They also provide a new mattress, sheets, pillows, blankets, pajamas, clothes, and some toys. All items are given to each child just before Christmas.

The B-Squad launched this program in 2018 with 25 children, paying more than $300 for each bed to be constructed. Unable to continue affording that expense, they approached MO in 2019 to see if MO could help. The student volunteers at MO researched, designed, and then developed a construction plan for a sturdy twin bed that could be assembled easily and bunked if needed.

Through their partnership with MO, the B-Squad paid approximately one-fourth of the original cost for each bed as in 2018. These savings allowed the B-Squad to more than double the number of children they were able to give beds to in 2019.

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PROFILES IN SERVICE - MOUNTAIN OUTREACH

ROLE MODELS AT KIDS’ GIFT DAYS Think back to when you were a kid in elementary school. Do you remember the classmates who seemed like the coolest kids ever? Maybe it was girl who could make everyone laugh, even the teacher. Or maybe it was the boy who shot the best three-pointers during recess.

Whatever made your classmates stand out to you, odds are it never compared to when a college student walked into the room. Those students may as well have been celebrities.

That’s what it feels like to the kids at the local schools where Mountain Outreach (MO) comes in for Kids’ Gift Days.

“It’s all about our students engaging as role models for these little kids,” said Marc Hensley, Director of MO. “That’s what this is all about. This all means nothing if we do not engage these kids. We want our students to really invest in them while we’re here.”

Kids’ Gift Days provided gifts for 1,265 children this year at Whitley North, Whitley East, Pleasant View, and Boston

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Elementary Schools. Up to 92 percent of the families whose children attend these schools earn income at or below the poverty line. Because of this, luxuries like Christmas gifts – a staple for most families in America – are sometimes impossibilities. Mountain Outreach was happy to change that again this year.

Members of Cumberlands’ women’s lacrosse team, the men’s baseball team, and other teams volunteered at Kids’ Gift Days. One group of students met kids at the door and walked them alongside tables lined with gifts for the kids’ guardians, and the other athletes helped the kids wrap the presents they chose at a separate table nearby. The kids’ typical conversations were about which sports they played and which school subject was their favorite. Some conversations must have gotten even more exciting, though, because they included spontaneous dance moves.

Kids’ Gift Days hold special meaning for Luke Wohlfarth, Continued on page 7

a freshman baseball player who volunteered this year.

Wohlfarth used to be one of the excited elementary kids in the program. Now, he’s the “celebrity” he looked up to as a child.

“It’s really cool getting to be the athlete now, coming in,” he said. “As kids, we had never seen someone compete at that level of sports before. The college students gave us encouragement. It opened my eyes to how I could go to college and play baseball in my future.

It’s really neat coming back to where I came from.”

The kids were all happy to be there. For some, Gift Day is a highlight of their year. While waiting in line, the littlest children bounced up and down in excitement. Sisters held each other’s hands. Boys tested their strength by picking each other up as high as they could. Then the kids conversed with the cool college students, chose gifts for their families, and wrapped the presents in colorful Christmas bags. According to the principal at one of the schools, sometimes the kids are so excited about the gifts that they just can’t wait until Christmas, so they rip open the bags that afternoon at parent pick-up, saying, “Look what I got you!” and hand the gift right to their guardian that day.

Who can blame them? It’s an exciting time of the year. They’re just taking in all the holiday’s magic: the Christmas decorations, the gifts, and the smiling college students the kids look up to who encourage them to work hard, to dream big, and, of course, to have a very merry Christmas.

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SABIAN MITCHELL

When Sabian was just three years old, his parents could no longer care for him and his three siblings. Fortunately, all of them were adopted together, and Sabian’s life was forever changed. He is proud to call his adoptive parents Mom and Dad. “We’re a different family, but it doesn’t seem different in my eyes,” says Sabian. “It’s the family I’ve known all my life. Me, my brothers, and my sister weren’t in a good situation, but we were given another chance. I have a great outlook on life now, and it really defines who I am.”

After graduating from high school in Paducah, Kentucky, Sabian originally planned to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the Air Force. But when a football coach at Cumberlands called him, his plans changed.

Sabian still hopes to enlist in the Air Force and one day open his own accounting firm. Scholarship and workship assistance provided by Cumberlands’ donors have prepared Sabian for a bright future without the weight of student loan debt.

MEET OUR STUDENTS MEGAN SPAINHOWER

When looking into colleges, Megan wanted a university that offered a Christian environment and a change of scenery from the flat farmlands of northwest Ohio.

“God has provided me with a deep Christian community,” Megan says, “and I have felt more love here than I ever have before.”

Having a passion for math and teaching, Megan heard about the exceptional education program at Cumberlands and knew this was the place that would lay a successful foundation for her future. Academic scholarships have made it possible for Megan to pursue her ideal career as a math teacher without suffering financially or taking on multiple jobs to pay for tuition.

“I only looked into schools where I could get a really good scholarship and didn’t bother with the schools that were too expensive for my family,” Megan explains. “Your donation gave me the opportunity to come here. Being here has given me the chance to go out of my comfort zone, and I’ve grown in my relationship with God. I thank you for those opportunities.”

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Together - We MOVE MOUNTAINS “I want to help provide hope through educational opportunities that moves mountains for deserving students with great financial need to achieve their dreams of bright and promising futures.”

GIVE AN UNRESTRICTED GIFT ― Gifts given to our unrestricted fund enable us to meet a variety of needs for our students. Your gift will help provide first-class educational opportunities that promote student success.

GIVE A SCHOLARSHIP GIFT ― Over 99 percent of our students receive some type of financial aid to assist with educational expenses. Your contribution to our scholarship program will help remove an obstacle from their lives, so they can follow their dreams.

GIVE A WORKSHIP GIFT ― The most wholesome type of financial assistance involves helping students help themselves. Gifts for our workship program will benefit those students who are working diligently in the classroom, as well as outside it, to achieve their aspirations and earn their diplomas.

You can make an everlasting impact by giving to educate servant-leaders with the tools of a quality education and with the knowledge that comes from their service experiences. Help share the most important lesson: that the greatest use of one’s life is to serve others.

Thirty-nine percent of our undergraduate student body is first-generation college students. Our mission is clear. We believe in the power of education to change not just a single life, but the lives of generations to follow.

Together - We MOVE MOUNTAINS.

My gift, in the amount of $ , is to provide hope and educational opportunities to students with great financial needs so they may achieve their dreams of a bright and promising future. I would like my gift to benefit: Unrestricted Scholarship Workship I would like to make this a Please select a method of payment: Check Credit Cash recurring monthly gift To pay by credit card, please complete the section below: Visa

Master Card

American Express

Discover

Diner’s Club International

Name on Card Card Number Billing Address

Expiration Date Street Address

City

State

Zip

Please return this coupon, along with your gift, to: The President’s Office • 6191 College Station Drive • Williamsburg, KY 40769

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Honor or Memorialize a Friend or Loved One

Tribute Program at University of the Cumberlands How are Tribute Gifts acknowledged?

For an Honor Gift, the person being honored is sent an appropriate card listing the honor giver, as well as the occasion for the honor. The name of the giver and the honoree will be listed in the next issue of the University’s newsletter.

What is a Tribute Gift?

A Tribute Gift shows love and respect for the person being honored or memorialized. It says that the world is a better place because of this individual.

Through a Tribute Gift to University of the Cumberlands, a memory of the past or an honor of the present is tied to the future as it is made to live on in the lives of students in need.

The size of the gift is up to you. Many send the amount they would spend on floral arrangements, candy, or other appropriate gestures. Gifts generally range from $15 to $1,000, but the right amount for you is the amount your heart tells you to send.

For a Memorial Gift, the family of the individual you wish to memorialize is sent an appropriate card the same day that the gift is received. The name of the giver and their loved one will then be listed in the next issue of the University's newsletter.

An Honor Gift is a gift that shows admiration and respect for a loved one or a friend on a significant day in his or her life, such as birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day, or Father's Day.

The amount of all Tribute Gifts, including Memorial Gifts and Honor Gifts, is kept confidential. Also, all gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law.

TRIBUTE PROGRAM

How will a Tribute Gift make a difference?

Your gift will provide a lasting legacy for students in need as it is used to provide scholarship and workship assistance, books and supplies, food and housing, and many other supportive services.

Listings reflect Tribute Gifts received Sept. 1, 2019 through Jan. 31, 2020. In preparing this list, every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and completeness. If a mistake was made in the way you were identified or if your name was omitted, we sincerely apologize.

You can help us set the record straight.

Please notify the President's Office regarding any changes in the way your gifts should be recorded in future reports.

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A Memorial Gift is a gift made in memory of a departed loved one or friend. It is a wonderful way to express sympathy and high regard, as well as a means to commemorate birthdays, anniversaries or other special days.

AT UNIVERSITY OF THE CUMBERLANDS

I would like to give a gift in the amount of $ at University of the Cumberlands. This gift takes the shape of:

to the Tribute Program

An Honor Gift in the name of for the occasion of

.

A Memorial Gift in the name of

.

Please send notification of my gift to: Name Address City

State

Zip

State

Zip

This gift was given by: Name Address City

Please return this coupon, along with your gift, to: President’s Office • 6191 College Station Drive • Williamsburg, KY 40769

TRIBUTE GIFTS

September 1, 2019, THROUGH January 31, 2020

CREATE A LASTING IMPACT AT UCUMBERLANDS.EDU/GIVE IN MEMORY OF: SIDNEY “PETE” GARRETT Given by:

Weatherly Heights Baptist Church

MAVIS F. BROOME

WILLIAM W. LAIRD Given by:

Mrs. Teresa Graham

ROLF BERNEGGER

Given by:

Mrs. Heidi Logan

The following given by:

Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Jones in support of the Charles Jones, Jr. Scholarship Fund

In Memory of:

The husband (Larry) and father-inGiven by: Mr. Marshall Merriss JIMMIE MULLIS PEACE WISSING law (Fred) of Mrs. Lois McClure The mother of Mrs. Karen White HOWARD & EDITH WIEBEN Given by: Ms. Nancy Henry The daughter (Allison) of Mr. & Mrs. Given by: Mr. Paul Wieben

Mather & Co CPAs LLC Noah Logan

Mrs. Janet Schehr GRANDMOTHER B. MAMAMIA The father (Dan Brawner) of Emily

Mr. Jerry Weatherby Given by: Ms. Christian Banda Moore BARBARA A. MISHRIKI

The mother (Pat) of Mrs. Darlene BETTY E. SCHAAL Given by: Dr. Yehia Mishriki Stringfellow Given by: Ms. Jane Benninghof The father (Walter) of Liz Nordwall PAUL & H. MURNAGHAN

ROBERT HOFFELDER The wife (Jean) of Mr. Elmer Roddy Given by: Mr. & Mrs. Peter Murnaghan Given by: Dr. John Broome The grandmother of Rev. Josh ELEANOR WALKER I. PERKINS Wooten ANN HOFFELDER Given by: Mr. Steven Perkins The husband (Jim) of Mrs. Sharon Given by: Erica Harris Lingerfelt SHARON HOSKINS

BOB & ANN M. HOFFELDER The husband of Mrs. Allison Hiland Given by: Ms. Rebecca Shields Given by: Ms. Suanne Early The mother (Judy) and grandmother BILL SUTURES (Betty) of Mr. & Mrs. David Schenk ORA RICE

Given by: Mrs. Margaret Suters The mother and stepfather of Ms. Given by: Dr. John Broome Lynn Everton HERMAN L. & LOY WHITE, BILL DIXON CALLIHAN The aunt of Mrs. Mary Jane Raymond & ROSEMARY

Given by: Dr. Virginia Dalton The cousin (Harold) of Mrs. Marcella Given by: Mr. & Mrs. L. White Barrett RODNEY L. DUNHAM & BILL HOWARD & EDITH WIEBEN

JACK DENNISON Given by: Mr. Paul Wieben Given by: Mr. & Mrs. David Fairchild JAY SHELLY MRS. DAVID’S PARENTS Given by: Mrs. Beverly David Given by: Mrs. Nancy Foster

The brother-in-law of Mr. Rich Edwards The wife (Jeanette) of Mr. Sid Haggard The husband (David) of Mrs. Polly Stutts The mother (Betty) of Mrs. Debbie Martin The husband (Spencer) of Mrs. Spencer Boyd The husband (Jerry) of Mrs. June Bray The mother (Gail) of Mr. Mark Miller The grandmother of Mr. Joseph Carpenter The sister of Mrs. Elizabeth Carnahann The father of Mr. Tommy Elsten The mother of Mrs. Clair Penn The brother (Jimmy) of Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Capps The brother of Dr. & Mrs. Marshall Edwards

IN HONOR OF: PATRICK & LEAH M. NORVELL

JOHN D. BROOME

GARY R. MINNER

RICHARD L. RUSSELL

DEBBIE M. HARP

TOM & KATHY FISH

MARYBELLE THROOP

BILL B. WRIGHT

JOHN M. HENSLEY

UC ONE EMPLOYEES

CHARLES A. PILANT

NAOMI HARP

DOLORES MORRES & MARRY ANN DODSON

Given by:

Given by:

Mrs. Courtney Bidwell

Mr. Alan Bruce Mr. Shannon Warmoth

MELODY L. COPPOCK Given by:

Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Coppock

JAYNE KLEIN “BEST OF CLASS” Given by:

Mr. Louis Field

Given by:

Given by:

Ms. Amanda Walton Ms. Brittany Nantz

Given by:

Mr. & Mrs. Earnie Williamson Given by:

Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Harp

Given by: Given by: Given by:

Given by:

Ms. Sarah Hendess Mr. Michael Hiser Mr. Jared Marber

Given by: Given by: Given by:

Ms. Leslie Russell

Mrs. Mary Salter

Dr. & Mrs. Walter Early III

Dr. Imogene Ramsey

Anyone interested in making a Gift-in-Kind donation is encouraged to contact the Office of the President or visit www.ucumberlands.edu/give. Please make support payable to University of the Cumberlands.

Office of the President 6191 College Station Drive Williamsburg, KY 40769

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University of the Cumberlands Office of the President 6191 College Station Drive Williamsburg, KY 40769

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

LOUISVILLE, KY PERMIT #879

SHOES 4 THE SOUL Each year, just as a new school year begins, students and staff from University of the Cumberlands provide new shoes, socks and backpacks filled with school supplies and hygiene items for hundreds of children at an event called Shoes 4 the Soul. The event is a way for Cumberlands to serve the community and children within the Whitley County area.

During the event, Cumberlands students, faculty and staff wash the feet of children and fit them with their new shoes and socks. Children also have the opportunity to spend time with Cumberlands students while participating in a variety of organized games and activities. For a kid, it doesn’t get more fun than that.

Shoes 4 the Soul is an opportunity for students to learn more about their new community while putting smiles on the faces of local children. But to do that, we need your help. It only takes $30 for a child to be given the shoes, socks, backpack, and hygiene items they need to start a new school year prepared to succeed.

SUPPORT A CHILD THIS YEAR

ucumberlands. edu/shoes4 soul/giv e