Issuu

Kentucky River

CAP MO VES AHEAD INTO THE 1980’s G IF T W IT H O U T A B O W I f I could give a gift to everyone I know, Here ’sju st afew I ’d give, unwrapped without a bow. The blind man on the corner tapping with his cane, I ’d give the gift o f sight, then he could see the rain. The crippled boy down the street watching the children play, I ’d give him two strong legs, so he could run all day. The widow in her lonely room sitting all alone, I ’d bring a lovingfamily, someone her very own. Next I ’d gather the starving millions who ’ve not a bite to eat, A nd spread a banquet table, loaded down with fruits and meat. After that I ’d fin d all those who live with pain each day, I ’d touch each one with healing balm, and make it go away. Then last not least I ’d light the way fo r all the world to see, A nd hand in hand lead them to Christ, who diedfor you andme. You say to me, ‘ ‘y ou ’re dreaming this could never be! ’ ’ You ’re right not in this life . . . But there’s a calmer sea. Jesus can provide the gift of sight and more, I f we obey H is teaching, w e’ll cross to the other shore. @ 1979 Mary M . Domstead 425 N . 19th Street Duncan, Oklahoma

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK In this issue we hope to give a kind of preview , or forecast, of C A P ’s objectives for 1980. T hey m ay not all be achieved, an d we will undoubtedly crank in some new projects th at are not even m entioned in this issue. B ut it is o u r intent, w ith this first issue of 1980, to give a kind of overview of what we have in mind. From m y perspective as editor of Soundings, I can forecast w ith considerable m ore confi dence than in the past. W e now have the new typesetting m achine I ’ve m entioned before and, as I u n d erstan d it, we should be able to produce typeset m aterial ready for layout of each issue in about one-third the tim e it took before. T his will, of course, enable us to get the m aterial to the C A P p rin tin g press m ore rapidly and on time so th at A lton B radley and his p rin tin g crew can schedule them selves accordingly. All of this, an d some other things, give m e sufficient con fidence th at I will even go so far as to project into the first h alf of 1980 as to general them es. For exam ple, the overall them e for this issue will be “Objectives for 1980. ” This d o esn ’t m ean, though, that we are only con cerned with “ n ew ” things C A P will be getting into. W e will also speak about various expansions th at will be taking place in ou r existing program s. And, there will be an article or two, as in all issues, of simply general interest to Soundings readers. R everend Beiting has in dicated that he w ants the M arch issue to be devoted, prim arily, to “ THe Family, ” in view of national

em phasis and concern w ith th at topic and C A P ’s already well established p ro g ram in th at area. W e will, in th at issue, try to b rin g you all up-to-date as to ou r Fam ily Life center at R enfro V alley, and its on-going and plan n ed program s. T h e A pril issue will em phasize a them e of “Easter in the Christian Appalachian Project, ” including anecdotal descriptions of w hat E aster m eans to all of us. T h a t is, how the C A P staff m em bers and volunteers feel at E aster tim e as well as w hat we have going on in A ppalachia at th at tim e of the year. The May issue will be primarily made up of aforecastfor a repeat of last Summer’s boat trip by Reverend Beiting and a group of boys down the Kentucky and Ohio Rivers. It will center aro u n d an idea of “ Boat T rip , A p p alach ia on T o u r .” T h a t is, we envision having two boats this year - if donor support is forthcom ing - with one of them featuring displays of A ppalachian handicrafts, culture, and m usic. Finally, the J u n e issue will be a “Preview of Summer, ” in term s of the C am ps, Bible Schools, and m any other activities C A P carries out d u rin g the w arm m onths. A gain, I would like to say th at this doesn ’t mean that those issues will include only what is outlined briefly here. W e will always strive to include cu rren t happenings at an d aro u n d C A P, and anecdotes from the hill country. B ut, in striving for a m ore organized and p u nctual approach in Soundings, we are planning ahead a bit m ore. Even w hen I do not respond

to your m any letters as p u n c tually as I should, they are m uch appreciated. Please keep them com ing an d I ’ll strive, in this n e ^ ^ ^ year, to be m ore responsive, b o t ^ ^ in issues of Soundings, and w ith personal letters as appropriate. Ja c k Little Soundings E ditor C h ristian A ppalachian Project L ancaster, K entucky 40446 In This Issue: Show in Michigan, ‘ ‘Going p. 3 W est” Pulaski County in 1980 p. 4 Family Life Center in 1980 p. 5 Winterization Program p. 7 Training Centerfo r p. 8 Volunteers “P o st” Group Home p . 10 Carefo r the Elderly p. 11 A Time to Remember p . 12 Planning Ahead fo r Summer p. 13 Camps Voicefrom Pulaski County p. 14 Preschool Handicapped p . 16 Program C A P’s A dult Handicapped p . 17 Service 1 Resident Facilityfo r Severely p. 18 Handicapped Children A Callfrom the Hills p . 19 Kentucky River

THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE CHRISTIAN APPALACHIAN PROJECT Chief Editor - Reverend Beiting Editor - Jack Little Production - Alton Bradley Typesetting - Jean Brown Kentucky River Soundings 'is published monthly b y the Christian Appalachian Project Kentucky River Soundings Lancaster, Kentucky 40446 Manuscripts, photographs and art work limited to Appalachian themes are invited. Copyright 1978, The Christian Appalachian Project, All Rights Reserved.

ST. MICHAEL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CENTER IN MICHIGAN PUTS ON A SHOW, ‘‘GOINGWEST, ’’AND CONTRIBUTES PROCEEDS TO C.A.P. T he St. M ichael Religious E ducation C en ter in New L othrop, M ichigan, staged a W estern M usical in Late O ctober of 1979, and contributed proceeds of $1500.00 to C A P. It was an adult play w ith a cast of 28 and a crew of about 20. A ccord ing to a letter from N ancy M . W arn er, Y outh M inister at St. M ichael’s, they have for some tim e staged one concentrated ef fort for the M issions each year. T his has always included a M ission N ight (crafts, gam es, food, etc.) and a Pancake B reak fast. This year, that is in 1979, they added an adult Play. N ancy says the cast w orked “ long and h a rd ” on the production for three weeks before presenting it, and enjoyed it. She writes further, “from the very beginning the cast knew that the proceeds from the play were going to be sent to you, in fact, it was the cast who chose the Christian A p palachian Project. ’’ T he play was presented three tim es: on O ctober 26 and 27 at 8 P .M ., and on O ctober 28 at 2 P .M . T he first act opened as a w agon train p rep ared to head west, w ith the scene being set outdoors in the evening. T his was followed by an interm ission. T h e second act took place, in scene and setting, several weeks later as the w agon train trekked w est w ard on the hot, dusty p rairie. A local new spaper clipping, in cluding two photographs of the cast in dress rehearsal, indicated th at tickets w ould be $2.50 for adults and $1.50 for students, w ith proceeds going tow ard a M ission Project. Apparently the play, and the overall St. Michael’s ef fort, was much appreciated and well attended. Efforts such as this, by religious groups around the country,

SCENE FROM PRO DUCTIO N “ GOING W EST” are very much appreciated at CAP and, as this contribution should make clear, play no small part in our ability to do what we doyear afteryear. N ancy also asked th at C A P respond to the donation w ith some idea of how the m oney would be used, so th at the people p articipating in all of this would have some idea of w hat th eir ef forts would lead to. R everend Beiting sent a letter, addressed to “ T he People of St. M ich ael’s ,” in response to th at request. P arts of th at letter are reproduced here: “M ay I take this oppor tunity to thank you most sincerely for your generous donation of $1500.00 to our work here in the A p palachian mountains of Eastern Kentucky. I am certain that a great deal of sacrifice and love had to go into such an undertaking. I hope that you will fin d the way in which we use the money to be satisfying and rewarding toyou.

I am allocating onethird of the amount to our work with the preschool handicapped children. We are finding this• an in creasingly worthy cause and one that never fails to move our hearts each time we discover a new case and work with it. Another third of the money will be used to help support our work with the elderly. Being the oldest of eleven children who is privileged to still have his parents alive, I frequently fin d it impossible to under stand how people can neglect their parents and grandparents . . . A fin a l area that I would like to use a third o f the money for is our work with the Family Life Cen ter. We are just now opening up a Foster Home fo r teenage boys and an Abuse Center for wives and

children. These and many other aspects of our work to help the fam ily and its ever increasing struggle fo r sur vival will be much aided by your generous offering. Please indicate to the good people of your parish my most profound respect fo r their work and their am bition . . . I f at any time any of you would fin d it possible to visit us and to see at first hand what we are doing, it would be a great pleasure and privilege on my part to show you around and to give you an idea of what w e’re up to. ” A gain, the C h ristian A p palachian Project exists an d does w hat it does only because of people like those of St. M ich ae l’s, o th er churches an d groups, an d m an y , m any individuals. W e hope th a t this will let m an y o th er Soundings readers see th a t jo in t ef fort. A nd, as N ancy W a rn e r said

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SOME OF TH E ACTRESSES FROM “ GOING W E ST ” so well in h er letter: “Just letting us know how you will be able to use the money; how our people who have worked so hard have indirectly been

able to touch the lives of the people in Appalachia: ” W e certainly hope we are doing th a t for all of ou r readers.

CAP NOW REACHING INTO PULASKI COUNTY DURING 1980 C A P was, o f course, in te r d en o m in atio n al in its origin and has so rem ain ed . We also have a history of cooperative and mutual sup port for and with organizations we fin d in-being in Appalachia, ra th e r th a n any of the b itterly com petitive exchanges one u n fo rtu n a te ly fin d s in so m e su c h situations. O u r initial exploration o f P ulaski C o u n ty was in regards to a G ro u p H o m e for d eaf adoles cents, w hich is described at length in an o th er article in this is sue o f Soundings. W h en ev er we consider expansion into a new geographical area, it is only n a t u ral th a t we check w ith religious groups an d churches w ho m ight already be located there. In the case o f Som erset an d P ulaski C o u n ty , o u r initial su r vey an d exploration b ro u g h t us into cr itaci w ith well established Episc pal an d L u th e ra n congre-

gations who w ere extrem ely receptive to o u r idea of a G ro u p H o m e for d eaf y o ung adults. These two congregations have already entered into a “Covenant” between thè two local churches which centers much o f its effort on Christian works among the people. It is exciting to find such in terd en o m in atio n al an d e n thusiastic p ro g ram s u n d erw ay , an d C A P looks forward with antici pation to w hatever cooperative ven tu res the fu tu re m ight hold in this respect. B oth the L u th e ra n and Episcopal pastors have already indicated a receptiveness an d co o perative in ten t reg ard in g C A P ’s D e a f P ro g ram in Pulaski C o u n ty , as have several o th er d en o m in a tions located there. We fin d this a most welcome and encouraging social and religious atmosphere, and actually a very exciting one. All such in d ica tors bode well an d give us every

confidence th a t the 1980’s will b rin g only a m ore exciting, an d p erh ap s m ore C h ristian , spirit there in o u r expanded geographi cal efforts. O n e consideration we have reg ard in g o th er activities for Pulaski C o u n ty is the possibility o f opening an o th er “A ttic” store there. W e have found th a t the generosity o f m a n y / readers of Soundings an d a lot of other good people, in sources of clothing and household item s, will support an o th er such store. T his, you will recall, was one of the C h ristian A p palachian P ro ject’s first e n deavors to help the people help them selves. T hese stores provide an altern ativ e for people of lesser m eans w here, for a m odest price, they can ob tain used b u t serviceable clothing an d small household item s. This price is set at a standard which is intended only to insure that

buyers ’ pride and conscientious owner ship remain intact. W ith the excel lent support we receive from you all for this p ro g ram , we are now p lan n in g to open an Attic store in Pulaski C ounty. A n initial survey of the C o u n ty , the needs of its people and the presence of any sim ilar program s to aid the p o o rer people there, indicates th a t it w ould be a welcom e project. Our plans are as yet quite tentative, but the need exists, we have the resources irv terms of donations of clothing and other small items, and are presently considering an appropriate facility. W e always try

to locate such a store carefully an d , though th ere is certainly no in ten t th a t it be a m o d ern d e p a rt m en t store, we do w an t a b u ild in g th a t can be renovated econom ically an d provide a fairly attractive setting for the people using it. T h is, we feel, m akes it far m ore likely th a t the people will use the facility, an d in using it n ot feel any insult to th eir sta tion in life. Pulaski C o u n ty itself is not th a t far rem oved from places w here C A P is already well estab lished, b o rd erin g on the so uthern edge of Lincoln C o u n ty . It is only

some 35 miles south o f Stanford w here we have an “A ttic” store, a C hild D evelopm ent C en ter, and program s for adult an d preschool han d icap p ed as well as the elder ly. T h e county also has a large recreation area due, in large p art, to the Lake C u m b erlan d com plex. Initial interest in the area, in fact, grew in p art from o u r use of this com plex for some recrea tional activities for people of our o th er areas. Though our plans are thus fa r only tentative and partial re garding expansion there, we do look forward to this new growth of the Christian Appalachian Project.

CAP’S FAMIL YLIFE CENTER IS IN L IN E W ITH NA TIONAL EMPHASIS ON THE “FAM ILY” FOR 1980 As already m en tio n ed in the e d ito r’s section, the M arch issue of Soundings will be dedicated for the m ost p a rt to the fam ily. W e feel this is ap p ro p ria te in view of the P re sid e n t’s statem en t of e m phasis on the fam ily d u rin g 1980, an d also believe th a t G A P has been em phasizing this very p o int already. In this article, how ever, we do w ant to give you ju s t an idea of w here o u r F am ily Life C e n te r in R en fro V alley is in term s of developm ent. Group Home For Delinquent Boys. T h e b u ild in g for th e G ro u p H o m e already exists, an d C A P is now searching for a qualified, live-in director. W e w ould prefer, of course, th a t this be a m a rried couple to provide the kind of stable hom e atm o sp h e re an d support th a t such a p ro g ram m u st reflect. The people who fi ll this role, however, must also be fully qualified in either education or ex perience in working with youngsters Isuch as this. I f any of you know of someone who might be so qualified, please encourage them to write to CAP if they are interested. W e w ould like the couple to be in th eir m id to late thirties, only because th a t

m a tu rity m akes a b e tte r im pression on the kind of y o ung boys they will be w orking w ith. T h e position w ould, of course, provide bo th residence in the hom e an d b o ard , in ad d itio n to a salary. T his project will be sim ilar to,

b u t in some ways quite different from , the already existing G ro u p H o m e at C am p N elson. T h e hom e in o u r Fam ily Life C en ter will accom m odate eight boys, age 1 3 - 1 5 years, who are com m itted to us by the courts as ju v en ile of fenders. W hereas w ith the C am p

FAM ILY LIFE CENTER IN BEA U TIFU L RENFRO VALLEY

CONSTRUCTION NEARING COM PLETION IN LATE 1979 N elson hom e, we take* young m en who are several years older th an this and aim tow ard th eir ultim ately becom ing in d ep en d en t adults, here we will aim toward get ting the boys back to their families. This home will therefore be working closely with the parents of each such youngster, and will strive to solve whatever problem or problems caused the delinquency in the first place. U sually, to solve such problem s, one m ust be concerned w ith w hat kind of horrielife the youngster had if com pete reh abilitation, w ithout repeat, is going to be possible. T o f a c ilita te th is G r o u p H om e - family cooperation, we will be accommodating boys only from a 4-county area immediately around Renfro Valley. This will enable par ents to visit the center, and will also permit home visits; by the boys, as they improve. H ere, too, em phasis will be on education ra th e r th a n vocational tra in in g as at the G am p N elson H om e. It will in volve some fairly u n iq u e co u n selling, w orking both w ith boys like this and if you do know of anyone who m ight be interested in such a position and such w ork, please have them w rite to Reverend Jack Morris, Director of Human Development, Christian Appalachian Project. Lancaster, Kentucky 40446.

The Emergency Shelter. T h e physical stru ctu re for this facility is not quite com plete yet, bu t, w ith fair w eath er, should be finished in the very n ear future. T his will provide shelter on an em ergency, s h o r t - t e r m basis, for people who have w hat we con sider family - related problem s th a t require immediate help. For example, elderly people who cannot remain in isolated homes due to ex tremely adverse weather such as heavy snow, flooding, or power failure. It will also provide a m uch needed tem p o rary shelter for families who have suffered a “ b u rn o u t,” w hich, as m entioned previously in Soundings, is a truly tragic and too frequent occurrence in ru ral A ppalachia. It will also accom m odate runaw ays, an occasional foster child aw aiting adoption, and even a respite for families who m ight place a retard ed or handicapped child in the Shelter for a w eekend so they could enjoy a family outing th at w ould o th er wise not be possible. T his “ m ix ” of different kinds of people who need em ergency shelter is intentional, in th at, to avoid boredom setting in while they remain at the shelter, they will be able to help one another. T h a t is, elderly people there because of extrem e w eather m ight befriend a h a n d

icapped child, a runaw ay m ight benefit from seeing the plight of a b u rn e d out fam ily, etc. T h e D irector of this Shelter will be R ita C onley, who is already w orking w ith C A P at the C am p N elson G ro u p H om e. She is highly qualified both educationally and in ex perience, and started out with CAP as a volunteer back in the 1960’s. R ita is also a single p aren t, having adopted a d au g h ter some tim e ago. W e have every confidence th a t she will be able to handle such a m u ltitude of 'counseling an d coordinating activities well, an d R ita is a tru e A ppalachian in th a t she grew up in P restonsburg, K entucky an d is a B erea College g rad u ate. A m ajority of B erea’s enrollm ent, by College policy, m u s t b e s tu d e n ts fro m A p palachia. Spouse Abuse Center. Sister Lyn H erley is the D irector of this fa c ility , and is p re s e n tly o p eratin g o n a tem p o rary basis in the old M otel C A P obtained some tim e ago. T h e actual facility at the Fam ily Life C en ter in R e n fro V alley will be com pleted in M ay or J u n e of this year. It is p resently a 48 - h o u r shelter, w ith users referred out to larger centers if possible and if they w ant to go to such a facility. T h e objective of the C en ter is to b rin g about reconciliation of h u sb an d and wife if possible, of course, b u t this also m eans th at the abuse is definitely going to have to stop. T herefore the first priority of counselling such reconciliation is to insure th at the abuse will be e n d e d , w h ic h m e a n s th a t something in the home* en v iro n m ent has to change. C ertainly the p rim ary concern at the C en ter is th e a b u se d sp o u se a n d an y children she m ight have brought w ith her. The Center also, however, tries to see if there is. anything that can be donefor the abuser that might be the source of the problem, such as finding steady employment, etc. W e have also found th at the counsellor w orking w ith the w om an cannot be th e sam e p erso n w ho is helping the h u sb an d , or there is a possibility of the counsellor being

seen as ‘‘taking sides. S is te r L y n , w h o is fu lly q u a lifie d fo r th is w ith c o n siderable experience an d a degree in psychology, is w orking this year as a G A P V o lu n teer. We hope, however, i f her Community w ilt give her permission, that she w ill join us next year on a more permanent basis to fi ll this critical position. L yn has found th a t there is no need to “ advertise” the availability of th e C e n te r , but th a t | ‘word - o f - mouth ** is en tirely

adeq u ate. It is an u n fo rtu n ate tru th th a t th ere is a dire need for su ch c e n te rs , p a r tic u la r ly it seem s, for p o o rer people, an d C A P is try in g to fill th a t need. O nce the C en ter b uild in g in R e n fro V alley is com plete, L yn will m ove h er operatio n th ere an d be less isolated from oth er C A P w orkers an d activities. B ut, for now , she is providing a muck needed service for the people o f A p palachia.

WINTERIZA TION PROGRAM By Reverend Ralph Beiting

F or th e first tim e in four years the snows are n o t ankle deep in the hills of A ppalachia n o r has the th erm o m eter plunged to the zero and below m ark as yet. A fter ex periencing the w orst w inters in

history for the last three years, we are pleasantly surprised by the m ildness o f o u r present w inter. W hile the tem p eratu res are not extrem e an d the snow has been lighter th a n n orm al, the frost still

W INTER SCENE FROM COLDER YEARS

clings to the mountain cabins and cold penetrates these fra il shacks. O u r w ork to w interize them goes on. J u n io r O v erb ay an d his crew in M t. V e r n o n a re o u r m o s t significant co n trib u tio n in this. In talking w ith J u n io r ju s t this past week, he inform ed m e th at five hom es w ere b eing w orked on at the sam e tim e. Som e of the people w ere w ith o u t h eat all together. O th ers again h ad w in dows th a t w ere broken an d doors th a t w ould n ot fit. T h ey needed a great deal of p rotection from the elem ents. As I was p ark in g the tru ck in front o f the H ard w are Store to get som e supplies, a lady cam e u p to m e an d said she needed us to com e out an d w ork on h e r house. J u n io r said, “As much as I would like to tell heryes, the needs of the families that we are working on at the present time are so great that I cannot give her any assurance o f when we will be there un til these are caredfor. ” T h e w ork is always difficult in the w inter because frequently it is v ery dif ficult to get to the houses due to condition o f the d irt an d gravel roads. T h e w orking conditions of try in g to get u n d e r floors to shore them u p , an d try in g to get up on top o f roofs to fix the leaks, is fa r more difficult in the winter than it is at other times o f the year, b u t nonetheless the w ork goes on. It has always been a dream of the crew th a t w orks on these very su b stan d ard hom es to one day be able to b uild a m odest new hom e w ith the help of the fam ily th at will occupy it. W e are exploring the concept of a house th a t we h av e b een to ld by th e A p palachian H o u sin g A gency can be built for $5,000. It w ould not have indoor facilities in it, b u t# w ould be in o th er respects a warni and adequate house for a mountain family. T hese figures seem too good to be tru e and we are not at all certain th a t such a th in g can be done. We are exploring and have ordered some plans from this agency to see when springtime comes if we might not be able to enter into still another phase of the housing program for the poor o f our area in 1980.

TRAINING CENTER PLANNED FOR 1980’s IN MOUNT VERNON TO SER VE ALL VOLUNTEERS WORKING IN APPALACHIA

CAP VOLUNTEERS ON A WORK DETAIL A d efin ite n eed h as b een em erg in g for a C en ter th at would fee used to co n d u ct p erio d ic ^ tra in in g sessio n s to p re p a re V olunteers for w ork am ong the people of A ppalachia. In the past, R e v e re n d B eitin g has alw ays given a detailed o rien tatio n and series of lectures to new C A P volunteers. T his includes slide p re s e n ta tio n s , som e re a d in g , m uch discussion, an d provision of insights and clues into the people, their way of life, an d the overall culture of the hill country. It is a very necessary preparation for people who are giving of themselves to work among our poor, an d these sessions have always lasted at least a w eek an d som etim es longer. T h e larg er an d larger scope of C A P activities, a g reater n u m b e r of V olunteers, an d the extrem ely intense schedule th at R e v e re n d B e itin g m a in ta in s , how ever, are m ak in g these o rien tations m ore and m ore difficult to schedule. In addition to the increasingly large n u m b e r of V olunteers who co m e a n d w o rk w ith th e C h ristian A ppalachian Project,

we find m ore an d m ore o ther groups w orking in the hill co u n try expressing a desire for some kind of T ra in in g C en ter for th eir own V olunteers. T hese include m a n y d iffe re n t relig io u s an d church groups, as well as o ther associations an d such who desire to help the people of the m o u n tains. Such volunteers most frequently do not come from Appalachia and, if simply given a short talk and sent out to work with the people, might very well suffer a kind of “culture shock” an d do m ore dam age th an good. T his is, in effect, doing a gross inju stiv e to the very fine, adm irable and C h ristian spirit shown by such people who voluntarily give of them selves to help th eir less fo rtun ate fellows. We feel that people who give so unselfishly o f them selves should be given the best possible preparation to insure that their highly sincere intention is shaped to give maximum benefit to all concerned. T h o u g h still in the “ co n cep t” stage of p lan n in g , we feel th a t a definite need for such a train in g cen ter exists an d are m oving tow ard m aking it a reality. This will be a joint effort with other groups

on a completely interdenominational basis, with each participating group or church contributing as best they can. T h e p ro g ram of in struction to be used in the center will also be a r e s u lt o f c o o r d in a tio n a n d solicitation of ideas from all p a r tic ip a n ts. T h e objective is a p ro g ram of tra in in g sessions, p robably lasting two weeks to perh ap s a m o n th , w hich w ould p rep are any V olunteers setting out to w ork in A ppalachia. T his w ill in c lu d e le c tu re s and discussions w ith people who have already w orked in the hill co u n try , w ith a n u m b e r of them also being volunteers, and especially w ith people who have had real d o w n - t o - e a r t h e x p e rie n c e . Q uestions will b e encouraged, small group discussions w ith an experienced person in each group will be held, an d all the different aspects of this kind of endeavor will be b ro u g h t out. There will also be a series of slide presentations, w ith explanatory narration included. Some of the n arratio n s an d explanations will be live, a n d o th e rs w ill be prerecorded on tape by experi enced people. T V Video tapes will be used to give as real - life an idea as is possible of ju st what the volunteers can expect to encounter in the mountain country. F or exam ple, scenes of a vehicle picking its w ay along a rocky creek bed w hich serves as a ro ad as V olunteers pick th eir way b ack to a re m o te m o u n ta in hollow w ould give them an idea of w hat tran sp o rta tio n in the hills is like. A n o th er situation m ight show som eone walking >across a precariously swinging ‘ ‘string bridge ’ ’ which is quite common in the hills. T h a t is, a bridge m ade of heavy rope or cable stru n g across the m an y , m any stream s th a t w ind th ro u g h the m o u n tain s w ith a boardw alk laced to the two b o t tom strands. T h ere is space b e

tw een the boards an d y o u Look dow n at the w hite or ja g g e d rocks 2 0 , 30, or even 50 feet below. Even

w ithout any w ind, yo u r cadence in w alking will cause the co n trap tion to sway back - a n d - forth. W alking a “ string b rid g e ” is at least a thrill, if n ot a fright, an d V olunteers need to be given an idea of th a t aw aiting them before they actually experience it. M o v ie s a re also a c o n s id e r a tio n , th o u g h th e video - tape cam eras ap d related e q u ip m e n t a re m u c h m o re econom ical and flexible. T h e o b jective of w hatever m edium is used will be to p o rtray , as ac c u r a te ly a n d v iv id ly as is possible, just exactly what the new Volunteer can expect. A C ase Study approach will be used in in troducing them to the kinds of problem s they will enco u n ter an d how they can best help the people in solving those problem s. T h a t is, a several page case - descrip tion will be read by a discussion group - a case th at has actually oc cu rred in the past b u t w ith nam e changes, etc. —an d the group will then come up w ith w hat they co n sider to be the best way of dealing w ith th e c a se . T h e g ro u p discussion guide, who will be an ex p e rie n c e d p e rso n , w ill say n o th in g d u r in g th is problem - solving session. When the group has finished and come up with their recommendation to deal with the case, the discussion -guide will evaluate it for them, and tell them what was actually done in the case under consideration and how it worked out. T h e idea will not be to stifle in novative or creative ideas the new V olunteers m ight have, b u t only to help prepare them by sharing the experience th at has been ac cum ulated in w orking am ong the m o u n tain people. Since this w ould n o t be a con tin u o u s, m onth ly p ro g ram , a p erm a n en t facility as such is not envisioned. T h ere will have to be a secure place to store the dif ferent instructional m aterials an d eq u ip m en t, of course, an d a facility large enough to use for w hat is determ ined to be the

typical size class com ing th ro u g h the train in g center. Some building that is also not continuously used will be required, so that its schedule can be adjusted to and coordinated with the schedule of training sessions. W e are, therefore, presently considering the different activities we have going on w ith a view to selecting o n e th a t w o u ld p e r m it th is “ s h a r i n g ” a c tiv ity w ith a train in g center. M o u n t V ern o n in R ockcastle C o u n ty h as b een te n ta tiv e ly selected as the location for such a center, partly because we have a n u m b e r o f p ro g ra m s a lre ad y going on there b u t also because it is a good location. It is relatively accessible in term s of highw ays lead in g o ut of the m o u n tain co untry, an d is quite representative of Appalachia. In addition to the m u l ti- m e d ia presentations, the center will also conduct actual trips into the ru ral areas aro u n d its location so as m uch of th eir initial experience as possible will be real - life for the V olunteers. CAP has, from the very beginning, alw ays had a kin d of on - the - job - training period fo r Volunteers even after the detailed orien tation provided by Reverend Beiting. In such cases, the new person w ould be team ed w ith an ex

perienced V o lu n teer for a tim e to sort o f b reak them in gradually. T hese actual visits into the ru ral hill cou n try w ould not be at. sub stitute for th a t kind of experience, b u t w ould m ake for an even easier tran sitio n for new people. W e fully in ten d to do all we can, in cooperation w ith other groups an d organizations who have V olunteers in A ppalachia, to p rep are these people well. M an y tim es they com e from cities, fairly large cities, and ju st an7 exposure to the ru ral way of life is enlightening to them . T h eir purpose in com ing, of course, is to help the needy, so the program will deal w ith cases of poverty, u n em p lo y m en t, the elderly, etc, an d all those areas w here C A P has a c c u m u la ted co nsiderable experience. It will be an entirely in te rd e n o m in a tio n a l p ro g ra m , too, as C A P has always striven to be, an d is an exciting new u n d e r taking. For those o f you who might on occasion be able to visit us, we will be able to present selected video tapes and slides with narrations to give you some idea o f what its like for Volunteers in Appalachia. Soundings will keep y o u p o s te d as to how th is T r a in in g C e n te r develops in 1980.

CAP VOLUNTEERS AT A MORE RELAXED M OM ENT

i ‘POST’ ’ GROUP HOME A T CAMP NELSON By Reverend Ralph Beiting

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TH E CURRENT GROUP HOM E AT CAMP NELSON In an age: w hen youth dem ands so m uch freedom an d have such a profound desire to be on th eir ow n, I was recently taken a little by surprise. A group of young m en from o u r G ro u p H om e at G am p N elson cam e to m e and requested that they be able to stay beyond the period of a year. T h ey w ere assigned to the G ro u p H o m e for a y e a r by S tate authorities and w hen th at period of tim e was up they d id n ’t w ant to leave. T h e ir family life was freq u en t ly shattered and there was really no one to w hom they could retu rn . T hey knew the difficulties th a t aw aited them because th a t h ad led to them being sent to the G ro u p H om e to begin w ith. They had captured a vision of what things might he like in their life during the time they had been at the Home at Camp Nelson and they wanted to 10

retain that dream. T h e y w ere w illing to m ake any sacrifices necessary to b rin g th at about. W e h ad , of course, no room for them to stay on because there w ere o th e r g ro u p s o f y o u n g m en w a itin g to e n te r th e G ro u p H o m e, so we were led to Sxp erim en t in still an o th er field. T h ere was a large w hite house a mile or two aw ay th a t we could ren t. In late A ugust we entered into a lease w ith the ow ner of the hom e for a year, an d o u r first group of four young m en e n te re d . W e have em p lo y ed a fa m ily , W a y n e a n d K a r e n W illiam s, who will supervise the G ro u p H om e and b rin g stability to it while at the same time afford ing the highest degree of fre e d o m w ith r e s p o n s ib ility possible for the y o u n g m en. Nearly six months have gone by now since the experiment began and we

could not have hoped for better results. The young men have jobs. They are responding well to the freedom that has been afforded them, yet still retain a ' profound sense of responsibility to one another and to the new fam ily they are forming. -1 In N ovem ber I had the o p p o r tu n ity of spending a w eekend ( w ith them and the other, boys that w ere still in the G ro u p H om e. T w o of the boys cam e up to me w ith an offer. T hey had been w ith me the past sum m er on the houseboat trip we had taken w ith a group of young boys from the A ppalachian area. If we w ould take the Vtrip again they volun- ( teered to give up their vacation an d to w ork w ithout pay as co u n selors for the younger boys. They had experienced so much value in it themselves, they were eager and anxious to make it possible for someone else. I could not help b u t think th at w h e n lo v e is c o u p le d w ith sacrifice it has to be genuine and real. T h e Post H om e has to be w orking if it can m otivate young m en to give up th eir tim e and m oney to be of service to others. There is still the future, of course, and the new Home still has a way to go, but I cannot help but think that once again by responding to the request of others, CAP has come upon a sound and valuable program.

‘Tis easier to suppress the first Desire, than to satisfy all that follow it. Ben Franklin

CARE FOR THE ELDERLY IS A PROBLEM, AND W IL L M O STP R O B A B L % BIGGER ONE FOR SOCIETY I N TH E 1980’s

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We have an “ a g in g ” population in the U .S . as a w hole, due to m any factors h u t not least of which is o u r im proved m edical and sanitary standards for m ost of o u r people. This has certainly been an increasingly influen tial problem for us for at least two decades, with more and more of our social assets being committed by government to dealing with it. O ne can easily recall o u r heightened aw areness of the plight of the elderly du rin g the early an d m id 1960’s, w hen bo th P residents K ennedy and Jo h n so n spoke of ten of it. W ell, the problem cer tainly h a sn ’t lessened and, if a n y th in g , is b e c o m in g o n ly greater. T h o u g h the problem m ay or m ay not have been caused, in whole or in p art, by the relatively recent historical em phasis in ou r society on Social Security and all its re la te d s u p p le m e n ta l program s, it becom es m ore and m ore serious each year. Some say th at, w ithout social security, the families of the elderly would still take care of them as in the old days. T h a t m ay be, b u t, if so, why d o n ’t m any families do so now w hen various governm ent b e n e fits b eco m e so w oefully inadequate for the elderly? In flation is eating at every expenditure that anyone makes for almost anything, and it attacks older people with fixed, and minimal, incomes in a quite ruthless manner. C A P fully intends to be on the counterattack in th at respect, on behalf of the elderly in o u r A ppalachian hills. A lth o u g h th e p ro b le m is n a t i o n - w i d e , it is c ertain ly m ade especially acute - if n ot w o r s e - i n the hill country. Too frequently in the depressed areas of A p palachia, theyoung people become tired of the endless cycle of poverty andflee to the urban centers, often fa r from their homes. T his leaves a situation

w here not only a large portion in a given com m unity are older folks, b u t som etim es a large majority of an entire community is m ade up of the elderly. For exam ple, w here we used to have only one person visiting an d caring for the elderly in C A P ’s area, we now have three. A nd those C A P volunteers will tell you th at they still need more help to reach all of the people who could benefit from th eir ser vices. Some of the m ore concrete plans th a t the C h ristian A p palachian Project is m aking in this regard include developm ent of a H om e for the Elderly in S tan ford, and possibly an o th er in M t. V ern o n of Rockcastle C ounty. W e are trying, how ever, to stay beyond or above the trad itio n al idea of ju st a simple “ N ursin g H o m e ” w herever possible. Quite often elderly people who are quite capable of still leading a fairly active, if slighly slower, life can become quite depressed when confined to an in stitution as if they had become an in valid. O lder R lks, w ith all the w isdom and experience they have accum ulated and have to offer the w orld, can easily have th e ir self - im age reduced to one of being a “ b u rd e n ” on others. F ar be it from C A P to w ant to do anything that would contribute to th at kind of d egradation of these, our m ost deserving citizens. T o avoid such d egradation, we are thinking and plan n in g in term s of a “ B oarding H o u se ” concept for the elderly in ou r area. T his would be a facility w here the people would pay, at a rate kept carefully w ithin th eir m eans of course, from w hatever incom e they do receive. T h ere is a good possibility th at we will begin such a hom e in Stanford in 1980, and it would be on proper^ ty w here we already have several other projects in - being. Wherever

possible, we try to develop new facilities along this line, within a com plex of other CAP facilities so that we have several activities which are mutually supporting. T h a t is, ac tivities which benefit one also benefit several of the others, and personnel w hich staff one can also tem porarily help out at another if necessary. T his B oarding H ouse for the Elderly, for exam ple, w ould give tbe people residing therein a feeling of reta in in g th eir in dependence an d individuality, of ten critically im p o rtant aspects of th e ch a ra c te r w hich achieves longevity. F u rth er, since we also have a C hild D evelopm ent C en ter in the com plex in Stanford, in te r a c tio n b e tw e e n th e p resch o o lers a n d th e elderly w ould be easier. T hey could ex change visits, tell stories to one an o th er, an d both w ould u n doubtedly benefit greatly from this interaction. The old have so, so much to offer the young, and the children’s “development” would assuredly be enhanced by this. Also, seeing the boundless energy, interest and curiosity of children would regenerate enthusiasm and joy for the elderly people involved, and give them a genuine feeling of being needed and worthwhile again. T h ere is also an “ A ttic” store in the Stanford system , and it is quite con ceivable th at some of th^ elderly could assist in th at project, in a concrete and m eaningful way for all concerned. A nother way in which C A P in tends to move in this respect is partly pointed up by the above m entioned situation where we of ten find a m ajority of an entire m o u n tain com m unity are elderly eouples of individuals. V ery of ten such people are now the only residents of a cabin or house in w hich they raised a whole family, b u t w hich is now occupied only 11

fey one o r two - the fath er a n d /o r m o th e r . T h is w as once econom ically feasible, even if p s y c h o lo g ic a lly lo n e ly and physically dangerous. Now, with the sudden and tremendous increase in the cost of gasoline and transportation to purchase necessities, and the corresponding increase in cost o f energy fo r home - heating, it places many such elderly couples and individuals in extremely dire straits. C A P is looking into the possibility of find ing various such people w ho, in o rd er to ease these tran sp o rta tio n an d h eatin g b u rd en s generally, w o u ld b e w illin g to “ c o n solidate” into one o f the larg er hom es th a t one o f th em m ight ow n. T h e y co uld pool th e ir resources, C A P w ould assist as n e c e ss a ry a n d p o ssib le w ith m oving, renovatio n , etc. , an d try to help in disposition of oth er properties th a t such consolidation m ade available for the m ark et. T his la tte r is, o f course, still in the concept an d consideration stage, b u t m ight very Well be a possible solution to this problem for the elderly citizens of A p palachia caught u p so b ru tally in the rap id energy cost increase, Surely, we w ould m ake every ef fort to insure th a t people w ho w ere inclined to w ard this kind of c o n s o lid a tio n to e s c a p e th e e c o n o m ic c ru n c h w e re c o m patible an d com pletely c o m m it ted to the idea personally. C A P w ould also provide follow - up co n tact w ith such cen tralized living, ju s t as we do now w ith the d ecen tralized p a tte rn s o f A p palachia, b u t we feel it w ould ease things considerably all the w ay aro u n d . In any event, please rest assured that CAP is much aware o f the magnitude of this problem, is dealing with it by continued implementation of existing programs, and is exploring other avenuesfor thefuture. In fact, if any of you, o u r read ers, have ideas as to how we m ight b etter deal w ith the pro b lem of the elderly, please w rite th e editor an d suggest them . In add itio n to all of the oth er help you give us, we w ould m ost sincerely a p preciate ideas you have, too.

A TIME TO REMEMBER By Reverend R alph B elting It was a cold d reary D ecem b er d ay . T h e place was J a c k s o n C o u n ty . T h e tow n was M cK ee. T h e y ear was 1964. A couple in their latefifties came to see me and they had a conviction that they should spend the remaining part o f their lives working and assisting the elderly. T h ey w an ted to furnish a hom e w here older people could com e an d live. W hile they h ad the desire, they did n o t have the m eans of b rin g in g this ab o u t an d so they cam e to ask if th ere was any w ay possible th a t I m ig h t be able to fu rn ish th em a house. W e h ad ju s t b eg u n o u r w ork in Jack so n C o u n ty an d o u r facilities w ere qu ite lim ited. But the week before I had bought a track o f land that we intended to usefo r a dairy farm and on this land there was an old tenant farmhouse. I told th em th a t I w ould be h ap p y to rem odel an d fix u p the old house if they felt th a t it was suitable for th a t p u r pose. W e got in the car an d drove o ut to G rey H aw k w here the house was located an d they felt th a t it w ould be a step in the rig h t direction.

W ith th e aid o f v o lu n te e r g roups, especially you n g m en fro m B e lla rm in e C o lle g e in Louisville, the house began to take shape an d d u rin g m ost of th a t next sp rin g w ork was being done. With the coming of M ay the house was presentable and Frank and Margaret Noeltner moved into the house with one old man. Before June had run its course they had three, and Labor Day saw them with four. T h e house left a g reat deal to be desired. T h ere was no indoor p lu m b in g . A n outhouse h a d to serve for the toilet needs, b u t the people w ere h ap p y . T h ey lived in a place th a t they felt in som e w ay was th eir ow n. T h e hom e h ad only been there for a little m ore th a n a year, how ever, before the h ealth of ficials said th a t m a n y people could n o t be accom m odated in a b u ild in g w ith no inside toilet facilities. So Frank and Margaret began a search fo r another place. T h e house was found on the outskirts o f M cK ee an d she cam e to m e w ith a r e q u e s t o n c e m o re , “ C o u ld we help them to acquire

CAP T H A N K SG IV IN G GET TOGETH ER FOR ELDERLY IN M T . VERNON

this h o u se?5’ W e p u t u p a th ird of the m oney th a t was needed to p u rc h a s e th e h o u se a n d th e couple was able to take in six elderly people. T h ey h ad now bo th m en and w om en. T his o p eratio n w ent on for five or six years un til F ra n k ’s h ealth becam e so precario u s th a t they w ere no longer able to care for anyone else. M a rg a re t’s full tim e was now req u ire d for him . In a short tim e he died an d ju s t a little over a y ear ago she passed aw ay as well. I could not help but think about them because over the years the care of the elderly had become in creasingly a concern of CAP. T h ey w ere often the forgotten m em bers of o u r society. T h is past y ear as we grew in experience w ith carin g for the e ld e rly th r o u g h o u r th r e e p ro g ram s th a t are essentially day care programs, I became convinced th a t we needed now to go into

a residential care facility. We now have plans to set up a home where five or six old people can be brought in and this home would be their own. T h ere w ould be a couple th ere w ho w ould live w ith th em an d serve th e ir needs in w h atev er w ay necessary. W e have a large w hite house in S tanford, the county seat of Lincoln C o u n ty , th a t we are rem odeling for this purpose. We wanted an older house because old people normally feel a lot more content in something that they are familiar with. I t ’s a fine old house w ith large room s situ ated on top of a hill overlooking the city. It has a lot of y ard an d g ard en area about it an d will be a w onderful place for the old folks to live o u t th eir tw ilight years. W e feel an ad d itio n al sense of elation over this new b eg in n in g because it will also share the p ro p erty w ith a C h ild D evelop m en t C en ter. If th ere is one th in g

M ID-W INTER 1980, SUMMER CAMPS T h o u g h the W in ter w eath er this y ear has been m ercifully m ild thus far, it is W in ter. B ut, as w ith m any activities, p lan n in g goes ahead at C A P for the su m m er w hich will surely com e. In 1980, as for quite a few years in the p ast, the C h ristian A ppalachian Project will be hosting a variety of youngsters an d some older folks, too, at S um m er C am ps. T h ere is strip - m in in g going on now in the once beautiful valley th a t leads into C am p A ndrew Jack so n , b u t it d o esn ’t ap p ear th a t the heavy eq u ip m en t used for such operations will get close enough to m a r the site of the cam p itself. A gain this y ear A n drew Jack so n will be hosting several h u n d red youngsters for one - w eek c a m p in g sessions. There will be swimming, boating, Bible School classes, handicrafts, pic nics, and historical plays put on by the youth themselves, coached and super vised by the Volunteer counselors. T h e V olunteers are aw ay at th eir jo b s

or in college classes now , of c o u r s e , a n d so m e o f th e m p erh ap s d o n ’t even know yet th a t they will be com ing to E astern K en tu ck y this S um m er. As they h e a r ab o u t this C A P activity,

th a t little children need, it is the presence of older folks. T oo often in a m obile society children never get to see th e ir g ran d p aren ts or an y b o d y w ho really is old. H ere, the children will have som eone th ere they can relate to, som eone th a t loves th em an d som eone th at they can love: In tu rn , the old p e o p le w ill see in th e new g en eratio n com ing on a sign of h o pe, a sign o f real happiness th at they have ad d ed to w hat we now possess in this land. As o u r plans for rem odeling go on an d the w ork is about to begin, I can n o t help b u t think of F ran k an d M a rg a re t N oeltner an d th a t cold D ecem b er day back in 1964. It was a long time in coming, but our home fo r the elderly is now in hand and I sincerely hope that God in his goodness will allow them to know that their dreams are taking more permanent root.

PLA th ough, from others who have spent a S um m er or several S u m m ers at C am p A J or perhaps from an issue of S oundings, th e y ’ll be w riting to ask ab o u t it. Ellen B urke who is the director of

CAM P ANDREW JACKSON IN SUM M ER OF 1979

our Berea Child Development Center, so sue remains in the area all year. Ellen is the one who looks ahead, plans, coordinates dates and people, and make sure that all is ready beforehand as well as insuring that the Camp runs smoothly once it gets un derway. A t C liffv ie w L o d g e o n H e rrin g to n Lake th ere will be a num ber of o u tin g s and o n e - w e e k c a m p in g sessions. These will include several groups of deaf youngsters as we had last year, and also several groups o f orthopedically handicapped individuals. R ic O ’C onnell will be arran g in g an d supervising the C am ps at Cliffview for the d eaf groups, being C A P ’s resident staff mem* b er who is com pletely versed in

A m erican Sign L an g u ag e. Ja c k H ey n e will han d le all coor d in atio n an d conduct o f outings an d cam ps for the h an d icap p ed , including a n u m b e r o f special athletic events. W e tentatively p lan to ex p an d these p ro g ram s at Cliffview, p roviding an o p p o r tu n ity for m ore activities by bo th the d eaf an d h an d icap p ed , b u t such plans d epend on fitting a n u m b e r of schedules together. This year, however, we have the ad vantage o f last summer’s experience and contacts established so we have a better planning base to operatefrom. M ost of o u r cam ping activities, too, involve an exchange w ith one an o th er, w ith groups from C am p A ndrew Jack so n visiting Cliffview for one day, etc., an d the d eaf groups visiting the group

H o m e at C am p N elson. W e find th a t this exchange betw een cam p ing groups m akes the experience m u ch m ore rew ard in g to all con cerned, an d p lan to continue it this S um m er. One factor that will definitely have to be taken into con sideration this year, though, is the tremendous increase in cost of transpor tation due to gasoline prices. B ut, th en , th a t is a factor th a t m ost of you who read Soundings are very fam iliar w ith, too. In any event, w e a re d e f in ite ly p la n n in g an o th er full su m m er o f cam ping activities for the young people of A ppalachia, an d a few of the older ones, too. Soundings will keep you posted on all those events as they develop.

A VOICE FROM PU LASKI COUNTY By Reverend R alph B eiting F or the past th ree years th e C h ris tia n A p p alac h ian P ro ject h a s c o n d u c te d p r o g r a m s in P u la s k i C o u n ty th a t w e re r e c r e a tio n a l in n a t u r e . A h o u s e b o a t w as a c q u ire d a n d m oored at L e e ’s F o rd D ock on C u m b e rla n d L ak e. H e re th e e ld e r ly , h a n d ic a p p e d , little children an d cam pers w ere all b ro u g h t for eith er a day,, o v er night or over the w eekend. They grew to love the boat and the lake, and everyone looks forward to when their time comes to enjoy the beauty o f this part o f God’s creation. T h ro u g h the contacts th a t we w ere m aking as a resu lt o f o u r presence w ith th e b o at in the county, m any people w an ted to know w hy we did w hat we w ere doing. W hy did we b rin g people w ith w heelchairs on a houseboat? W hy did we b rin g children who could not hear? W hy did we b rin g people w ho w ere retard ed ? W hy did we b rin g y o u n g people who were all excited? I told them w hat o u r dream s w ere w ith the C h ristia n A p p alac h ian P ro ject an d how we hoped to be a m eans w hereby people could help them -

selves. We wanted to be opportunity people, offering hope where before there might have been only despair. It was explained th a t over a p erio d of years we h ad gotten involved in all sorts of p ro g ram s th a t w ould a s s is t p e o p le in th is a r e a .

C au tio u s in quiries w ere m ade, “ W ell, w ould you do this or w ould it be possible for you to get involved w ith th a t? ” In the m ean tim e, a voice was h e a rd in a different location, a v o ic e c o m in g o u t o f D a n -

A BOAT T R IP FOR SOME SENIOR C IT IZ E N S ON CUM BERLAND LAKE IN PU L A SK I C O UNTY

ville - the K entucky School for the D eaf to be exact. As a co n sequence of o u r involvem ent w ith d eaf children at Cliffview Lodge an d also on the h o u seb o at at C u m b e r la n d L a k e , th e d e a f people w ere aw are of o u r interest an d of o u r concern. T h ey asked if we w ould consider startin g a G ro u p H om e for d eaf boys who h ad finished high school. T hese w ould be young m en w ho needed a d d itio n a l t r a i n i n g b o th in academ ics as well as vocational w ork. The more investigation was made in this field, the more we began to be drawn towards Somerset and Pulaski County. T h ro u g h the kindness of a DEAF YOUNGSTERS AT CLIFFVIEW LODGE LAST SUM M ER n u m b e r of people w hom I h ad m et over the last year, a m eeting of o u r D eaf P ro g ram , we m et c lo th in g c o u ld be h a d , a was called. People from various w ith all these people. For nearly recreatio n cen ter for you th , and religions (C atholic, E piscopalian, th ree h ours we discussed d ream s, an em ergency shelter for people L u th eran ), individuals rep resen hopes an d needs. The deaf were who h ad no w here to live. ting various com m unities in the there, and as they signed out their story A fter the needs w ere outlined co u n ty (the d e a f co m m u n ity , you could not help but feel a sense of they looked at us an d said, O akw ood, a residential facility real longing, a sense that something has “ W h at can you d o ? ” W e told for h an d icap p ed an d reta rd ed to be done. As one m an p u t it, them w hat we h ad done in other people, w orkers in v o cational “ F or those of us w ho are deaf, it places an d th a t we w ere certainly rehabilitation) an d m an y o th er is very sad here. ’’ S om ething was interested in m oving into P ulaski people cam e to this m eeting. O u r needed an d yet it was not only in county if the people w an ted us hope was th a t we w ould be able to the d eaf th a t needs w ere ex an d th o u g h t we w ere needed. d eterm in e the needs experienced perienced. T h ere Was a need for a O n e y o ung w om an got u p an d in this county w here C A P m ight preschool for little children who said, “For goodness sakes! Don ’t even be able to help. w ere b o th d eaf an d h an d icap p ed think about whether y o u ’re needed. O n e T h u rsd a y m o rn in g w ith in o th er w ays. T h ere was a need That is so apparent that we must not R ic O ’C onnell, the C o o rd in a to r fo r a ru m m a g e sto re w h ere waste any time in even discussing it further. You are needed! W on’t you 1 1 ! please come?” As we drove aw ay from the !Ä i m eeting, I could not help b u t m H recall the w o m an ’s w ords, “ O f course, y o u ’re needed! W o n ’t H j» t you com e an d help u s? ” It stirred SI ■ up w ithin m y m em ory a sim ilar ■ ■ li call th a t St. P au l h ad h e a rd w hen he was a m issionary in the early days of* C h ristian ity . H e was ■ ■ given 4 vision w hile he was on a m o u n tain in M aced o n ia, an d out from, those hills there cam e the l il i cry, “ H elp us! C om e over and help u s!” T o d ay the sam e voices are com ing from the hills of A p P M slg lg i» palachia. “ W o n ’t you com e over an d help u s? ” ■ As this issue o f Soundings goes ■■ ... I ■Ml to press we are still not certain as to how we m ay be able to C A P’S M T. VERNON ATTIC: PERHAPS ONE L IK E T H IS IN respond. T o fill all the needs will PU L A SK I C O UNTY, TOO?

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req u ire a great deal of m oney an d a great com m itm en t on the p a rt o f o u r staff an d people. Our heart goes out to them and our heart tells us that we must go, but there is still the practical side. T h e re is still the need for looking at things in a

financial w ay to sqe if it will be possible now . With your help and prayers, I am sure that the voice that we heard on a Thursday morning out of the hills of Appalachia will be an swered, and you and I together will be a part o f that answer.

PRESCHOOL HANDICAPPED PROGRAM W ILL EXPAND IN 1980 As a result of special education m aterials an d eq u ip m en t p u r chased. w ith the g ran t M arily n S te fa n s k i’s p ro g ra m re ce iv ed from W H A S T V in Louisville * the case load has been increased to 15 children in five different c o u n tie s. T h e o b ject o f th is p ro g ra m , y o u w ill p ro b a b ly recall, is to visit the children in th e ir hom es an d w ork w ith the p aren ts, helping them learn how they can provide developm ent for the ch ild . It is therefore actually called the “Parents - are - Teachers Program. ” W ith expansion of the p ro g ram

in 1980, a new V o lu n te e r , V alerie R em in g to n , has been assigned to help M arily n w ith the preschool h an d icap p ed . V alerie has experience, p rio r to jo in in g C A P , w orking w ith h an d icap p ed a n d r e ta r d e d c h ild re n in a f ‘Mainstreaming ’ ’ p ro g ra m . T his is a technique th at is used to take h an d icap p ed children out of an in stitu tio n al setting w here there a re only o th e r c h ild re n w ith sim ilar problem s an d p u t them in the “ m a in stre a m ” w ith children w ho are not h an d icap p ed . It is felt th a t if children see only others w ho have sim ilar problem s, they

M IK E M ORRISSEY W IT H STANFORD PRESCHOOLERS WHERE “ M A IN ST R E A M IN G ” IS PLA N N ED

are n ot stim ulated or encouraged to strive h a rd e r in overcom ing th eir difficulty. By placing them among other youngsters who are not handicapped, but always carefully managed and supervised by qualified adults, the child will receive such stimulation and encouragement. V alerie’s experience in this reg ard wil be utilized by C A P in hav in g h er take two of M a rily n ’s h o m e - v is it h a n d ic a p p e d p resch o o le rs a n d m a in s tre a m th e m in th e S ta n fo rd C h ild D e v e lo p m e n t C e n te r . T h e s e children w ith special needs will be at the Stanford C en ter three days a week, and V alerie will su p plem ent th at c e n te r’s staff to p r o v id e th e a d d itio n a l m an ag em en t and teaching skill necessary. Intially, she will ju st be w orking w ith these tw o, but, as we see how it works out and experience is gained, she m ay in crease the n u m b er. By u s in g C A P ’s k lre a d y existing C hild D evelopm ent C e n ter in S tanford for this m ainstream in g activity, there; will be no need for any additional facility o r coordination. Valerie \ will be working with other CAP people, and by taking two or more o f the preschoolers from Marilyn Stefanski’s case load will enable expansion of the home - visit program. M arily n . is also able to expand h er hom e visit sch ed u le as m o re a n d m o re p aren ts she w orks w ith becom e know ledgeable and able to w ork w ith th eir children them selves. As the p aren ts progress in this respect, M arily n only needs to m ake occasional visits to check on developm ent. Initially, how ever, th e visits h av e to be m o re fre q u e n t as she explains the p ro g ram an d dem onstrates how some of the eq u ip m en t is used. Though this program will remain focused on the home and based on the parents - are - teachers idea, the “mainstreaming” technique will be utilized for those cases where it isfelt to benefit the child. U se of it will also JK y be restricted, of course, by the n u m b e r of such children th at V alerie can h an d le a n d still provide ad eq u ate assistance and s u p e r v is io n in th e C h ild

D evelopm ent C en ter. W e do feel, how ever, th a t in those cases w here it is beneficial for the child, this new aspect of M a rily n ’s p ro g ram will allow some m ore

expansion of h er efforts. It is cer tainly an extrem ely w orthw hile p ro g ram , an d one th a t M arily n finds m ost rew arding. W e feel also th a t the p aren ts of these

children are m ost appreciative of the idea, and, in th at respect, it is a significant co n trib u tio n to the “ fam ily ,” too.

C A P s A D U L T HANDICAPPED SER VICE PROGRAM LOOKS AHEAD D ear R eaders: M y nam e is J a c k H eyne, an d I am the C o o rd in a to r of A d u lt H a n d ic a p p e d S ervices P ro g ra m for C A P . W e are presently looking for ways to ex p an d o u r p ro g ram , p ro viding new activities for people com ing into the center, an d looking for w ays to p rovid e services to disabled people in th eir own hom es. T h e m ajo r em phasis of the A dult H an d icap p ed P ro g ram is developing a sheltered w ork ^experience for people who have 'n ev er w orked or because of a disability have been out of the lab o r force for an extended period of tim e. T h e W ork A c tivity P ro g ram will m a in tain the them e: Work is therapeutic. W ork m onitored u n d e r low anxiety, n o n -th reaten in g , controlled en-

M AKING MACRAME IN WORK A C TIV ITY FOR TH E H A N D IC A PPED

v iro n m en t will provide the h a n d icapped w orker a m eaningful w ork experience. W e do not e m phasize pro d u ctio n in the w ork activities, ra th e r we encourage the person to do the best they can w ithin the lim its of h is/h e r abilities and skills an d is p aid co rresp o n d ingly. T h e W ork A ctivity C en ters are located in the A ttics (C A P used clothing stores), an d we are attem p tin g to utilize the resource o f w o rk in g w ith th e u s e d clothing. T h e purpose of this open le t ter to you the read e r, is to ask for suggestions on how to utilize m ore effectively th e garm ents of clothing we can n o t sell in the A t tics. If you have an idea, please respond to m e personally w ith in form ation of— I. suggestions of article to be m ad e, II. picture or

MORE WORK ACTI V IT Y IN JACK H E Y N E ’S PROGRAM p a tte rn of article m ad e, or III. how you m ark et the item an d w hat the cost is. L et m e give you a short description of w hat we are doing in the W ork A ctivity P ro g ram . I. T h e m ag azin e, Soundings, w hich you are read in g , was collated (put together) by the W ork Ac tivity P ro g ram . II. W e are m aking large pillows for the Little W orld C hild D evelopm ent C e n

te r in S tanford, K entucky. W e are cu ttin g up pieces of clothing into 2 inch squares an d using it as pillow fill. III. W e are using pieces of wool g arm en ts to m ake b raid ed rugs an d chair cushions. T h e wool g arm en ts because of b eing soiled or w orn badly, could not be sold in the A ttics. IV . R em o v in g b u tto n s an d zippers from g arm en ts of clothing and selling them in the store. V . W e

have m ade some small stuffed toys (bears, dolls, etc.). V I. W e did some m acram eing of plant h an g ers, tow el h an g ers, an d owls. T his was an activity g re a tl^ fc ) enjoyed by the disabled w orkers b u t we did not experience m uch success in selling them . V II. W e are doing a very lim ited am o u n t of chair up h o lstering of used fu r n itu re th a t com es into the Attics. T h e W ork A ctivity C enters desire to develop a sheltered e m ploym ent en v iro n m en t using the concept of real w ork. R eal w ork is an activity essential to the p ro d u c tiv ity , o p e ra tio n , an d existance of a bonafide business. T h e w ork we do m u st be m eaningful, m ust provide the w orker w ith a purpose and develop integrity. T h e w ork we do in the center m ust be real w ork, n ot busy w ork. R eal w ork has a m ark etable d em an d for p ro d u ct, w here busy w ork gen erally does not. T h a n k you for read in g this letter, an d I w ould appreciate y o u r ideas, suggestions, and prayer for the A dult H andicappeq Service P ro g ram .

FOR 1980, A RESIDENT FACILITY FOR SEVERELY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN IN STANFORD C A P o f c o u rs e h a s a n on-going p ro g ram for h a n d i capped preschool children, w hich will continue an d p erh ap s ex p an d this year. O n e area, how ever, w here o u r m inim ally staffed, home -v is ita tio n p ro g ram for such children can n o t reach, is the case o f a severely handi capped child that no longer has a home. In some cases these are o rp h an ed children, and in o thers it is a m a t te r of the p aren ts n o t being able to cope w ith such a situation at hom e. F ar m ore often th a n not, the p aren ts do indeed love the child, b u t the b u rd e n of co nstant o r alm o st c o n s ta n t a tte n tio n necessary is too m uch for them . It

might be an economic problem, in that both parents have to work and so are unable to remain with the child through the day yet cannot afford to pay someone to look after him. Evidence th a t it is not a lack of love is th at the p aren ts do not w ant to p u t the child u p for ad o p tio n , b u t do feel th a t con tin u ed care at hom e is im possible. As we becam e in creasingly aw are of this p roblem , p rim arily th ro u g h the efforts of M arily n Stefanski an d h er p ro g ram , we considered alternatives. A m ong o u r resources is an old, historical house in S tanford w hich, w ith so m e r e n o v a tio n and m odification, can be tu rn e d into

a facility for a few of these u n fo r tu n a te children. T h e facility will have to be staffed by a live - in, qualified, person of course, and its capacity will be lim ited. But we do feel th a t it will be w o rth while cause. A p art from the p arents not w an tin g to p u t these children up for ad option, an d even in the case w here they have becom e o r p h an ed , it is highly doubtful th a t anyone w ould be in a position to ad o p t, or w ould w ant to adopt, su ch a sev erely h a n d ic a p p e d ! c h ild . S o m e a re p h y s ic a lly stricken, an d some are m entally reta rd ed , an d in a few cases a child is afflicted w ith bo th of these

bu rd en s. We should probably em phasize that these are cases o f S E V E R E H AN D IC APS, where doc tors have indicated there is no surgical or therapeutic remedy or psychologists have determined the child to be uneducable. In any event, they are still G o d ’s children an d C A P is d e te rm in e d to m o v e to w a rd solving this problem of care. T h e hom e for these children w ould be co - located With a n u m b e r of oth er C A P activities and, as w ith the p la n n ed hom e for the elderly, this w ould pro v id e for m u tu al supp o rt w ith an d from o th er facilities as needed. In d e s c r ib in g th e “ B o a r d in g H o u se ” for elderly in an o th er a r ticle, we pointed o u t th a t we

w ould m ake every effort to insure th a t residents w ould have real an d m eaningful tasks to give them a feeling of purpose. It is very, very probable that among such elderly residents ¡there will be afew who would be perfectly capable of helping out, on a part - time basis, with the care o f such severely handicapped children. T his is ju s t an o th er way of co o rd in atin g p ro g ram s so th at th ere is a reciprocal, m u tually beneficial result th a t we strive always to achieve. O n e can cer ta in ly see su ch h a n d ic a p p e d youngsters benefiting from the love and tenderness, and vast experience, of an older person helping to care for them. A nd, it seems equally easy to envision the joy and reward an

elderly person, also apparently unwanted and feeling rejected or shunted off by society, would derivefrom being able to provide that love and care. As has often been the case w ith new projects, we are counting on con tin u ed sup p ort from the m any c arin g an d generous people who p r o v id e CAP w ith th e w herew ithal for its m any p ro jects, b u t we are going to begin on this one. It is an o th er definite objective for 1980 and we feel confident you all can see its value as a C h ristian effort in A p palachia. Those whom God has given sound mind and body, good health and intellect, cannot ignore the unfortunate ones who are not so gifted.

A CALL FROM THE HILLS By Reverend Ralph Beiting It seems th a t no week is able to go by w ithout the m ail b rin g in g in a call for help from some outlying areas in the m o u n tain s o f K entucky. A t tim es there is even a request from beyond the

b o rd ers of the state in places such as T ennessee, V irg in ia an d W est V irg in ia. W e have en d eav o red in past years to resp o n d to the needs o f other groups that we feel are solid and worthwhile in the Appalachian

area an d afford them grants or loans to enable them to accom plish the good th a t they see. Som e years have now passed since this p ro g ram was begun an d we are extrem ely pleased

If you know som eone who w ould like to receive the Soundings each m o n th , have them com plete this form , enclose $4.00 for a y e a r’s subscription an d send it to us. O r, if y o u ’d like to give som eone a y e a r’s subscription as a gift, com plete this form an d send it in *with $4.00 yourself. N am e _____ _________■

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CHRISTM AS W REATH PR O D U C TIO N IN JACKSON COUNTY: EARLY CAP EFFORT AT LOCAL IN D U STR Y

C h ristian A ppalachian Project K entucky R iv er Soundings L ancaster, K entucky 40446

w ith th e results. Ai least six new modest mountain homes have been erect ed each year as a consequence of this outreach program. H o sp ital care h as b e e n m a d e av ailab le in still a n o t h e r a r e a . H o u s in g fo r V o lu n teers has b een th e resu lt of o u r don atio n in an o th er section o f E astern K entucky.. J u s t this past w eek we received a call from H in d m a n in K n o tt C o u n ty . T h e specific req u est was to help finance a food co - op th a t h ad been started several years ago and was now in financial dif ficulty. T h e people from th a t co m m unity cam e u p to talk to m e in L a n c a s te r . J o h n M a s o n , D ir e c to r o f o u r E c o n o m ic D evelopm ent Section of C A P , an d I w ent dow n to K n o tt C o u n ty to see the store an d to evaluate the needs. A t th e p resen t tim e w e ’re not certain th a t this should be th e direction th a t we should go as far as financially assisting the food co - op. But we were very much convinced that we needed to assist

W OODW ORKING SHO P STARTED W IT H CAP H E L P people in this very important county. W e listened to a litan y of needs-a farm in g project, lan d for low cost housing, b etter com m u n ity c o m m u n ic a tio n s , d e velopm ent o f co-ops in craft p ro du ctio n , outlets for these crafts arid the need for econom ical and h ealthy food.

W e shall resp ond w ith the help o f the people w ho m ake o u r p ro g ram possible this y ear in K n o tt C o u n ty . Before spring of 1980 comes we feel certain that the proper area and project will be made known to us, and we will enter into a new dimension in still another county in the hills o f Appalachia.

Kentucky fliver N O N -P R O F IT O R G A N IZ A T IO N U. S. P O S T A G E

PAI D Christian Appalachian Project

Christian Appalachian Project Kentucky River Soundings Lancaster, Kentucky 40446 Name .. Address

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