The Mountain Spirit - July/Aug. 1982

Contents From Our President............................................. 3 Features: The True Philosophy........................................5 Haunts of Appalachia.................................... 10 Let Him Sit By Me!........................................ 16 O, Bird Singing!..............................................18 Of People, Psychology and Peanut Butter.. 23 Departments: Letters...............................................................4 Appalachian Arts and Culture........................ 9 The CAP Closeup.......................................... 14 News of Our Neighbors................................21 Around the Project........................................25

The Mountain Spirit The Magazine of the Christian Appalachian Project July-August 1982 Volume I, No.4 Editor-in-Chief.................................... s . . . . Rev. Ralph Beiting Editor.............................................................. R. Kenton Craven Associate Editor.......................................... j. Randolph Jordan Assistant Editor................................................ Margaret Gabriel Advisory Board.......................... Mike McLaughlin, Bill Begley Subscriptions........................................................ Kathy Stathers Typesetting.............................................................. sheila Helton The Mountain Spirit is published six times a year. The annual subscription price is $5.00. Subscriptions and other correspon­ dence should be sent to The Mountain Spirit, Christian Ap­ palachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, Ken­ tucky 40446. Copyright 1982, The Christian Appalachian Project, Inc. All rights reserved. The Christian Appalachian Project is a non-profit Christian service organization operating throughout Eastern Kentucky. We rely on private donations for over 99%of our funding. The Project operates on the philosophy that “ helping people help themselves” is the best approach to Appalachian poverty.

The July-August Theme It’s “ deep summer’’! When many of CAP’s programs for the handicapped swing into high gear—so in this issue we focus on the handicapped in Appalachia, and on the gift they give us by their presence. Also, we take a look at the “ haunts’’ that rove the hills on hot summer nights. On the COVER, Jody Harrison shows his love for a member of his special family (see cover story, p.5. Cover photo by Jordan). On the BACK COVER, deep summer in Estill County (photo by Craven). BELOW, are there haunts in this lonely old mansion? See p. 10 if you dare!

From Our President

Frequently when we speak of the handicap­ ped, a vision of a generous people helping their less fortunate brothers comes to mind. We are tempted to believe that we who do the so-called “ giving” are the losers and the “ poor handicap­ ped” are the gainers. In my experience, the op­ posite has been the case. Let me share with you a story or two to prove the point. A few years back I met a gentleman who worked for a large, midwestern travel trailer company. His job was to oversee the charitable donations of the company. In this capacity he spent about four days with me, observing the work of CAP. I got to know him rather well. One thing I learned about was his interest in mentally handicapped people. His home was only a short distance from an in­ stitution that cared for them. He and his wife decided that their home should be a halfway house for these people. For twenty years they always had one person with them; sometimes the number grew as large as four. When I asked him if this was not a heavy burden for his family, he was genuinely surprised. “ In all our years as a family nothing brought us more joy or a deeper sense of what the purpose of life was all about than having these people with us.” “ What about your own children” (he had four), I asked. “ Weren’t they resentful that their home should lose its privacy? You surely have had to change their life style?” “ This was one of the great rewards of our involvement,” he said, “ the children became so taken with the handicapped that they looked forward to having another ‘brother or sister’ enter the family circle. Now that they are married and have children of their own they share their own home, their time, and their resources with those who stand in need. No, we didn’t help those we took in nearly as much as they helped and blessed us.”

A couple of years ago, I took 25 boys on a month’s house boat trip down the Kentucky, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers. In our crew were four deaf boys. I was worried about this at first. Young boys can frequently be very cruel to their peers. I called all the “ normal” boys together the first night and told them of their “ obligation” to be kind and decent to these boys who couldn’t hear them or talk to them. After a day of partial July-August 1982

Reverend Beiting checks his car before taking off again in the hills of Floyd County.

awkwardness, I noticed a strange thing hap­ pening. Several of the boys were learning sign language on their own and were trying it out on the deaf boys. The deaf smiled and laughed at the obvious mistakes the other boys were making, but you could see that real friendships were being built. Later I congratulated several of the boys for their efforts to learn sign language and to be help­ ful to the deaf. “ Oh heck, it was fun,” they said. “ We did it because we got a lot out of it. Those fellows turned out to be our buddies and we had a lot of fun we wouldn’t have had without them. Besides, we learned sign language and we intend to keep it up.” The real point of this story I learned two weeks later when another group of 25 boys came on the boat for their part of the trip. This time we had no deaf boys on board. Immediately I sensed a dif­ ference. Before long fights were breaking out, quarrels were everywhere. It was so different from two weeks earlier. With the deaf on board, the boys had the opportunity to think of someone other than themselves and they were a happy crew. When the main concern was their own enjoyment, happiness always seemed to escape them. One of the counselors said to me, “ it’s a shame the second group didn’t have some deaf boys in their crew.” The stories could go on, but I think the point is well made. The handicapped of the world are one of God’s greatest blessings for us all. They have the ability to make us think and evaluate our lives and their purposes. In caring for others we find ourselves and we like what we see. This should not be so strange, for the wisest man who walked this earth told us what he had heard from His Heavenly Father. He who loses his life will find it, and it is more blessed to give than receive. It is only when we think of others that we find peace. R each out your hand, touch others with love. You will be pleased to see how many good things you now have in your hands.

Letters Editor: I have read every word of the MayJune issue. Excellent! Could you please do an article on Jesse Stuart some time? His books, and the one about the Rev. Bob Childress—The Man Who Moved a Mountain— , gave me my first in­ sight into the mountain people and the Ledford article added to it (see “ The Ledfords,” May-June, p.5). I think they add a real, and very in­ teresting, view of our land. Arleen Laudenslager Spring Valley, CA. Thank you. We will try to do a story on Jesse Stuart during the coming year. A t present, Mr. Stuart is hospitalized and very ill—pray fo r him, please. —Ed.

Editor: Indeed I do want to renew The Mountain Spirit—so much more to it than Kentucky River Soundings, but loved both! I know and love your hills and their folks! My Mother and Father left Indianapolis in 1888 and went back to Jackson, Ky. Dad worked as a bookkeeper for a lumberman. I was born in 1889, 93 years ago, and lived there and went to P.S. Lee, where I learned my 3 R’s. At 12, we three daughters were sent back to “ civilization” to be educated. He loved it and never left. The love of those hills has never left this old woman. Thank you. Mrs. J. W. Rhu Rocky River, Ohio

Editor: I am very sorry I have been so long in writing after I read your “ Sir Willie Coyle: Knight of Faith,” in the January-February issue. What a beautiful story and what a beautiful person! I read it several 4

times and also loaned it to others to read. He preaches one of the most beautiful and realistic sermons I have ever read or heard. I found the entire issue interesting, perhaps because I too am a Senior Citizen. And the darling lady pic­ tured on p. 12! I wish I could tell her someone in N.Y. cares about her just from looking at her picture. Good luck with your new Moun­ tain Spirit. I have been subscribing to Kentucky River Soundings for several years.

beautiful photography and all the heartwarming stories. The Ledford story is a masterpiece! Such memories. I attended a oneroom schoolhouse, my lunch (in a tin pail), of biscuits and sausage made by Dad, watched mules turn the mills for molasses-making, every stitch of my clothing except shoes and hose made by my mother. God bless your wonderful work. Keep it up. Mrs. W.B. Kemmler Dry Branch, GA.

Mrs. Gertrude B. Voss Floral Park, New York

Editor: I really enjoy your publication— The Mountain Spirit. The quality is excellent and the message inspiring! Mahalo! Barbara Dwyer Kailua, Hawaii

Editor: I just received my first issue of The Mountain Spirit (May-June issue). Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. I read it from cover to cover.

Editor: Who and what is CAP? That is a question I asked one of the CAP volunteers, Lynn Daniels, last December as I was auditioning for a gospel band (see The Mountain Spirit Band, May-June issue, p. 19). I had never heard of the Christian Appalachian Project! And now (how proud I am!), I am also part, since I sing in your Moun­ tain Spirit band! You’ll never realize what a joy and a privilege that is to me as it is the fulfilling of a life-long dream.

It is a joy to see such a good Christian magazine. Keep up the good work.

To sing for the Lord in a gospel group! Also I want to tell you how my family and I enjoy the magazine. My ancestors have been in Rock­ castle County since 1849. So, reading the stories about our own land and our own people gives it special meaning to us. Keep up the terrific job of service to God and mankind. I pray God continues to bless you in all the projects.

Mrs. Barbara Olson Hutchinson, MN.

Glenna Smith Eubank, KY.

Editor: Have received the May-June issue—just perfect, plenty of

Letters to the editor are welcome. Address letters to The Mountain Spirit, Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, Kentucky 40446.

I especially enjoyed “ The Led­ fords: A Family For All Seasons,” and “ Consumed by the Lord.”

The Mountain Spirit

O n e night Tina’s heart monitor went off at 2 AM. Jody and I both hit the floor at the same time, because you only have ten seconds to get to her when it signals. By the time we got there, Denise was awake with pain in her back, and Tommy who’s hyperactive and always rarin’ to go, was up and at ‘em. Two other kids were sick with flu, and they woke up crying. That got Holly up with a whole bunch of problems. Well, we got them all back to sleep by 4 AM, and collapsed. The next morning at 9, I met the milkman at the door in my bathrobe, and he said ‘it must be nice, sleepin’ in like that.’ Now, my friend, that’s grounds for homicide!” Judy Harrison laughs and waves her arms in what seems like all directions at once as she tells one of her thousands of stories about life with the kids. It may seem an ordinary story of a large family until one realizes that of the nine children presently in the home of Jody and Judy Harrison, two are their own—Peter and Tony. Two more are adopted—Anthony and Steven. And five are han­ dicapped foster children—Tina, Denise, Holly, Tommy, and John—with a list of severe han­ dicaps that would startle many an experienced physician. “ Our pediatrician says we have more equipment here for young handicapped children than the University of Kentucky Medical Center, and we do. We’ve been accumulating it for over ten years, because we’ve had over forty foster children in that time, each with a different set of handicaps,” Judy explains.

The True Philosophy Love and the Harrisons

by R. Kenton Craven

Jody, 33, and Judy, 31, run one of CAP’S two homes for younger handicapped children. Or rather, their own home—it is not an institution in any sense—is on the grounds of the Family Life Center of Appalachia. In October of 1980, after

JORDAN

The Harrison family.

nine years’ experience as foster parents for han­ dicapped children, Jody and Judy approached Rev. Ralph Beiting and Mike McLaughlin with a dream of beginning a different kind of program. Natives of Madison County and Appalachians in heart as well as in fact, the Harrisons lamented the fate of many handicapped children in this area of America—the fate of homelessness, of being bounced around from home to home in foster care or between homes and institutions. “ I don’t like foster care,” Jody says in a slow, emphatic drawl. “ I don’t want foster care. That’s not the answer to the problem.” The answer sub­ mitted to Father Beiting and Mike seemed im­ probable but inviting, and wholly in line with the mission of the Family Life Center of Appalachia. “ We want to work with the child and the parents toward solid replacement in the natural family, or we want a termination of legal rights and then working toward a good, sound adoption. Without these goals, we won’t accept the child.” A year af­ ter moving to the Center in Renfro Valley and giving up a comfortable position with IBM in Lexington, Jody and Judy now speak glowingly about the way the dream is going, and about their plans. Recently, they succeeded in placing their first child with adoptive parents in the new program, a task they do not take lightly. “ When people adopt from us, the parents will know everything about this child, and I mean everything—I’m very proud of that statement,” Jody says with conviction. “ If it takes two years to get a secure adoption, then that’s what it will take, because then we’re really doing something. I could run kids through here without that sound preparation, and the adop­ tions would fail and the children go back to foster care—what does that accomplish? We’re not after numbers. Our goal is permanent placement. That’s the reason we came here. We’re not a care center, but a step in a necessary process. No, it’s not going to be easy, but it can be done.” X hat kind of fierce pride on behalf of children in Appalachia has, in the last ten years, conquered problem after problem for the Harrisons. When they learned they could not have more children, they turned to adoption because they had always wanted a large family. They soon learned that adoption was difficult—unless they took children others did not want. That was the beginning of a life of service to a special kind of children. An­ thony, now 14, was deaf, and Steve, now a voluble and volatile 7, was thought to be hopeless. Physicians doubted he would ever walk or talk. When one sees Steve and Anthony playing ball today, one sees nothing extraordinary—except the love and zest for life their parents have given them. 6

B u t in the process of adopting Anthony and Steve, the Harrisons began to learn about the problems of younger handicapped children, and to believe that something could be done. Early on, they saw that the desire for physical perfection in children was a barrier for most people. “ If that’s the criterion, all my ten would be dead,” Judy flashes in anger as she talks about the fate of “ In­ fant Doe” in Indiana, the child which the court and the parents permitted to starve to death rather than give it corrective surgery. “ No, all my children are perfect, but not by the world’s stan­ dard of perfection,” she adds. They also learned

“ Philosophy to me is, that child has a soul, and that’s the true philosophy. We’re none of us perfect. If we can’t care for one another, then that is what is wrong. That is what Christ came to teach—to love and care for one another.’’

enough medical terminology to frighten the wits out of a medical student, but they have always seen past the expert opinions and social worker reports to the heart of the child, yearning for love and growth. Over years of working with dozens of handicap­ ped foster children, the Harrisons have learned to take everything in stride, and to have faith that each child can learn and grow if given a chance. Recently they accepted a child who, at the age of 4, weighed only 14 pounds, was almost totally deaf and blind, required a heart monitor, had a subnormal body temperature, and had always been fed through a tube into the stomach. Now up to 21 pounds, taking food by mouth, and at­ taining partial hearing through hearing aids, the child is stablizing and making wonderful progress. “ She had never learned to swallow. One night the tube came out, and we took her to the emergency room. After an attempt to put the tube back in, I just said, ‘no. This child doesn’t have to put up with that anymore. She’s going to eat.’ I took her home and fed her with a syringe, then a spoon. She learned—and look at her now,” Judy reports as she rubs and hugs the girl on her knee. X hat heroic and commonsense approach—the willingness to love and believe in each child, and to take every obstacle in faith—has made the Harrisons legendary in CAP and in the area. Jody and Judy simply do not believe that the impossible cannot be done. They look at the spiraling rate of child abuse among handicapped children, and un­ derstand the root problem—lack of real human The Mountain Spirit

tu £

Travelling fo r the Harrisons is a chore lightened by the specialized van provided by CAP donors.

support for the parents. “ Think of parents,” they say, “ who have had a child for five years, and have never had a break, just total and constant care, no going out to eat, no nothing, and it takes its toll on that family. This particular family we’re thinking of did not abuse the child, but we can understand how the hostility would grow. They feel like prisoners, they feel cheated. You can just imagine the frustration—it affects the couple sexually, financially, psychologically—they feel guilty because they think they don’t really love the child.” Thus the Harrisons have concluded that what many natural parents need is relief, help, en­ couragement, and understanding that they can do better with the child and accept their own frustrations as normal. In many cases, they just need to know someone else who understands their problem. “ But at the same time, some genuine help is needed also. Day care centers won’t touch handicapped children for respite care to give the folks a break—no-one will. That’s why we have done a good bit of respite care, and why we want to start another facility near here that will provide day care, respite care, and schooling as well—always working with the natural or adoptive parents on a close basis.” That is why the Harrisons’ program does not resemble other foster care programs. They refuse to accept children without a clear plan or goal—and once they accept them they set about to help the child on all levels—in relation to doctors, churches, schools: they have a lot of running about to do in the specialized van provided by CAP donors. The same philosophy applies to CAP’s other home for handicapped children in Stanford, which Jody and Judy also supervise. In addition to this supervision and constant outreach work, and relations to agencies, Jody and Judy July-August 1982

must scavenge for equipment and supplies that are increasingly expensive. “ We’ll do anything to beg or borrow what is needed to make this child’s life better. That contraption right there—that cost over $800.” Currently Jody and Judy are also working toward adding a respirator unit and ad­ ditional staffing to help with it. “ There are children in the hospital who have to stay there because they can’t leave the respirator. We know of four at the moment. If we can train parents to use the respirators and to do manual recusitation, we can gradually move these children back to their own homes. The pediatricians at the University of Kentucky hospital are behind us 100%.” Those are visions and dreams of a near, not a distant future. “ We’re already a year ahead of where I thought we would be when we started the program,” Jody says enthusiastically, “ in some things, three years ahead. We presently have the possibilities of two more adoptions. But I won’t start an adoption process until I feel the child is ready, when we know the child doesn’t need us anymore, and we have the right people to work with. Sometimes, the legal red tape holds things up. With one child, we had to wait two years for termination of rights by the natural parents or the court before we could go on. That’s where so many children get caught, in the limbo of foster care, hospitals, institutions, and parents who feel guilty if they take a real step.” Where angels fear to tread, the Harrisons march right in. “ But don’t get the idea that we’re super people or super parents. We have all the problems of any family,” they laugh as they recall their own daily frustrations. “ If we can just get across to people that trusting in God and taking things one day at a time is the answer! Look at us—we start­ ed from nowhere, and God has provided everything we need.’’ cap. 7

The churches could do more. You must do it because you love and care fo r people. You give it to the state, and it’s a job—now, I ’m not putting the state people down. But that’s what it is, a job. Yes, yo u ’ve got many dedicated people in many areas that are doing things the right way, but in other areas yo u ’ve got people who are in at 9 and out at 5, and that’s it. You’ve got to be genu­ inely concerned with people—all people, because we’re all God’s people. We can tell ourselves, you can go that way, and I can go this way, but I don’t know if God looks at it that way.

fl JORDAN

This is my personal opinion, but I think life is life. I t ’s up to God to decide if a child is going to be per­ fect. I think there’s not one o f us that is perfect. When the fetus comes into existence, then that’s life, and where there’s life, there’s got to be care. God made that life. done away with. I think this childl There’s no way that I ’m in favor o f (pointing to Tina) was put here fo r a\ abortion, or the view that if the purpose. What that purpose is, we\ child is going to be retarded or are not capable o f understanding. / deformed that the fetus should be think that if nothing else, the life\ she’s giving to me and Judy is a\ purpose, or the love my own boys\ have attained just by knowing thisl child is a purpose. The effect on\ others is a purpose. I think there’s a\ purpose in life whether i t ’s a\ wretched body or a well roundedl body.

The Philosophy that says, this child’s going to be retarded and a burden on the states and the par­ ents, therefore better not to have that child—I can’t agree with that. There’s no philosophy in that to me. Philosophy to me is, that child has a soul, and that’s the true philosophy. We’re none o f us perfect. I f we can’t care fo r one another, then that is what is wrong. That is what Christ came to teach—to love and care fo r one another. When we don’t understand that, that’s when we act inappropriately. I f by pro-life you mean joining a group and marching on the capitol, that’s not fo r us, though it needs to be done. We’re pro-life in what we’re doing here every day. 8

by M. Elaine Dillhunt

A cottage industry in David, Ken­ tucky is contributing to the main­ tenance and revitalization of traditional Appalachian crafts in a way that is disproportionate to its size, its sophistication, and its goals. Americans from California to Maine are paying high prices for the hand crafted furniture, quilts, and knick-knacks that fewer than 100 Appalachian craftsmen from this tiny town are producing. “ Every piece that comes in here is carefully checked,” says Mary Pineau, founder, director, and teacher. “ We know that we just cannot let anything go out of here into the stores that is not top quality.” The stores that Mary refers to include Nieman-Marcus and Bloomingdales. Stores that she hardly knew existed 10 years ago. David Crafts’ history is one of those “just meant to be” stories. No-one—least of all Mary Pineau—thought it would ever become one of the most esteemed producers of Appalachian crafts in the country. And the fact that it has remained small has simply added to its stature. Smallness is important to Mary because people are important. “ If it ever became mass production, I’d get out,” she says emphatically. Her original goals of improving the self image and socialization skills of mountain women still remain the top priority of the craft center. People who know about such things have told Mary that she could make more money if she’d get rid of the so-called dead weight. “ Our biggest expenditure of time and money is in training, but that’s what we’re here fo r.” She says it softly, unassumingly as she clips threads from a hand made red calico check book cover. July-August 1982

It’s a product of one of the women in training and will go on the sale table at the shop. Veteran members of David Crafts don’t leave stray threads. In fact, because of Mary’s tutelage, they don’t even have stray threads. When they’re finished sewing one item they simply ease the next one into the sewing machine without cutting threads. “ You’d be surprised at how much thread you can save that way,” Mary smiles. She says the women call her scrooge, but are good natured about her insistence on thriftiness. Mary Pineau was a Mercy nun when she first came to Floyd Coun­ ty, Kentucky 10 years ago. She was on a one year sabbatical from teaching home economics in Michigan high schools and had no intention of staying in the moun­ tains. With two portable sewing machines and lots of faith, she began sewing classes in homes in the poorest communities of this poverty area. “ At first we had seven women. I’d pick them up and we’d go to one of the homes and work on dresses for them and their children.” She says it was a supreme test of her teaching skills because some of the women had never used scissors and none of them knew how to read.

brought a quilt in and asked Mary if she thought she could sell it for $20.00. “ No!” Mary hollered. “ It’s worth at least $75.00.” In 1972 David Crafts’ sales totaled $900.00. - In 1981 the total was $55,788. Mary Pineau’s main job is still teaching women to sew and she turns no-one away who wants to be a member. “ Sometimes I have to teach a woman to make about 10 different items before we find one she’s good at, but it’s worth it to me and it’s partly what keeps me here—there’s always a challenge.” A carefully quilted log-cabinpattern wall hanging in a West coast boutique with a $1200 price tag is the business end of what David Crafts has become, but monthly pot luck suppers under a coal tipple perhaps demonstrate better what David Crafts really is. There’s much back slappin’, teasin’, huggin’, and kissin’ when all the craftspeople get together. The men and women show off their month’s work, share ideas, get boisterous, and eat too much stack cake. They figure they deserve the fun. They’ve worked hard all month and—after all—they’re the crafts­ men from the now famous David Crafts.

About the first of December, one of the women asked if she could make some stuffed animals for their children for Christmas. It was the innocent beginning of something big. When some of M ary’s Michigan friends saw the animals, they wanted to buy them. The women were excited that people wanted to buy something they had made and started trying pot holders, flowers, and “ whatever we thought would sell.” By June, 1972 the seven women and their teacher were calling themselves “ David Crafts.” Mary calls that time their “ junk craft” phase and still has one of the hot pads from those early days in her kitchen “ because I always want to remember our humble begin­ ning.” The move to strictly Appalachian crafts came about the time a woman

DILLHUNT

Appalachian Arts and Culture

Mary— and David Crafts

Mary takes an order from Frankfort for a custom-made quilt.

9

fo u n ts of

Ap Dcvlcvchlò. Story and Photos by J. Randolph Jordan

he early autumn sun had fallen behind the trees atop the mountains that surrounded us allowing the hollow to grow darker with each passing moment. We huddled around the small fire as the evening acquired a certain chill. The chill was not caused by by any sudden drop in temperature. Rather, our veins ran cold with thoughts of an encounter with the supernatural. The seven travelers with whom I belonged had ventured more than two hundred miles to meet an old man whom the people of the area knew as Jake.

T

At one point in his life, Jake had been like any other mountaineer of southwestern Virginia. Living in a small cabin atop the ridge which now faced us, he had married a beautiful young woman and had brought her here to begin their life together. And so the story begins . . . . One evening while returning from the apple orchards near Needle Point, (a large rock formation near Lexington, Virginia) Jake approached his cabin using a lantern to illuminate his path which had grown dark with the evening sun. It was good to be home, he thought, as his original schedule called for him to be away an extra day. Tonight he would surprise his bride with an early arrival. As he drew closer to his house, he heard voices rising from within the cabin. Peering through the window he caught sight of his loving bride . . . loving someone elsel They should die slowly, Jake deliberated. He chose a sharpened axe instead of his gun. The demented mountaineer hanged himself a few days after the sadistic massacre, but his ghost still walks down the path which stretches along the ridge that now rises in front of our small campfire. “ Set him to rest,” the natives told us. “ When he asks, ‘Have you seen her?’ Tell him ‘No!’ Maybe he’ll rest then. OP Jake had so much hate in him when he died; he still won’t let that woman of his go. Every night around nine o’clock he comes down that ridge up yonder looking for his woman . . . a lantern in one hand and that bloody axe in the other! As he passes you there’ll be a strong stench; it’s the smell of death itself. I reckon’ he can’t get it through his head that he killed her and her boyfriend. Look for him — you’ll find him!”

T h e supernatural and “ things that go bump in the night” have always held a special attraction for those who seek to encounter more of this world than the mere experience of what can often be the monotony of day-to-day living. Where faith departs, the supernatural often times opens a door and allows mere mortals to engage in something that exists beyond their own understanding. Oc­ casionally, individuals become so overwhelmed by this force which is beyond them that it over­ shadows everything that they do and are. Edgar Allan Poe, one of the greatest literary figures to emerge from the United States, allowed death and the supernatural to dominate the majority, if not all of his writings. The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, Annabelle Lee, Lenore, all seem to haunt the reader as if some powerful force were working through the words printed on the page. With its centuries-old tales and antebellum man­ sions, Appalachia is quite rich in its history of phenomenal occurrences. During the weeks spent gathering information for this story, several places that were supposedly haunted (or hainted as is the phrase often used in the Appalachian region) were visited. These included haunted houses, shacks, cemeteries, fields and even some haunted roads. Our story was about to come to a “ dead end” (no pun intended) when I was fortunate enough to visit an old abandoned mansion near Paint Lick, Kentucky. The old homestead proved to be a ghost hunter’s paradise and the experience proved to be one that I’ll never forget.

Among those places visited was an Eighteenth century graveyard containing a marker (pictured above) which claims that “Jinny Adams . . . was kiled (killed) by thunder. ” Some say that the writer meant lightning; others say that Thunder was the name of an Indian chief.

“ True, nervous, ah—very, very, dreadfully nervous . . seemed to be my thoughts while approaching this antebellum mansion. Little did I know that this was inhabited—not by ghosts, but by squatters.

July-August 1982

I parked the Jeep as close as I could to the old brick dwelling. Even then, I was left with a hefty walk of about one half mile. With my camera bag over my shoulder, I clamoured over the tall fence surrounding the mansion. While a far distance away, I decided to use the telephoto lens on my camera to get a good idea of what I was walking into. The sun was beginning to go down and I was becoming concerned about the amount of sunlight I would have for good photographs. I decided to use whatever time I had and inspect the old place. I was also starting to get nervous. My steps toward the old place became more calculating. As I stared intently at my destination, something moved. At first I blamed it on the wind for there seemed to be a storm beginning to brew to the east of me. Suddenly I realized that what was moving was coming out of the front doorway. The huge object heaved and swayed from one side to the other. As it moved further from the house its shape became distinct. A cow. The land around the house was now being used for a grazing pasture. The cows had invaded the old place. As I drew nearer, the animals seemed to make a mass exodus from the old building. I must have scared them; or was it that something inside had scared them? My fear intensified as my knees grew weak. The shutters began to squeek and clap as the brewing storm began to send gusts of wind swirling about the house. I stepped through the open doorway to find a large room with what must once have been beautiful chandeliers now weathered by time. Wrapping itself around the room was an in­ teresting thick-posted staircase that seemed to lead to every corner of the mansion. The cobwebs and water-damaged ceiling gave the building a heavy, almost choking smell, that signified that this place was far removed from the world of the living. I ventured to the center of the room and im­ mediately felt a chill that left me uneasy and won­ dering about my presence here. The shutters on the outside of the old house began to clatter fearlessly as the wind blew without ceasing. I cautiously set my camera bag down and began to search the room for the picture that might best suit my needs. I had no sooner begun to “ shoot” when I felt the chill in the air transform to become a coldness. Perhaps the temperature had dropped due to the impending storm? I turned to reassure myself that the door to the house had not closed leaving me trapped inside. As I repositioned myself with my camera, a faint white image caught the corner of my eye. Something or someone other than me was moving about in the room! My search for ghosts had come to an end!

sign of anything hallowed. It moved without a sound down the wooden steps and over the timber staircase that wrapped around the room. My heart pounded with excitement and my blood was chilled with fear. I spoke not a word as my hands trembled while trying to take the photographs I had before only dreamed possible. Abruptly, the movement of the figure stopped. What had previously been a transparent blur, now took the shape of a young woman. She stood motionless dressed in white, staring blankly towards the ceiling. In a moment her features returned to their earlier semblence of indistinguishable transparency. Within seconds the image left the room. As cautiously as I had placed it on the floor, I picked up my camera gear and quickly backed out of the haunted house. My body shook uncontrollably.

T h e white figure moved as graceful as if it had wings, but the coldness of my breath was not a 12

The Mountain Spirit

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My eyes watered from my not blinking. My mind refused to comprehend what had just taken place. In the approaching darkness, large drops of rain fell as I sat in the Jeep staring at the old house. Once again, as before, the door beyond urt _ demanding had opened and I had looked in. c«H I 1 . «

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Donnie Underwood

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GABRIEL

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W h e n people think of CAP em­ ployees many images leap to mind: a teacher in a child development center, a volunteer visiting a lonely elderly lady, a family sheltering an abused woman and her children. An image not so readily apparent might be of the man who fixes the broken boiler in the school, or repairs the car that the volunteer uses to do her home visiting, or builds the addition to the house to make shelter possible. That employee is Donnie Underwood, CAP’s chief maintenance man. Donnie has been with CAP for 10 years, making him one of the highest seniority em­ ployees. A native of Boyle County, most of Don­ nie’s family still live in the area near Danville and Garrard County. Before coming to work for CAP Donnie worked in maintenance at Centre College and at the Kentucky School for the Deaf. During that time Donnie worked with licensed plumbers and electricians, learning from them many of the skills that he offers CAP today. Although all CAP employees are asked to give their all, Donnie has been known to risk life and limb in the line of duty. “ One time when I was working down at Camp Nelson somebody forgot to shut off a valve on the houseboat we had at the time, and I ended up with 100 gallons of pure, raw gasoline in the hull of the boat. TNT, I’ll tell you! We got plastic buckets and dipped it out and took it to the riverbank, scared to death! I was afraid I was gonna make a friction with my foot, so I put on tennis shoes, made everybody get off the dock. We couldn’t pour it in the water. We had to pack it all the way to the bank. Couldn’t put a motor on it, on account of igniting. I walked down into the hull one time where the gas was and before I knew it, I done went to sleep, practically. I just did make it back up the steps. I got some fresh air and I was all right. Several people worked with me, but I had the honors of gettin’ it outta the boat. It wouldn’t have mattered where you were if it’d gone off. Two miles away from there it woulda been the same impact. I could just see the bridge in my mind goin’ straight up!” 14

D onnie is unofficially “ on call” most of the time, and it is not uncommon for him to be called at night for emergencies that range from evacuation during the flooding season to fixing plumbing problems. When asked if he ever takes the phone off the hook at night Donnie grinned impishly and admitted, “ Naw, but sometimes I’ll get the kids to answer the phone.” Donnie and his wife, Judy, have two girls, Janie, age 19 and Donna, age 18 and two boys, Sonny, age 16 and Robbie, age 14. “ The boys have my knack for fixin’ things. I’ve showed ’em a lot of things about cars and a little about plumb­ ing and electric.” Donnie says that it is his family that he turns to when things get rough. “ I’ve got a family, and they mean everything in the world to me. That helps.” The whole family belongs to the Pleasant Grove Christian Church in Garrard County, which Donnie joined when he was twelve years old. “ They all seem like godly children—doin’ everything right, or tryin’ to. Same as me, I try. I know He’s there, I guess that’s all you can say. I’ve seen people that have taken advantage of people in life and they profit The Mountain Spirit

C A P ’s G ood and Faithful Servant by the CAP News Service

by it, they thought. But, you know, they’re not going’ to heaven. Not by gettin’ rich by connin’ folks.” As a lifetime resident of the area in which CAP is working, Donnie has seen changes in CAP and also in the people who live in the area. “ CAP has more than tripled in size geographically, and in the number of people who are working.” He smiles and says, “ They’re meetin’ payroll a little better than they did 10 years ago.” Asked if he would change anything in CAP or start any new programs, he smiles again and says, “ I think we’ve started about everything we can start!” Of the changes in people’s attitudes toward CAP Donnie says, “ The neighborhoods have realized what CAP’s all about. That’s made it a whole lot better. Father Beiting had some problems there for a while. They wouldn’t go along with him on anything. So he just sorta went on his own. But they respect him now, anywhere you go. He’s proven himself. What he said he was gonna do, he’s done, all these projects that he’s started. He said he’d help the people help themselves. He’s done that. I think of him as a friend, really.”

“ I think everybody that I know that works for CAP, they’ve helped. That goes for all. I know they’ve helped me. Some they’ve helped financially, but they’ve made everybody I know feel like they’re somebody. N othing ever seems to faze Donnie. He can calm any situation with a wink and an “ It’ll be all right—we can fix it.” As CAP has grown and expanded in many different directions, so have the demands on Donnie’s time. He is habitually called out to jobs in Lancaster, Stanford, Somer­ set and Camp Nelson, and often must travel 200 miles a day to get to the sites where he is working himself, and to supervise his staff, Robert Foley and Douglas Crank. To anyone who has spent any time at all around CAP it is easy to see that the project would be in trouble in a big hurry without Donnie, his expertise and his patience. When asked about his dedication, he just grinned again and said, “ This is a nice place. I like the people, besides CAP has been good to me, and I like to give as good as I get.” CAP.

GABRIEL

Donnie reviews a day’s work plan with employee Luther Akers.

Marilyn: Right. I guess I wear several different hats—most people at CAP do—but my main work is going out to the homes of families with handicapped children and helping them become the teachers of their own children. Each child needs a specialized approach that aims at his or her special needs, but the idea of the program is that parents can do the job, and can do it well with a little help and support. Mountain Spirit: How long have you been with this program, and with CAP? Marilyn: Well, I came to work for CAP as a volunteer ten years ago. Three years ago I became a regular staff member, and began directing this program. Mountain Spirit: That makes you an old-timer? Marilyn: I’ve been here longer than anyone who came originally as a volunteer. I came about the same time as Donnie Underwood (see The CAP Closeup, p.14). Mountain Spirit: In addition to the outreach to homes, you work with handicapped children in our child development centers, and also have something to do with our handicap­ ped children homes.

or the Education for All Handicap­ ped Children Act. This law states that all handicapped children should receive a free, appropriate, public education in the least restrictive en­ vironment possible. That means that services to handicapped children must be offered in an en­ vironment that separates them the least amount possible from non­ handicapped children. Mountain Spirit: So where do the problems come in? Marilyn: For one thing, many of our schools in Appalachia are not always equipped in personnel or programs to feel confident in dealing with handicapped children. And there are other problems of at­ titude as well. That’s where we come in, with our ministry. We are an ad­ vocate for the child, but not in any harsh or contentious way. We work to increase understanding and to smooth the way for the parents, the children, and the schools.

Let Him Sit By Me! An Interview with Marilyn Stefanski by the CAP News Service

Mountain Spirit: You believe it’s important to “ mainstream” the child, that is, to place him with non­ handicapped children? Marilyn: In most cases, yes, when it is possible. The biggest problem in working with younger handicapped children is getting to them as early as possible, to meet the handicaps they have early on, so that more serious problems don’t develop. Once that is done it’s helpful to get children into pre-schools or child development centers where they can interact with other children their own age. We’ve been very happy with the way this has worked in our child development centers. Mountain Spirit: Are there no problems with that? Marilyn: Just the opposite. The young children seem to live by a greater law of love, and we think the blessings go both ways: the “ nor­ mal” children love the handicapped children instinctively. They are frank and open about seeing dif­ ferences, but we teach them that it’s all right to be different. If little Johnny drools on them, they see it and say so, but they accept the ex­ planation that his mouth muscles don’t work too well, and then vie with each other for the privilege of sitting next to Johnny or holding him. They learn that “ different”

Marilyn helps a child learn fine motor control. JORDAN

Mountain Spirit: As the Director of the “ Parents are Teachers’’ Program for the Christian Ap­ palachian Project, you work with younger handicapped children and their families—is that correct?

Marilyn: Yes, I work with the child development centers when children in my program are far enough along to be placed in them, and in some cases I assist Jody and Judy Harrison (see The True Philosophy, p. 5). I also help parents in getting their children into regular schooling, and help teachers under­ stand the specific problems and needs of the child, in order the make the transition easier. Mountain Spirit: Is there a problem with that? Marilyn: Legally, no. In 1975, Congress passed Public Law 94-142, 16

The Mountain Spirit

doesn’t mean bad or unacceptable. Children have already found the an­ swer that the experts took years to know—that kids are kids, and can love each other if encouraged in that direction. In our work, we remem­ ber daily that Jesus was prompted to praise His Father “ for hiding these things from the learned and clever and revealing them to mere children.’’ Mountain Spirit: And that works with children who have severe han­ dicaps? Marilyn: Yes, in our four centers we have had handicapped and non­ handicapped children working and playing side by side, and the han­ dicaps have included speech and language programs, developmental delays, retardation, emotional and behavioral disturbances, vision and hearing losses, physical handicaps, and multiple handicapped con­ ditions. Mountain Spirit: That’s enough to frighten many adults. Marilyn: Yes, it does frighten them, including many parents. But the kids do just fine in living by the law of love. What I wonder about is, where does the change come? If the children can know that handicaps are no reason for fear or judgment, when do they change to fearful and judgmental adults? That bothers me. Mountain Spirit: You say some parents have problems with it? Marilyn: A lot of people in the U.S., including some parents of han­ dicapped children, want handicap­ ped children placed only with han­ dicapped children. They think they will be better off that way. They fear that their children will be hurt by the other approach. Mountain Spirit: But that still makes them a class set apart? Marilyn: Yes, and it denies the rest of us the gift that these children can give to us. As I said, the other little children love to be with the han­ dicapped children, and with them they create a new kind of society. 1 July-August 1982

think Christ wanted it to be that way. When a little boy says, “ let him sit by me!’’ I think of Jesus saying, “ suffer the little children to come unto me.” I think Jesus wan­ ted this kind of society. Mountain Spirit: You go out into many isolated homes in Appalachia to work with these children—I know, because I see you sailing by in your car all over the place. Are there any special problems in working with handicapped children in Ap­ palachia? Marilyn: You just hit the main one, the geographical problem, isolation and distance. I t’s not always possible to bring a child into a cen­ ter because of the distance, and many of the families fear having their child go so far away. That’s why I go to the homes and work with the kids there. But many par­ ents who don’t think it’s possible initially see the progress the child is making, and warm to the idea of their child being in a center for con­ tact with other children. But, yes, distance is the greatest problem, because the parents may not be aware of services rightfully available to them, or how to go about getting them. Mountain Spirit: Are there other differences in Appalachia? Marilyn: Yes, but they’re positive. The families seem to be more open and positive about the handicapped child initially, they don’t want to exclude him. Family togetherness and support is a central feature of Appalachian culture. That makes it possible for us to zero in on the strengths of the family and the culture, and say “ hey, you’re doing a great job already, let’s take it from there.” Most of my families are suc­ cessful in helping their children because they have an extended kin group—uncles, sisters—who help them and support them. The families I have to work hardest with, and they are a minority, are very isolated and cut off even from their own families. Mountain Spirit: You do a very im-

portant work for CAP in this area, and we are thankful that you do it. Would you care to make a closing comment? Marilyn: Just that we need to listen to the children, who are listening to Jesus. That will show us the way to creating a new world in which the handicapped will give us the gifts of themselves. cap.

Above, an intrepid Marilyn fords a creek in Lincoln County on a home visit; below, a thoughtful Marilyn observes children playing at the Sunshine Center.

“ O ,

Bird Singing! ’ ’

by Margaret Gabriel

18

I t was in the winter of 1978 that Ric O’Connell had his first introduction to deafness. Ric was a CAP volunteer at the time, living at Cliffview Lodge. One weekend the Lodge was being used by Father Charlie Dittmeier of the Catholic Deaf Office in Louisville, and the Catholic students at the Kentucky School for the Deaf in Danville. Over the course of the weekend Ric found himself curious about deafness and spent a lot of time talking with Father Dittmeier and observing the kids. “ As I watched them making a snowman I found myself wondering ‘who gets to put the eyes on, who gets to put the nose on?’ I wondered how they made those decisions. At one point I saw the head lopped off the snowman because the hands were flying and thought maybe somebody got angry, but found out that no, they were com­ municating, and they got so involved and intense they didn’t realize what they were doing.” By Sunday afternoon Ric was talking to Father Ditt­ meier about holding a summer camp that year. The camp was held for thirteen kids that first season and since that time Ric has immersed him­ self and CAP in the problems and joys of deaf and hearing impaired people in Kentucky.

The Mountain Spirit

Norma Lewis, one of the leading professionals in the field of deafness in Kentucky has been a great advocate of CAP’s programs and has shared much of her knowledge about deafness in establishing CAP’s services to the deaf. She ex­ plains, “ whether people are hearing or deaf, if there’s no communication, nothing happens. Nobody listens to the deaf. I don’t know whether people think they don’t have anything to say, or they don’t have the patience to go through the scribbled notes, their poor signing or whatever. That’s why the deaf say, ’it’s better than nothing.’ They will accept second class services and think it’s their lot and it isn’t their lot. They feel nobody has the patience for them, so they don’t expect too much. Maybe from doing too much of that, they don’t expect too much from themselves. We’re making them expect more from themselves, which is good.” Unique opportunities

In serving the deaf in Kentucky, CAP has offered a unique dimension to children at the Ken­ tucky School for the Deaf, as well as clients in Vocational Rehabilitation, which is the only agen­ cy in the state that handles deaf clients. Norma goes on to say, “ I never knew about deaf kids going to camp anywhere except here. This camp has been provided to the kids. Many things have been brought in, it wasn’t just artsy-craftsy swimming. There was a whole lot of interaction that is so different from the academic situation that they’re in. They weren’t stuck in a dorm together—they’re doing things all the time. It’s all a part of growth. At camp you’re so much closer. There’s no asphalt jungle. There’s nothing to get in the way between you and God. Anything be­ tween you and sky is something He made. These are things that they don’t get anywhere else. Ric brought in a mime group with the makeup and the kids got into that. That experience came to camp. It would never come to school. These are not frills—these are new avenues for them. I think they need to learn a lot of sharing and getting along and at school they don’t have time for sharing or caring or even talking about it.” To deaf young men, CAP offers a program of job training and independent living skills in a residential setting in Somerset, Kentucky. A cer­ tain measure of practicality must be obtained in helping young deaf people find meaningful and challenging work. With the training they receive, and the attention paid to seeing to it that the boys have the life skills needed to live independently, they learn that deaf people can do anything that a hearing person can do except hear. Norma tells of a deaf man she met in Louisville. “ He had an em­ ployer who kept him working for fifteen or twenty July-August 1982

Estill Smith and Jack Booth, residents of the In­ dependent Living and Job Training Center in Somerset.

years with never a raise. The guy is starving to death, and living and moving and getting down to one room, and finally he’s in the charity ward of the hospital. The guy worked at some menial job, scrubbing, cleaning, mopping floors. People’d come and pull his pants down, make fun of the ‘dummy’, stuff like that. This wasn’t in 1930 or ’40. This was last year.” Without professionals to help deaf people communicate in the hearing world, this situation can and will continue. From the beginning of CAP’s services to the deaf and hearing impaired there has been a companion program that has grown as CAP’s knowledge has grown—the con­ cept of deaf awareness. Ric says, “ I think if you talk about doing deaf awareness you’re really talking about personal awareness. You’re making people aware of the fact that there are a lot of things that they’re taking for granted. It’s really a personal awareness, and I think that’s the secret of doing good deaf awareness. It’s so much deeper and much longer lasting if you touch it on a per­ sonal level.”

Fullness of Life

Beginning with participation in and spon­ sorship of sign language classes, involvement in deaf awareness has culminated in a major lob­ bying effort in the Kentucky State Legislature, establishing a State Commission for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired in Kentucky. In conjunction with members of the Kentucky Association for the Deaf, Ric worked for over a year to draft legislation, enlist support from legislators, and publicize efforts in the deaf community in order to make the strongest stand possible in the state capitol. The Commission, which goes into law July 15, guarantees for the first time complete ac­ cessibility to state government for its deaf citizens. While the Commission asks for a certain commit­ ment from the state of Kentucky, the larger responsibility now rests with the deaf community. The paths of communication have been opened to deaf people and it will be their responsibility to make the fullest use possible of the services that the state has to offer all of its citizens. Ric comments, “ there’s got to be a way to enrich lives; to at least confront deaf people with the possibilities of the fullness of life. By our in­ put and involvement they can have a better per­ spective for that and make it possible for them to have it. We need to be a colorful backdrop, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Ric O’Connell, director of CAP’S Services to the Deaf and Hearing Impaired.

Norma recalls a conversation she had with her deaf aunt when she was a little girl. “ Are you mad ’cause God made you deaf?’ And she said, ‘no, I could have been blind.’ She said, ‘sometimes I’m sad because I will never hear your voice, I wish I could hear my children’s voices. When you children say, oh, bird singing, and I look and I think it’s a bird\ It’s not a person, and it’s singing? Do they say words?’ She said, ‘music is something I wish I could hear because I look at people’s faces and I see them cry because of music. What is it that changes moods?’ ” Ric and CAP as a whole have received awards and recognition for the work that is being done in the area of deaf services. “ No com­ munication, nothing happens,” Norma reem­ phasizes. “ That’s in the hearing world, too. Their worlds have been opened up to so many things here at CAP, all because communication takes place.” CAP-

Bruce Finkbone, Administrative Assistant of the program, tests hearing in the Children’s Discovery Center in Somerset.

Ric addresses a meeting of the Kentucky Association for the Deaf with Bruce interpreting.

The Mountain Spirit

The Knott County Reading Research Program by the CAP News Service

As you drive closer and closer to Knott County you think, “ Hey, this is APPALACHIA!!” Even the new roads wind and curve up the mountains, and the older roads drop toward creek beds to one side, and rise high up a rocky moun­ tainside on the other. Many places you come to are shaded dark by the enormous trees, even at noon on a sunny spring day. In other places, where the road has been cut right through the middle of the moun­ tains, it is impossible to tune in even the local stations on the car radio, the Lexington stations long forgot­ ten in static. By 3:15 many of the students and parents who participate in the Knott County Reading Research Program had begun to assemble at the Knott County Human Services Building in Hindman. At exactly 3:45 a whistle blew, and all of the kids who had been sitting at the tables in the large sunny room, talking to friends or to their mothers, lined up against the wall. There were young students who looked to be first or second graders, and there was a good sprinkling of junior and senior high school students as well. Lois Weinberg, director of the program instructed, “ The July-August 1982

following students will go to auditory. Mr. Kelly, Mr. Brown, Mr. Caldwell, Miss Hacker, Mr. Carey, Miss Taylor.” Those students left the room, and the ones who remained went to their places, greeted tutors, and began to work. Although the group looked as diverse as any other group of kids might, they all had one thing in common—specific perceptual motor disabilities, a biological disorder which is also known as dyslexia. According to an article which appeared in the Wall Street Journal in 1977, “ Dyslexia is a mysterious learning disability that gives children of average to above average intelligence painful problems with language, particularly reading and writing, sometimes associated speech problems. Bright, sometimes highly verbal youngsters have perceptual troubles such as associating sounds with symbols and grasping details. Among other symptoms, words and letters may be flipped or transposed; ‘saw’ reads ‘was’, ‘b’ becomes ‘d’, and ‘cat’ becomes ‘eta’. Time, direction and distance may be confused, left and right are hard to identify and hand­ writing may be cramped and illegible.

In 1979 Mrs. Weinberg and three other Knott County parents had a total of six children who had been diagnosed as dyslexic. Mrs. Weinberg explains, “ To get the help we needed would have meant a lot of red tape and frustration. In the meantime, our children needed im­ mediate special help. They were failing school, one child had been put in special ed and was considered retarded, another was very close to being a delinquent. We had real immediate kinds of concerns.” Mrs. Weinberg had one of her children evaluated in Louisville, and again at a center in Cincinnati. The center in Cincinnati suggested tutoring and participation in a summer program, which is spon­ sored by the Kentucky Association for Specific Perceptual Motor Disabilities in Louisville. “ We caught him young, but I’m suprised at the damage that even that one year can do to a child.” The academic deficits that are exper­ ienced by a dyslexic child very often will lead to em otional and behavioral problems which stem from being labeled as stupid, slow or lazy. GABRIEL

^

Lois Weinberg, director of the Knott County Reading Research Program. 21

After making contact with the parent program in Louisville, Mrs. Weinberg and the other parents saw some solutions to their problem. “ We tried to organize ourselves and have a tutorial, which was very effective, but we had to bide our time until we could get qualified, and had enough parents to provide the manpower to start a program. By the end of one year we had done that. I had taken the training to be a supervisor-director and we had fifteen children par­ ticipating.” With the help of the Hindman Settlement School, which initially provided the needed space for the program , and other organizations which donated the funds for extra tutors when there were not enough parents, the program has grown until presently it is serving thirty children in four counties. “ The one significant thing about this program that can’t be beat is that they get really dramatic results in reading level gain. In two summer schools and five semesters of tutorials my son has gained nine years in reading level. When he started in the 2nd grade he was pre­ primer. He could read one word, ‘said.’ And he’s no exception.” The program demands a strong commitment from the families of the children who par­ ticipate. Parents are required to volunteer their time one afternoon a week to tutor children other than their own. “It’s difficult for parents to pull it off. It’s done on volunteer time and in addition to dealing with your own problems at home you’ve got to put forth the extra effort to produce this kind of thing.” Mrs. Sandra Owens and her ten year old son, James Allen, have participated in the program for 3 semesters. Mrs. Owens first started to investigate the program when James failed the 3rd grade. Her sister-in-law had spoken with Mrs. Weinberg about enrolling her daughter, and she felt that James, whom she knew was bright and capable might also benefit. She knew that with special assistance 22

James could keep up with his school work, but said, “ The rooms are too crowded. The teachers don’t have time to work with the kids one to one.” When he started in the program, as he began to repeat the 3rd grade, James was reading on a pre-primary level. He was also beginning to show evidence of the behavioral and emotional problems which so often become secondary concerns for dyslexic children. Now, as James is completing his third semester in the program he is reading above the third grade level, and has shown great improvements in his behavior. Mrs. Owens admits that she was very nervous about her in­ volvement in the program. She had never had any kind of experience in teaching or tutoring, but was com­ mitted to obtaining the help that her child needed in school. She went through a two day training period, which is required for all parents at the beginning of each semester. The first day of training explains exactly what dyslexia is, the specific behavior traits that are exhibited by dyslexic children and the impor­ tance of low carbohydrate diet for the children. In the second day of training the old tutors teach the new

tutors the methods of the one-onone approach needed to effectively tutor dyslexic children. The key is to utilize as many different channels as possible to get the message to the brain and keep it there. Teaching the child to ignore outside distrac­ tions is another key to effective teaching. Many times in the course of one hour long session, the tutor will tell the child, “ Look at me” , and will repeat the material or the concept the child is trying to grasp. Also evident is the positive reen­ forcement through praises and hugs when a child first understands a concept or gives a correct answer. What must be truly gratifying to Lois Weinberg, Sandra Owens and all of the other parents who participate in the program and provide the manpower needed to keep the tutoring program strong and successful is the knowledge that they have banded together in a community effort to help their children learn more effectively and by working together they are making dramatic impact on their children. cap. For more information about the Knott Coun­ ty Reading Research Program please write Lois Weinberg, in care o f The Mountain Spirit, 322 Crab Orchard Rd., Lancaster, Kentucky 40446.

The Mountain Spirit

County, Mt. Vernon in Rockcastle County, Berea in Madison County, and Somerset in Pulaski County. The communities range in size from five to seventeen volunteers.

O f People, Psychology, A nd Peanut Butter

Living arrangements vary with each center, but at Mt. Vernon, for instance, the women volun­ teers live in part of the church rectory at Our Lady of Mt. Vernon, while the men live in a small house about three blocks away known to volunteers as Quarry Street. All meals are taken in common, with each volunteer responsible for dinner preparation on a certain night. We gather twice a day for prayer. In the morning, there is Mass and Communion service for the Catholic volunteers, while at other prayer times the group offers spon­ taneous prayers more in the Protestant tradition.

Life in the Volunteer Community

O u r jobs vary almost as much as our backgrounds. For example, we work in child development centers, with elderly outreach, with teenage girls in outreach ministries and weekend programs, and with teenage boys in the group homes.

I was watching a television show a couple of weeks ago entitled “ Focus on the Family,” which featured the noted clinical psychologist Dr. James C. Dobson. He made a statement that was true for all Christians but was especially relevant for those of us who live in Christian community. “ When you become a Christian,” he said, “ all your problems don’t go away miraculously, but you do have a way to deal with them through faith in Jesus Christ.” In the same context, the following statement could be made: when living in Christian community, all of your problems don’t go away, but you do have a way to deal with them through your faith in Jesus Christ, and through the loving concern of the members in community.

Besides the regular jobs that we do through the week, each volunteer has assigned duties to per­ form in the maintenance of the volunteer center. It takes very little time (but some times a little groaning) for the men to become passably expert in running a vacuum, washing windows, or cutting the grass. Dave visits a family in Rockcastle County. JORDAN

by David Daunhauer

As permanent volunteers we come to the Christian Appalachian Project from all over the country and from many different backgrounds. In my own community in Mt. Vernon, we range in age from 21 to 31 and from six months of technical school to a Master’s degree in family counseling and research technology. Varied as we may be, we are drawn together by our desire to serve the people of the Appalachian area, and to share our lives together in community for the time that we are here. Permanent volunteers live in one of four volun­ teer centers—located in Lancaster in Garrard July-August 1982

23

JORDAN

As permanent volunteers, we receive all room and board, free used clothing from CAP’S Attic stores, plus a stipend of $60 a month to buy in­ cidentals, personal items, or an occasional pizza and movie. Generally, the atmosphere around the different volunteer centers is fairly calm except right before Christmas and during selected weeks in the spring and summer when temporary volunteers arrive from all over the country, either as individuals or as groups in sizes up to twenty. \ t h e n I go home to Louisville, Ky. to see my family or talk to old friends, they are very in­ terested in what it is like to live in community with other volunteers. My response is that there is nothing I would rather do at this point in my life, but on the other hand this is probably the most challenging situation I have been in. Having grown up as the oldest of seven children, and having lived in a fraternity at college for three years, I have lived for most of my life with a close group of people. Even so, I have found volunteer life in Christian community to be a different kind of experience altogether. Volunteer Cathy Pluta from Queens, NY relaxes during a tutoring session on a home visit.

“ We live in community to affirm, to laugh, to cry, but most of all to accept each other exactly as we are. . . .

A

lot of people that I talk to seem to think that in living with other Christian volunteers, one would have few problems, or that it is a com­ munity of angels. We aren’t any better than anyone else. We still argue, we still say things to each other that we shouldn’t. We have the same problems as any other group of people living together. We are all still human—perhaps even more so—and we all make mistakes. Yet as Dr. Dobson says, we do have a way to deal with our problems through our faith in Jesus Christ and through His example of love and con­ cern for one another. Community life is challenging and can be very painful at times. To go to a community member and ask for forgiveness can hurt. To realize that we cannot be all things to all people and that we are not perfect can be a humbling experience. It is for this reason especially that we live in com­ munity. We live in community to affirm, to laugh, to cry, but most of all to accept each other exactly as we are and loving each other now, not waiting for a change in personality. When we start to love each other now, we overlook a lot of imperfec­ 24

tion, and the true goodness starts to shine through. We grow as community through our good times and our bad. When I first came to Mt. Vernon we were having dinner one evening and the person cooking had everything perfectly planned. Just as we finished dinner, the oven timer went off, and she announced that dessert was ready. Everyone was anxiously waiting when we heard a scream from the kitchen. She had set the timer, but had failed to turn on the oven. Or, there was the tem­ porary volunteer who offered to cook—she made everything with peanut butter: peanut butter cookies, cake, muffins, waffles, even peanut but­ ter stew. It’s no wonder we don’t eat much peanut butter in Mt. Vernon. The times that draw us closest together, though, are the crisis times. Recently a member of our community was in the hospital with insulin shock. As we gathered togther to pray for his recovery, all our minor problems seemed to disappear, and the sense of unity and love brought us much closer together. Some volunteers stay a year, while others stay up to three years. Regardless of the length of commitment, the volunteer takes with him ex­ periences he will remember for the rest of his life. We grow very close to the Appalachian people we work with, but we grow even closer to community members. They’re family, and this is home! The Mountain Spirit

around the project

by the CAP News Service

Teenage Girls Travel To Pittsburgh

corporations owning mines in the area, the chief reason is a major drop in the export market, resulting in a glut of coal in the market.

Volunteers Move To Martin

PITTSBURGH—On Friday, May 7 nine teenage girls and five of their counselors set out for St. Athanasius Church in Pittsburgh to sell handmade crafts and baked goods in an effort to raise money for their upcoming trip to the World’s Fair in Knoxville.

In addition to the decline for coal orders from foreign markets, the general recession in the United States has affected the coal in­ dustry. Other factory layoffs, such as in the auto industries, lower the demand for coal.

MARTIN—Several CAP volunteers previously assigned to the Volunteer Communities in Lancaster, Mt. Vernon and Berea, Kentucky have chosen to work along with Reverend Beiting in his new location in Mar­ tin, Kentucky.

Just a few short years ago, it ap­ peared that parts of Eastern Ken­ tucky were beginning to experience prosperity for the first time. Now, with unemployment approaching 35% in some counties, it seems that the coal fields have returned to normal—hard times along the ridge county.

Among those to choose this new assignment is Sr. Sister Edna Marie Larose, S.U.S.C., who was recently recognized by the staff of Berea Hospital for her sacrifice of time and effort in the service to the elderly of the community.

Kate Weigand, whose home is in Pittsburgh, made arrangements with her family and friends for food and accomodations, giving the girls an opportunity to meet her father. As one of the girls said of Kate’s father, “ you sure have a neat dad!” Kate replied, “ I know, isn’t he wonderful?” Thanks to the girls’ hard work and the generosity of the people of St. Athanasius Church the trip was a success, netting over $400. Aside from the money raised, visiting a new city and working together toward a common goal was a great new experience for these young women.

Experienced observers in Ap­ palachian counties know that massive layoffs signal a rise in social problems—child and spouse abuse, desertion, and divorce, alcoholism, violence and emotional illness.

Summer Camping Season Starts

Coal Slump Fuels Recession

LANCASTER & McKEE—Summer time at CAP means the beginning of the camping season for hundreds of Appalachian children. The regular camping program, now in its 24th season will hold three one week sessions for boys and three for girls at Camp Andrew Jackson, near McKee in Jackson County. Cliffview Lodge begins its 5th season in 1982, providing camp experience for deaf children from all over Ken­ tucky.

L E X IN G T O N —A cco rd in g to reports in the Lexington Herald and the Louisville Courier-Journal, a massive recession has hit the coal fields of Eastern Kentucky. In April, coal mines in the moun­ tains began to lay off hundreds of miners and other workers, and ap­ plicants flooded lines for unem­ ployment benefits and food stamps. Some mines laid off as many as four hundred miners at one time. More layoffs are expected. According to officials of large July-August 1982

Plans are now being finalized to establish a permanent CAP Volun­ teer Community in Martin which would go into operation by Septem­ ber, 1982, and would house at least seven full-time volunteers. These individuals would work in the areas of ministry to the terminally ill, youth camps, and Christian education.

Two miners in Knott County ponder increasing layoffs and growing hard times in the mining regions.

The camps will host over 500 children from the middle of June to the end of July who will participate 25

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continued

in arts and crafts, Bible classes, and overnight trips on C A P’s houseboat, the Daniel Boone. Over the past 24 years CAP has been host to thousands of children in summer camping program. Some of the kids who attended camp in those early years are now sending their children to camp. In all those years there is one constant factor in all the camps—respect for the child. People who have worked in the camps for many years have found that showing the kids this kind of

When Sho uld A Woman Write Her Will? FIND OUT!

respect makes a greater impact than any of the other activities during the week. Ellen Burke, camp director in Jackson County says, “ We learned a long time ago that this is only one week in a kid’s life. We don’t think we can really change them, but we sure can touch them. You never really know how it affects them.”

New Home Opens at Camp Kennedy CAMP KENNEDY—A new residential home for mentally re­ tarded adults has opened near Camp Kennedy in Garrard County, and is growing quickly and effectively. CAP employees Lonnie and Sylvia Hazelwood are sharing their home with three women, and hope to add 1 to 4 more by the middle of sum­ mer. These new members of the Hazelwood family (the old members include Andy, age 7, Ben, age 4, Cinnamon and Prince, the dogs, and Chatter the parakeet) work four days a week in sheltered em­ ployment situations where they are learning job skills and good work habits.

Write today for your free copy of this informative brochure by filling out the coupon below, and sending in the envelope provided in The Mountain Spirit.

Please send, without obligation, my free copy

of: “ When Should A Woman Write Her Will?” To: Reverend Ralph Beiting Planned Giving Department Christian Appalachian Project 322 Crab Orchard Road Lancaster, Kentucky 40446 NAME _ STREET CITY

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The current thinking in “ Adult Services” in the state of Kentucky tells us that we should be working tow ard “ norm alization” of situation and environment for men­ tally retarded adults, and the state has begun a full-scale program of placing adults from institutional set­ tings into community settings. Although Lonnie and Sylvia are familiar with the current trend, and philosophically agree with its theories, they have gone far beyond just the “ normalization” stage. You can see them helping their residents grow in life and job skills, and very evident is the possibility that some day they will “ leave home” and live independently. The love and caring at Camp Kennedy should prove to be a perfect ground for this growth.

Lonnie summed it up when he ex­ plained that they didn’t want to give the house or the program a name, “ We just want to be known as the Hazelwood family.”

Deep Summer Hits Kaintuck EASTERN KENTUCKY—From Guffey Creek to Gayheart Branch, from Hell-fer-Sartin to Dogfoot, from Cat Hollow to Slaughterpen Hollow, deep summer has come to Kentucky. From the rim of the Bluegrass region on east from Lancaster, up the valleys of the Kentucky and Cumberland rivers, deep summer has come to Kentucky. Young colts and lambs play on the lawns of an­ tebellum mansions, and young deer cross the “ sallet” gardens of moun­ tain farms early in the dawn. Young boys, turned loose from school, roam the creekbanks in quest of fat golden carp and juicy catfish, and young lovers stroll down dirt roads under a full moon. The cicadas and frogs chorus the rich sultry nights, and the hawks and eagles sail slowly across the deep gorges and hollows of Ap­ palachia. Summertime, and the living is easy— The Mountain Spirit staff relaxes, and goes fishing.

JORDAN

around the p roject.

C a p ’s programs fo r the handicapped grew from the recognition o f a need the need o f the handicapped to be treated as full citizens equal in natural and supernatural dignity before God and man. That’s why our programs fo r the deaf and hearing im­ paired, and fo r the physically and mentally handicapped, em­ phasize “mainstreaming” helping the handicapped obtain regular schooling, housing, and employment. A t the same time, we listen — to the handicapped them­ selves. To their desires fo r full employment, self-confidence, and social acceptance. We realize that the full measure o f selfhelp fo r the handicapped means that they will begin to take leadership in helping themselves become full members o f the community. Through your generosity, we are able to provide more such programs fo r the handicapped than ever before. You know the story. Rising costs. Inflation. Recession. That makes our programs more costly and frankly, we’re concerned. We believe that private Christian organizations are the answer to these needs. But only with your help can we be Christ to the Appalachian handicapped. Please help us now. Indicate the program you would like to aid on the envelope provided in the fo ld o f the magazine and enclose your contribution. God love you! —

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The Mountain Spirit Christian Appalachian Project Lancaster, Kentucky 40446

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID Christian Appalachian Project