T h e M o u n t a in S p ir it:
The Magazine o f the Christian Appalachian Project
M ay-June 1988
V ol. V II, N o. 3
Contents Features 4
L iteracy C hanges P eo p le’s A ttitudes by Jo e Foley An exciting adult education program is opening m any new opportunities for people in Floyd C ounty.
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T he M cC reary C hristian C enter
Literacy, p. 4
by M argaret Gabriel W ith the people of the area, a group of sisters are m aking significant changes in M cC reary C ounty.
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T he Floyd C ounty W om en ’s Group by M egan C orcoran A group of wom en in Floyd C ounty meet weekly to share fun and support.
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Sarah’s G raduation by Ike Adams Sarah becomes the first m em ber of the Swisher family to graduate from college. J im Bob and A rnold d o n ’t quite know what to make of her success.
Departments 3 9 10 14 21
From Our Founder Letters A round the Project T he CAP C loseup A T hought From the E ditor
Steve LeB run, p. 14
The May-June Theme T h ere is little or no disagreem ent w ith the statem ent th at in o rd er to im prove the stan d ard of living in E astern K entucky, the level of education m ust im prove. As m ore people realize the im portance of education, they are becom ing involved w ith adult education. In this issue we explore some of C A P ’s involvem ent w ith adult education in the m o untains. O n the C O V E R , Sister M . G ervase works w ith a student in Floyd C o u n ty (photo by Foley). O n the B A C K C O V E R , we K entuckians are starting to enjoy those sum m ertim e pleasures (photo by C raven).
P ublished by the C h ristian A ppalachian P roject. E ditor, M a rg aret G abriel. A d visory B oard, F ath er R alph W . Beiting; M ike M cL au g h lin ; Leslie B. L arsen; Bill Begley; R an d o lp h Jo rd a n . G raphics C oordinator, D ebbie Fraley T u d o r; C irculation M anager, T h eresa Richey. The Mountain Spirit is published six tim es a year. T h e an n u al subscription price is $5.00. S ubscriptions an d o th er correspondence should be sent to The Mountain Spirit, C h ristian A ppalachian P roject, 322 C rab O rch ard R o a d , L ancaster, K entucky 40446. C opy rig h t, 1988, the C hristian A ppalachian P roject, Inc. All rights reserved. M em b er, C atholic Press A ssociation. T h e C h ristian A p palachian P roject is a non-profit C h ristian service organization o perating th roughout E astern K entucky. T h e project operates on the philosophy th at “ h elping people help them selves’’ is the best ap proach to A ppalachian poverty.
From Our Founder
J \ s I approach my 65th birthday, I have the tendency to look back over my life to see who has influenced me and in what direction. Without a doubt, my grandfather Beiting extended a power ful influence on me. I was the oldest grandchild and deeply enjoyed what our family, for four generations, had selected as their employment —the construction business. My grandfather often took on the con struction of private homes or the remodeling of stores and churches. He was a dedicated talker, so driving to work and on the way home, he would talk on so many subjects that I asked him how he knew so much. I knew he had only a grade school education. His answer was simple —“I read.” He read everything: newspapers, magazines, books. His advice was “Read all you can. It will take you all over the world, introduce you to every idea and stimulate you to think.” From that day to this, I have been a constant reader and that has enabled me to accomplish many of the things that have benefitted the people of Appalachia and other parts of the world as well. Sometimes I wonder if my grandfather had not been able to read, would I be where I am now? I don’t think so. Often we think of illiteracy as something that enslaves or imprisons people, but I believe it is something far worse. It feebles succeeding genera tions and eliminates the creativity that we must have for progress and well being for our human family. In a society in which family life is so violently attacked, the role of grandparents becomes more and more important. Divorce has separated many children from their parents. The increasing number of unmarried mothers and the economic necessity for two income families thrusts children into a new and intimate relationship with their grandparents. I know of no better teachers for young people than grandparents. Their opportunities to in fluence the young in their search for truth and its application to the difficulties of modern life is very great today. Yet too often the adults do not have the reading skills they need to contribute to the good of others. Here in Appalachia, we find this to be a very pressing problem. In our efforts to confront M ay-June 1988
F ath er R alp h B e itin g .
it, we have started classes for seniors to acquire the basic skills they need. We have also trained other adults to become teachers. We have had some very encouraging results from this program. I think, however, that we need an additional element in the educational process. For lack of a better word, I will call this characteristic enthusiasum or zeal. We need to en courage people not merely to learn but to share that knowledge with others, particularly the young. My grandfather did that for me. He would ask me questions about my faith, my county, my studies, the world. He always rewarded in some way the accomplishments I made. He also stressed the need to go further and make greater progress. In short, I think genuine education has to rediscover the family. They have much to teach us and they can furnish the encouragement to con tinue. They can establish goals for progress and examine how well we are progressing. The older part of our society has a great and important role to play in this process. There needs to be an important role for God in this process. Until we realize that God shall never again do good work on earth (he now depends on us to do it) we shall never see how important it is to have truth and share it. On this earth God’s work has become our work. With the knowledge of his help and wisdom our task will become easier and more meaningful. 3
Literacy Changes story and photos * 6A lot of guys up there around Wayland, they don’t know how -they just laugh at you because you’re trying to learn to read, David says. “But now I can at least get something out of the newspaper. I used to have to have a lot of help with these welding books,” he says, pointing to the vocational texts on the table in front of him. “Most of it I can do by myself now. I can read road signs where I used to couldn’t. Going to the store is easier because I can read what I buy.” David is one of 40 literacy students involved in CAP’S adult education program in Floyd County. He began in the program three years ago as a junior in high school, when, because of a learning disability, his teachers suggested he work with
CAP tutors in conjunction with his regular classes. When David did graduate, he decided to keep up his work with CAP to both help him in vocational school and to better his chances for landing a good job. Although David has his own particular cir cumstances and his own individual reasons for wanting to read at a more proficient level, he is in many ways representative of many of the people currently engaged in the adult education program. Sister Mary Gervase Lochotzki, a Franciscan nun who began the Martin-based program five years ago, says the desire for independence and greater self-reliance are the basic reasons that people come to her for help. The Mountain Spirit
People’s A ttitudes by Joe Foley
F lo y d C o u n ty ad ults stu d y w ith S ister M . G ervase to earn th eir h ig h school e q u iv ile n c y d ip lo m a s.
ly they are tired of living in fear that somebody is going to ask them to read something that they can’t. So many people have been taken advantage of because they can’t read.”
To help meet the tremendous need for literacy tutoring in the coalfields area served by CAP, Sister Gervase has established tutoring sites in churches, schools, and community centers over a two county area. She also has students coming to CAP’s administration building in Martin and to a CAP used-clothing store in the nearby community of Garrett. All together, she oversees tutoring at nine sites plus the CAP tutoring in area high schools. “A lot of times they say they say they want to read the Bible,” Sister Gervase says. “Some are in terested in helping their children read, especially if they have younger children. Some come because of their jobs. Others want to read because basical M ay-June 1988
The direct literacy tutoring is part of a three pronged attack initiated by Sister Gervase. The se cond part, GED courses, are offered at the dif ferent locations to help former students receive their high school diplomas. GED students are in structed in math, english, social studies and science. Volunteers
The third emphasis in Sister Gervase’s adult education program, and the one requiring the most community involvement, is her regular in struction of community volunteers in the Laubach Way To Reading, a nationally accepted literacy in structional program. In an area where up to 55 percent of the population has less than a ninthgrade education, the 58 community literacy volunteers certified by Sister Gervase are assuming an essential and ever-increasing role in the adult education program’s effort to reach all those who want to learn to read.
I t Changes Their One such community volunteer is Donna Yellen, manager of CAP’S emergency assistance program in Floyd County. “In the beginning I just did it because it sounded like a good thing to do to help other people,” Donna says. “It was a dif ferent kind of assistance than what I do in my full time job. But I realized after I started that it’s by far the most valuable gift I could give anybody. Out of all the things I’ve done in my years in Ap palachia, I feel like this is the most important.
“Literacy changes peoples’ whole attitude about themselves,” she says. “They’ll still be physically poor —they’ll probably be physically poor for the rest of their lives —but the way they think of themselves and perceive themselves totally changes. I’ve had people tell me that reading is the best gift that anybody has given them in their whole lives.” While community volunteers help in the literacy effort during their spare time, CAP has also designated one of its own volunteers to help full-time. Kevin Benson, a New York City native, has been interested in tutoring since he arrived in Kentucky in 1985. For several months he served as one of Sister Gervase’s community volunteers before becoming the first full-time literacy volunteer in Floyd County. Like Donna, Kevin believes learning to read brings about other positive changes in a person’s life. “I think half of my work is bringing out dignity —self-esteem building,” he says. “I’ve always had a unique way of looking at education. In school, in some ways I felt I was one of those people who had fallen through the cracks and although I was intelligent, I couldn’t work well within the system. So I’ve always had a soft spot for the people who have dropped out. I believe they are very intelligent in their own way and that they have skills that are different than what may be acceptable in the academic system.
S ister M . G ervase and K e v in B e n so n , a v o lu n tee r, w ork as tutors in the F lo y d C o u n ty adult ed u ca tio n program .
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The Mountain Spirit
Self -Perception “Literacy continually opens my mind as to what education is and what its purpose is,” Kevin says. “I’ve always had the philosophy that I learn as much from someone I teach as I can teach them. I’m always open to what they can teach me, even if its just something simple. If I’m working with a woman that cooks well, then maybe once or twice I’ll take the time to learn how to cook something, just to make that switch in the teacher role. Or if I’m working with someone that’s mechanically in clined, I’ll take the time to look at his or her vehi cle. Just whatever it is they’re into, I try to bring out the fact that they have just as much to offer me as I do them. I also always point out that if you do something now you can do it that much better or expand upon it by reading.
to read. They’re surprised when I tell them, ‘of course they can’ and that it’s easier for an adult to learn how to read than it is for a child because adults already have a grasp of the vocabulary. Whereas kids have to learn not only how to read but what the words mean, the adults already speak it, they know it,” Donna said. Kevin agrees. “All we require is that the desire is there; age to us really isn’t a factor because you can learn at any age,” he says. “I find it amazing
“Learning to read isn’t going to make them academic or put them in a shirt and tie or a nice dress,” Kevin says, “but it does give them an extra added freedom to do things that they couldn’t do before.” Age One factor holding many people back from literacy instruction is the belief that with age comes an inability to learn new things. “So many adults feel that they can’t learn how to read after coming into adulthood,” Donna says. “People tell them, ‘you can only learn when you’re younger, when you’re a kid, when you’re a student.’ They say there’s no such thing as an adult learning how
S ister G ervase d istrib u tes m aterials to stu d en ts at on e o f the ad ult ed u ca tio n classes.
M ay-June 1988
7
It
A dds Freedom
that once you get someone back into the routine of learning in a disciplined way, their mind sharpens.” Support
While the adult education program receives the vast bulk of its financial underpinning from CAP, it has garnered support from other areas because of its success. Local businesses have been chipping in, as has state government, to a limited degree. Churches, community centers, and schools are of fering their facilities for the program’s use. The number of community volunteers has increased. Posters and word-of-mouth communication are bringing more inquiries from people who before had accepted not being able to read or not being able to get a high school diploma. There is an in creasing awareness that solutions are available. Sister Gervase is pleased. “I love people and I want to help them,” Sister Gervase says. “I want to help them to help themselves.” She has.
S tu d en ts m eet in the G arrett A ttic in F lo y d C o u n ty , w h ere th e y learn to read and stu d y for th eir G E D .
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The Mountain Spirit
Letters I especially enjoyed your MayJune 1987 issue, of “The Dulcimer Man” by Moira Ambrose and the description of the Appalachian mountain dulcimer. Then also the old Renfro Valley Barn Dancers and Players. I, being a string instrument musician (playing the mandolin, banjo and guitar), appreciated it all the more. Keep up the good old fashioned entertainment. I am now 86 years of age.
I admire the work you have done in Appalachia and continue to hope I may visit the project sometime soon.
Adolph Cendrosky McKeesport, PA
Mrs. Paul H. Bek Seward, NE
I’m disgusted with your militaryminded letter writers who object to a peace loving priest like Daniel Berrigan. The arms race is simply a way of adding more wealth to filthy rich not promoting peace on earth. Raymond Hostex Lombard, IL
A few years ago our Christmas wreath was late. Because we feared our order had been lost, we telephoned your office. How glad I am that the incident occurred. In addition to learning that unusually bad weather had caused the delay, we were privileged to have a little chat with the gentleman on the other end of the line. He shared with us something of what life was like in Appalachia and told us of Father Beiting’s concern, love and helpfulness to its people. The conversation made us want to know more about Appalachia and the Christian Appalachian Project. I subscribed to The Mountain Spirit and through its pages have had acquaintance with the people, th e ir activ itie s and ac complishments—also a peek into their lives. Stella F. Neuer Menlo Park, CA M ay-June 1988
I like the products your people of fer for purchase each year. Friends to whom I have given items have ap preciated them very much. By the way, have you any of the brooms for sale now? And what about the wood flowers?
CAP’S crafts may be purchased through Christmas Ridge Crafts, the craft division, 322 Crab Orchard Rd. Lancaster, K Y 40446 —Ed.
I look forward to every issue of The Mountain Spirit. It brings a new insight of the people of Ap palachia. The stories of its’ people are very real to me. I am honored to have a small part in the wonderful work you are doing with such deserv ing people. Their time for en couragement and help has been long past due. God bless you and prosper the work in the new year. Anne B. Sheppard Goodlettsville, TN
for the wonderful work CAP is do ing for the poor but proud people there. My mother was of Cherokee Indian descent. I am very proud to be part Cherokee, my mother always used the many wild herbs and roots for medicine and the wild strawberries, water cress, persim mons (when ripe), lots of nuts and berries. Mr. McLaughlin, your story on page 3, March-April, is just great. Thank God for people like you and others of CAP. God bless you all. Renee Hughes Pueblo, CO
I really love to read The Moun tain Spirit. It has put me in touch with a longing to be back in that part of the country, and it appears to be in God’s plan for us, so I know I’m not just being a sentimental dreamer. Joe and I had each had a feeling of something in Appalachia “calling us back” before we shared that feeling with each other. Once the feeling was shared and we prayed about it, it became a very strong force in shaping our future! When I read profiles of residents in your co u n tie s, I feel so enriched —they have so much to of fer us! Thank you for your wonder ful pictures and stories. Mrs. Elaine Brockman-Reese Waukesha, WI
I love the beautiful life stories in The Mountain Spirit. I read the magazine from cover to cover. “Secrets” by Betty Peterson in the March-April magazine was so great, my memories of growing up in the Appalachian region (Harlan Coun ty) is so real to me, I feel as if I am visiting again with the wonderful people I grew up with when I read The Mountain Spirit. I thank God
Letters to the editor are welcome.
They should not exceed 150 words in length, and we reserve the right to edit them for space. Address letters to The Mountain Spirit, Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, Kentucky 40446.
9
Around the Project
by the CAP News Service
C A P C h ild D ev elo p m en t C enters C elebrate the W eek o f the C h ild LANCASTER-CAP’S five child development centers were part of a national observance of the Week of the Young Child, April 11 through 16. June Widman, CAP’s assistant director of human development, said that the idea grew out of the conference of the National Associa tion for the Education of Young Children and includes groups that are concerned with both education and child care. “ B ringing issues to the foreground was the goal for the week,” June said. “For example, employers need to be aware of the need for child care, because there are so many women in the workforce now. We also want to emphasize the need for quality child care, not just somebody that moms can leave the kids with. People need to be aware that they can and should demand high standards for their children.” Joyce Harvey, manager of the Family Life Child Development Center in Renfro Valley, coor dinated CAP’s activities during the week and made sure that the word was spread in Rockcastle County. Businesses and bulletin boards throughout the county displayed the children’s artwork during the week, and the children released helium balloons written with their names and information about the child development center. The Sunshine Center in Lancaster studied “Children Through the Ages,” beginning with children of Biblical times. The “Sunshiners” ex amined what made children special during those times. When the teachers began to discuss the “Children of Today,” the special qualities of each “Sunshiner” were part of the lesson plan in order to 10
T h e S u n sh in e C en ter stu d ied “ C h ild ren T h ro u g h the A g es” d u rin g the W eek o f the Y ou n g C h ild , that w as h eld n a tio n a lly , A p ril 11-16.
help build the self-esteem of each child. On April 13, June participated in a panel discussion on Kentucky Educational Television, which followed, “Who’s Caring for Your Children?” a program that dealt with rural child care. An active member of Kentucky Citizens for Child Development, June added in sight to the panel both as a care pro vider and as the mother of threeyear-old Gregory.
L ib erty A ttic M oves LIBERTY —After only two years in Liberty, the county seat of Casey County, CAP’s “Attic” found it necessary to move to larger quarters. According to Renee Mullins, manager of the Attic Warehouse in Berea, the mayor of Liberty and the city council con tacted Bill Watson, director of economic development, and asked if
it would be possible to open a used clothing store in their county. The store has been such a success, that they moved to larger quarters dur ing February of this year. Elizabeth Wethington, manager of the store, reports that business has nearly tripled since the move. “Before, our store was so small you could hardly see it from the road. Now we have about four times as much space, and you can see in the windows, so folks can see what we have to offer.” In addition to the used clothing store, CAP has extended its Christmas basket, small gardening and home repair programs into the county. When people come into the store, Elizabeth said, they learn that CAP has a lot more to offer than just clothes. Between that and the fact that her store is so attractive, Elizabeth says, “I’m really proud of it.” The Mountain Spirit
around the project . . . continued
S em in arian s V olu n teer T h eir Sp rin g Break LANCASTER —Ten students from St. Mary of the Lake, a Catholic seminary in Mundelin, Il linois, spent their spring break working as short term volunteers for the Christian Appalachian Project. During their week, they worked with the outreach, garden seed, elderly, child development and teen center programs in Liberty, Lan caster, Berea and Stanford. They traveled with the perm anent volunteers to wherever the need for extra help was the greatest. This was not only a help to CAP and its pro grams, but served as a learning ex perience for the young men as well. “One of the teachers at the seminary recommended to us that we spend a week here,” explained Brian Kaskie, one of the visiting seminarians. “He had been a volunteer at CAP several years ago, and he told us he felt it would be very good practical experience for us —a chance to see what we will be
dealing with after we have our own parishes. We see a lot of the same type of poverty where we are from, and now we know some of what we can do and at least how to start.”
G ift A n n u ities
“I’ve seen how receptive the peo ple are to CAP,” said Perry Gentry, another of the volunteers. “There’s an element of trust that the CAP volunteers instill in these people. Pm pleased with the diversity that CAP people deal with —we visited the country hollers and the housing pro jects in town and saw the multitude of different needs they had. There is an element of control here —when the unexpected happens, the CAP people know just what to do.” To Gordan Mann, it was a discovery that the visitors had a lot in common with the needy folks that they visited. “I don’t suppose we visited any Catholics while we were here,” he explained. “But it was faith that we had in common —their faith in God, regardless of their situation, is very deep, as ours is. That was nice for us to see.”
A gift annuity to the C hristian Appalachian Project will help us continue to provide em ploym ent opportunities to A ppalachian peo ple. This activity is an essential part of our mission to help people help themselves. But, what is a gift annuity? I t’s a legal agreem ent by which you make a gift to C A P and receive a guaranteed life income in return. For a m ore complete explana tion, write today for your free copy of “ G iving T hrough Gift A nnuities” by filling out the coupon below and enclosing it in the envelope provided. Clip and send
Please send, without obligation, my free copy of “ Giving Through Gift A nnuities.”
Nam e ________________________ Address_______________________ City, State, Zip______________ Date of Birth_________________ Telephone ___________________ V o lu n teers from St. M ary o f th e L ak e S em in ary w o rk ed d u rin g th eir sp rin g b reak at th e Garrard T e en C en ter in L an caster.
M ay-June 1988
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around the project . . . continued
Special weekend sessions will be held throughout the summer, and one camp week will be reserved for teenage girls. A computer camp will be held during the last week of camp at Camp Shawnee. An average of 75 to 80 children will attend each camp every week. Children will come from several counties in Eastern Kentucky, in cluding Floyd, Pike, Johnson, M ag o ffin , B re a th itt, K n o tt, Rockcastle and Garrard.
G arrard C ou n tian H eld C ap tive Reprinted with permission from the Garrard County News, 2/25/88 O n e o f the fav o rite gam es to p la y at su m m er cam p is frisb ee.
Terrorism in the Middle East was hammered home in Garrard County last week. Lt. Col. William Richard Hig gins, who lived here through the
first grade, is a captive at the hands of Moslem terrorists in Lebanon. Monday, a tape of him reading demands for terms for his release was shown on network news here in the United States. Higgins is part of one of the older families here, but he’d grown up in Covington and Louisville, and is a career Marine Corps officer. Still, his capture last Wednesday brought forth memories of both him and his family . . . Local businesses are distributing yellow ribbons free to county residents who wish to display their support for [the] Lancaster native . . . The effort is being spearheaded by county clerk Shelton Moss and attorney David Layton. Yellow ribbons are a sign of com munity support for the safe return of Higgins and to keep his plight in the public conscience.
G ettin g R eady For Sum m er C am p Spring is a busy time for CAP’S summer camp programs. Workers have been gearing up for the sum mer season, cleaning up the grounds, making necessary repairs on sporting and safety equipment, and planning activities for the sum mer campers. Summer camp will continue to be held from June through July for six weeks at Camp Andrew Jackson in Jackson C ounty and Camp Shawnee in Floyd County. Day camp in Rockcastle County will again be held in June and July. Activities at the camps will in clude outdoor games and sports —such as swimming, boating, and hiking —and various field trips; a cruise on a barge, a visit to the Jen ny Wiley Summer Music Theatre, and an all night camp out on the next-to-last night of day camp. 12
L an caster E lem en ta ry S ch ool ch ild ren sh ow ed th eir support for L t. C ol. W illia m R ich ard H ig g in s b y ty in g y e llo w rib b o n s arou n d the trees on the front law n o f th e sch ool.
The Mountain Spirit
around the project . . . continued
H arrison F am ily M oves RENFRO VALLEY-Late May saw a sad departure for CAP when Judy Harrison and her family mov ed from the Family Life Center in Rockcastle County to Lexington. As they prepared for the move, Judy said that her feelings about the im pending change in their lives went from “scared to ecstatic.”
R ev . Ja ck M orris
J a ck M orris T akes N ew P o sitio n LA N C A STER —In m idFebruary, CAP said “good-bye and thanks” to an old and dear friend when Jack Morris decided to take a job as associate minister at Central Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. Jack has been with CAP, serving in a number of positions, since 1978. After working in human develop ment and as director of the Family Life Center in Renfro Valley, Jack headed CAP’s church relations and grants division. Through Jack, CAP met and became acquainted with the work of many organizations in Eastern Ken tucky and other Appalachian states, as he traveled throughout the area, visiting groups who had applied for grants. We know that we will be seeing more of Jack as he takes up his new work, and we wish him God’s richest blessings. M ay-June 1988
Judy will graduate in May from the University of Kentucky, with an associate degree in nursing. After her many years of caring for medically fragile children, both her experience and the people she has met in the field have given her many job possibilities. “I’ll probably work for the state, at the Chandler Medical Center [at the University of Kentucky] in the pediatrics unit,” Judy explained, adding that there are many people in the department that she has met over the years through her work with children. The Harrison family currently in cludes five natural or adoptive children and nine who have been placed in Judy’s care as foster children. Three of those children will be placed in other homes before the move, but the rest will take part in the family move. “I guess the hardest separation for me will be from Holly,” Judy said, speaking of the daughter who has been in her care for thirteen years. “She will be placed in Hazelwood [a facility in Louisville, Kentucky, 85 miles away]. Holly will turn eigh teen soon, and I’ve been looking at it like any other child moving out of the house, or going off to college. I’ll be her legal guardian, and I’ve convinced myself that Louisville isn’t that far away. It’s going to be hard, though.” Judy glows when she talks about the support her family has received from Trinity Baptist Church in Lex ington. “Their ministries for the handicapped are great, so we fit in
really well there. They’ve given us some material support, but more important, they’ve given us the emo tional support and feeling of belonging that we need.” When they are able to find a van with a lift that they will need for transportation, the family will be set, Judy says. “I’ll work part time and have help in the house. You don’t run a house with fourteen children without help!” Judy also said that two or three people have talked to her about a position, but she hasn’t decided on anyone yet. “When I was talking to my sons last week, I told them we have a lot to be thankful for. We’re getting a house, I’m getting a degree, they’re both in college. This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but things are fall ing into place so well, that I’m con vinced it was the right one.”
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Mail to: The Mountain Spirit, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, KY 40446.
13
The C A P Closeup
Steve L eB run Putting Dreams Into Action
b y the CAP N ew s Service
right place. I loved what I was doing, and the com munity life here is so fulfilling—it was something that was missing in my life. I hadn’t started my own family yet, and I guess that I had been look ing for that kind of closeness. The prayer time has been the most fulfilling area for me.”
Steve came to CAP in 1986 as a summer volunteer, and he has been here ever since, work ing in the small farm program. Steve is well-suited to his job which requires him to spend time mak ing home visits to families in the area, both during gardening season and during Christmas basket time.
Steve so enjoyed the job he was doing in the
Tudor
I t takes a special kind of person to move to a strange, new area, leaving old friends and family to take on new ones, a person who has hopes, dreams and ambitions to make the world a better place. It takes a volunteer, someone like Steve LeBrun.
“After college, I taught school for three years,” Steve said. “Then I returned for my master’s degree in guidance counseling and was a high school counselor for three more years. During the summer months I would work at camps all over the country —Michagan, Minnesota, Colorado and Washington, but in the summer of ’86, I decided that I wanted something different.” Steve saw the ad for CAP’Svolunteer program in Choice and decided that he would be a volunteer for the summer. “I came to CAP because I was looking for an ecumenical program in a Christian setting,” Steve said. “When I came here, I felt like I was in the 14
S tev e en jo y s g o in g on h o m e v isits to E arl G ra n t’s farm , lo ca ted in Garrard C o u n ty .
The Mountain Spirit
L e ft, S te v e ’s fa vorite h o b b ies are clim b in g and h ik in g . R igh t, S teve also en joys ca n o ein g w ith other v o lu n teers.
garden program, that he decided to ask his school for a year’s leave of absence and continue on for a year as a permanent volunteer. “It doesn’t do justice to the job or program if you just stay for a summer,” Steve explained. “As soon as you learn the roads and start to learn the people, then you leave. It seems like you lose what you may have gained in some cases.” When his year was up, the school sent him a contract to sign, and Steve was faced with a tough decision. He didn’t want to leave. “I loved my job at the school,” Steve explained, “but I came to this job, and I liked it even better. Of course, at that time, I had already started dating Julie.” Julie Williams was a volunteer when Steve first arrived in Kentucky, and she stayed on as an employee for CAP, managing the teen center in Lancaster. “Julie’s from the city, and I was raised in the country,” Steve said. “But we’ve both got the same ideas.” With one more reason for staying in Kentucky, Steve sent his resignation to the school, and Julie and he were married on March 19, 1988. At that time, Steve, too, became an employee. “I’m still doing the same job,” Steve ex plained. “But now it is a permanent job, and won’t be changed each time a volunteer comes and goes.” Steve and Julie are making their home in Lancaster, about a block away from CAP’S ad ministrative office. Steve is well qualified for his job in the small farms department. “I was raised on a farm in South Dakota,” Steve said, “in a family of thir teen. We all had jobs to do on the farm during the summer months, driving tractors and raising corn, soy beans, grain crops and rolling bales of hay. It was good experience for the job I’m doing now.” In preparation for planting time, Steve super vises the packing of seed for distribution by tem porary volunteers who come during spring break M ay-June 1988
and handicapped adults who help do the packing. Then, in the spring he visits gardeners, sometimes helping people plant their gardens, and offers gardening tips such as composting, rotating crops and setting seed beds. After harvest time, the Christmas basket season begins, and Steve signs people up to receive a basket, matches donors and recipients, makes up food baskets, and helps in their distribution. Steve and Julie plan to become involved with Heifer Project International. “Heifer Project In ternational takes quality livestock,” Steve explain ed. “They give that quality animal to someone who has low income, and breed it back with another quality animal. It could be goats, sheep, ducks, chickens, hogs, bees —any kind of livestock. This gives the person with little income a chance to build up a herd of quality animals. The only requirement is that the first female offspring is to be given to someone else who needs it. “To help get this program started in this area, Julie and I are going to get a milk goat and raise it up —in our back yard. We’ve cleared it with our neighbors —one has chickens and he doesn’t mind, and his sister, who joins us on the other side, said we could have the hay off of her large yard to feed the goat. After it’s grown, we will give it to some one who can use it. I’m only doing on a small scale what I would like to do on a large scale. Maybe this will be a beginning for Heifer International in this area.” When Steve was asked what he liked best about his job, he didn’t hesitate. “The people,” he said. “The chance to help people in a variety of ways. The people have given and taught me a lot of spirituality. They have taught me about simple life styles. They have taught me just what the really important things in life are.” c a p. 15
T he M cC reary C hristian C enter
story and photos b y M argaret G abriel
J^here are many people and groups in Eastern Kentucky working to make the area a bet ter place to live. Some are people who have lived in the mountains for many years, as have their parents and grandparents before them. Others are people who have moved here and, over the years, have come to love it and adopt it as home. Such a group is the Sisters of St. Joseph in Whitley City, Kentucky, who were instrumental in working with McCreary County residents to create the Mc Creary Christian Center, an organization which assesses and serves the needs of the people of Mc Creary County. In the early 70s, some of the sisters from their community, whose American headquarters is in West Hartford, Connecticut, did some summer volunteer work with the Glenmary priests in Ken tucky. “That was the time when orders [of sisters] were going out into various works,” said Sister Nancy Sutton, one of the sisters in the original group who works out of the McCreary Christian Center and Good Shepherd Catholic Mission. “Our administration at that time asked if we were interested in full time mission work. We said that if they were thinking of letting someone do this work, then we would certainly consider it. “I got in touch with one of the Glenmary priests, who at that time was traveling extensively with the Catholic Committee of Appalachia and asked him for suggestions about places interested in having nuns.” At that time, there was no Catholic church in the county; the three Catholic families traveled to Somerset, about 45 miles away, to worship with other Catholics. The sisters became interested in 16
S ister N a n cy S u tton re v ie w s a p h y sics lesso n w ith K e lly W atson , a stu d en t at the cen ter.
McCreary County, because they believed that a Catholic presence could serve spiritual needs and material needs of the entire county. They were also looking for a location that could benefit from the gifts they had to offer in the education and health fields. “From our two summers of work with Glen mary, we knew what we’d see down many of these roads, and of course, the statistics on the county were certainly inviting for someone who wanted to work in an area where there was a need.” Like many counties in Eastern Kentucky, needs in McCreary County are manifested in many ways. The per capita income in 1974, the year the sisters began their work in the county, was less than $3,000 a year. Only 38 % of the ninth graders finished their high school education. High unemployment rates in the county reflected the lack of opportunity for many people and the discouragement of many others. Health needs were evident.
T h e P .A .C .T . b us is k n o w n th rou gh ou t M cC reary C o u n ty as it travels about w ith b o o k s and gam es.
The Mountain Spirit
In this setting, Sister Nancy and Sister Maureen Faenza began to informally assess the needs of McCreary County through the Good Shepard Catholic Service Center, and began a pattern of assisting where they could. Sister Nancy credits several people and organizations with the hard work, encouragement and funds that it took to get their work started and sustained. One of the people she mentions is Father Ralph Beiting. When Sister Mary Lorraine Ayotte was researching the possibility of the Mc Creary Christian Center, “he was generous not on ly with money, but with his time and his advice. He gave us several suggestions about things to do and how to work with the people that were already established in the community.” After looking and learning, the sisters started several programs in McCreary County. “One was a P.A.C.T., which stands for Parents and Children Together,” Sister Nancy explained. The
M ay-June 1988
program is a homebound child development center, which operates out of a brightly decorated bus that is packed with books, toys and games that are crucial to a child’s pre-school education. “The philosophy of that program is that the parent is the primary teacher of the child and no child can come into the program unless the parent attends with the child. Ideally, they try to teach the parent to teach the child. Everything is more or less shown to the parent, then the parent shows it to the child.” Sister Jean McAuliffe presently directs the program. “We have —as all of the people in this area seem to get into —a small house repair service and a home building project. Then, of course, we have the usual clothing stores, one here in the house, and one ‘down the road a piece.’ They’re run by local women —the only thing we have to do is sup ply clothes, which we get from local people and from people we know in Connecticut and Illinois.”
17
Christian Care C enter Ÿ •mm
Sister Nancy found that one of the biggest needs of the area which she could meet was adult educa tion. “As I went around visiting, I realized that many people had limited schooling.” Students in the adult education program enroll for many different reasons, but Sister Nancy says that most people are motivated by the desire to find good jobs. Even though the employment op portunities in McCreary County are limited, more and more places are requiring a high school educa tion, or its equivilent. “A high percentage say they want to improve their chance of getting a job. We have one or two non-readers now, too. We will help with anything that the student wants help with.” Sister Nancy explained that some of her students are not necessarily interested in obtaining a high school equivilency diploma (GED), but would like to study a particular unit that their child is studying in school, for example, fractions. Sister Nancy and five volunteers have a study area on the second floor of the McCreary Chris tian Center with books and study aids. Students meet their tutors at the center, but some tutors meet students in their homes. Currently, twenty people are enrolled in the adult education program which Sister Nancy says is just about the max imum number they can deal with effectively. The youngest student in the adult education program is 17 years old. “We’ve even had one who 18
had to wait to take the GED test because, by law, you have to be 17 to take it,” Sister Nancy explain ed. Their oldest student was a woman in her 60s, who Sister Nancy says was one of her brightest students. “She had had a stroke, and her studies were part of her rehabilitation. She wanted to get a GED just for herself, there was no real economic motivation.” No matter the age of the student, Sister Nancy believes that adult education helps the student’s entire family. Parents of those in their late teens are gratified to see their children finishing their education. “It’s very good for younger childen to see mommy or daddy in school and working so hard. It gives them a better appreciation for their own school work, and we hope that in the long run, these youngsters will be encouraged to finish high school because of the example that has been set by their parents.” One of Sister Nancy’s students works now in the county dropout prevention program. “Kathy said that she had come to a point where she just wanted to do something for herself. She had small children and an extended family who relied on her for many things. “She’s a very giving person, always smiling. Kathy stuck with our program and got her GED. Now she adds so much to the
dropout prevention program. I hope that someday she’ll go to college.” The long and short term goals of the adult education program are very simple. “For the short term,” Sister Nancy said, “we just want them to continue to come back and to come when they say they’ll be here. Since we work one-on-one with our students, we have time set aside for each person. If someone doesn’t show up, that’s time lost that we could have spent with someone else. Most of our students have become very conscientious about that.” The long term goals are not quite so easy to put your finger on, and in truth, Sister Nancy doesn’t have any long term goals for the program. She does, however, insist that each student set his or her own goal. “They might need to work on literacy skills, they might want to get a GED, or they might just want to brush up on enough skills to help their children with their homework. We try not to im pose our goals, but encourage people to decide for themselves what they want to achieve. In the first session, we find out what they want for themselves, and what time they can come. Nor mally, we work for an hour to an hour-and-a-half. That works well because of the amount of time people can be away, and the amount of time peo ple can concentrate.”
Although some mothers do bring small children with them to their tutoring session, Sister Nancy says that they have discovered that it is better for all concerned if other child care arrangements are made for that time. “We don’t have enough things to occupy a small child for that length of time, and it’s harder for the mother to concentrate.” Some of the study is self-directed, through homework assignments which Sister Nancy con siders to be an important component of the pro gram. “We never want people to feel that they can’t or shouldn’t come just because they haven’t been able to get a homework assignment finished, but it’s important for people to see how much pro gress they can make when they do some work out side of the time that they work with their tutor.” Sister Nancy went on to say that she considers the changes that people make in their attitudes about themselves another of the important aspects of her work. When young adults gain more selfconfidence because of academic successes, that confidence extends far beyond the classroom, and the progress is beginning to make itself evident in McCreary County. Although the county ranks poorly in education in the 5th Congressional District of Kentucky, which ranks the lowest in the nation in several categories, the situation is improving. Sister Nan cy has been an integral part of that change, as she is active in “Leap Forward in McCreary,” an af filiate of “Forward in the Fifth,” (a task force that deals with educational reforms in the 5th district), Reading is Fundamental, and with several other local groups that are working hard to improve education in McCreary County. “I have courage for the first time in exactly how much we can do,” Sister Nancy said. “We have many people working together from education, politics, business and churches. By working together, there’s not much that we won’t be able to do in cooperation with the people of McCreary County. “McCreary may look like a sleepy little county, nestled in the hills of south central Kentucky, but to me, it’s an exciting place to live!”
T h e p h ilo so p h y b eh in d P .A .C .T . is that p aren ts are the p rim ary teachers o f th e ir ch ild re n , accord in g to S ister N a n cy .
M ay-June 1988
19
A Thought From the E ditor
A . s my thoughts turned to the issues of adult education and literacy, my pretty vivid imagination mapped out this little scenario: A young mother —I’ll call her Denise —gets up with her family one morning. Her husband, Brad, goes off to work, and she gets sevenyear-old Linda and six-year-old Janie off to school, with only one problem. Janie’s brought a note home that Denise can’t read. Since Denise doesn’t know whether she’s supposed to bring something to school, or exactly what, she gives Janie an extra dollar, just in case the note is asking for money, and hopes she doesn’t get in trouble. After the girls are off to school, it’s time to feed the baby, Brad, Jr. When she asked her neighbor to pick up some cereal at the grocery, they were out of the usual brand, so Marge brought her a new kind. Denise hopes you fix it like the other kind, but there’s no way to know for certain. She’s thankful that you can’t overdose a baby on cereal. After breakfast, Denise has to take the Brad, Jr. to the doctor. This is a problem, because the doc tor’s office is in a city about 35 miles away. Usually, they go to the doctor on Saturday so Brad can drive, but that wasn’t possible for this trip, so Denise and Brad, Jr. have to make the trip by themselves. Even though she’s been to the city several times, she’s never driven there by herself. Brad has given her directions, but she knows the city is confusing, especially if you can’t read road signs. Denise would like to have a nice lunch and do a little shopping, but the route Brad gave her doesn’t take her in the direction of any stores. There are a couple of fast food places, though, so it’ll have to be a quick burger on the way home. Well, the kids will be coming home 20
from school, so she needs to get home anyway. There’s no extra money for shopping, either. Brad is a good husband to Denise and a good father to their children, but he only finished the 7th grade. He’s lucky to have a job, but without a high school diploma, the jobs he’s been able to get pay barely enough for the family of five to get by. They’ve talked several times about Denise working, but finding a job is all but impossible for a non-reader. Besides, they have three kids at home, and even if she did find a job, it probably wouldn’t pay enough to offset the cost of a babysitter. Denise and Brad, Jr., get home without any problems, and are waiting for Linda and Janie when they get off the school bus. Now it’s time to get dinner and get the girls started on their homework. For tunately, they don’t need any help tonight. They’re still in the first and second grade, so Brad can help them, but it won’t be long before they’ll pass him. After they finish, they brush their teeth, say their prayers, and then comes the part of the day that Denise finds the most disquieting. Brad doesn’t feel like it every night, but, at least once a week, and sometimes more, he reads a story to the girls before they go to sleep. More than anything else in the world, Denise wants to read to her children. As I took Denise through her day, I tried not to get involved with my subject but found myself thinking of many things that I enjoy doing but would be impossible for Denise. She can’t come home from church to the Sunday paper and a pot of coffee. She can’t sit down with a new cookbook and “taste” things in her mind (my mind handles extra calories better than my hips do). She can’t go to a card shop and spend a half hour laughing over funny cards with her friend. My mind drifted into simple
pleasures, because I’m having a much more difficult time visualizing the more dramatic implication of il literacy—a lack of freedom. Denise, my imaginary friend, is lucky, because even though she can’t read, she has a home and a family that loves her. I could make one change in the story, and it would have a totally different outcome. Suppose Brad weren’t such a good husband. Now we have Denise unable to read, therefore unable to work, therefore unable to support her children except for assistance of welfare. Because she can’t read, there are countless aspects of her life over which she had no control so she is totally powerless to change or im prove her situation. As long as we’re imaging different twists for Denise, how about this one? Her desire to read bedtime stories to her children prods Denise to learn to read. The support she had from her family to function as a non-reader in a reading world now helps her with her schoolwork. Her children are studying harder because of the example Denise is setting, and because she’s pushing them a little harder, too. It’s a long struggle and some very hard work, but eventually Denise gets her GED, encourages Brad to do the same, and their children, placing a tremendous value on their own education, all get college scholarships. I’ll admit that this is a fairy tale ending to a very complex problem, but it is possible. Many organiza tions in Appalachia —including CAP —recognize that unless we in crease the education level in the area little progress can be made. It would be foolish to think that the only thing needed to improve life in Eastern Kentucky is better educa tion, but it would be equally foolish —if not more so —to think that significant change can be made without it. —MMG. The Mountain Spirit
The Floyd County Women’s Group story and ph otos b y M egan C orcoran
W h en the kids just about drive ’em crazy and the day-to-day drudge has got them down, the women of Floyd County join in the Women’s Group held in Martin, Kentucky at the youth center. For two hours each week, a handful of women attend this mutual support group where they can talk about everything under the sun. The group is described as an open forum for creative expres sion. It is an opportunity for women of this area to really flex their muscles as individuals. The idea for the Women’s Group was born out of a burst of inspiration between Anne Meiman, of Fairfield, Connecticut, and Heidi Anne Porter, of Anchorage, Alaska, last summer. The two Col lege of New Rochelle, New York, alumni have been working as volunteers for CAP with women who are victimized by cultural dead-ends and low self-esteem. The group begins at 10 a.m., Thursday morn ings—coffee brews while the women chat before the group comes together. It usually starts as the half-dozen women randomly take a seat in the cir cle of chairs provided. Offered at the Women’s Group are speakers on all kinds of subjects, a short film is shown, or workshops on different handcrafts are conducted. M ay-June 1988
W om en in the group o ften share th e ir sk ills w ith the o th er m em bers w h o a tten d the m eetin g s.
Through the open-forum type setting found in Women’s Group, moms, abused wives and single women can find strength in numbers. On the average, about five or six women attend on a regular basis. The attendance varies from week to week, depending on each individual and the flex ibility of CAP’S spouse abuse shelter’s schedules. Commenting on Women’s Group, it’s director, Anne, said, “The most important thing to remember about running this kind of group is that women’s primary commitment here is to their families, first and foremost.” According to Anne, participation depends solely on what is happening at home for most of women. Most of the time, a volunteer is dug up each week to take on “kid duty.” The children are supervised in adjacent rooms, as their moms par ticipate in the group on the other side of the door. Anne said, “At first, it was very difficult to engage these women in some constructive thought when their kids kept coming in and out all the time, distracting them, making them uneasy.” However, in recent weeks, the child-care system has proven successful, and the women have become more comfortable with the atmosphere and have learn ed to let go and take a break from their children for this time on Thursdays. According to Anne, it took a long time for the women to become com21
fortable in this kind of situation without their kids constantly interrupting by getting hurt or wanting something out of the pop machine. “The participation of each Women’s Group takes an enormous amount of energy,” said Anne. During the week, phone calls are made, and transportation is even provided for those wanting to attend who are without a car.
then tried to broaden their own definitions of love in their lives with the people around them. “We joked about being disillusioned romantics, then we made valentine cards for our families and friends,” said Anne. Another topic discussed was the idea of Ken tucky roots. Coal mining and its history brought up all kinds of different experiences and reactions. The “Appalshop” film, The Long Journey Home, was shown, and the idea of family ties in the hills of Kentucky talked about. Some women recalled experiences or stories about their grandparents and the experience of having to relocate to the nearest industrial city during the hardest of times.
When Women’s Group began, back in September, it was basically a crafts workshop in which small craft work such as cornhusk flowers, wall hangings and drawings were produced. However attendance was low, and the success of Women’s Group seemed questionable. Anne said that in those first few weeks she examined what she thought was wrong with the group and realized that the focus of the group had to be shifted to what these women wanted, not what Anne thought they needed. Another key to the group’s success is that Anne and Heidi, found that they need the group as much as the local women involv ed. “We find ourselves participating and needing the group more than we planned. It’s kind of ex perimental, and neither of us have done anything like this before,” said Heidi and Anne. There came to be a mutual reward found through the group’s discussions and exercises.
Most of the time, the group closes with prayers, and “homework” for the following week is assign ed. Perhaps it is an exercise in self-control, or practicing a “positive coping method.”
During the time around Valentine’s Day the Women’s Group talked about the definition of love. Excerpts from Leo Buscaglia and Thomas Merton were read and later discussed. The group
“It doesn’t matter if we succeed or not,” says Anne, “but rather that we all have something that we can talk about, and, most importantly, share.”
A myriad of subjects are disussed in Women’s Group, and the possibilities for a group of this kind are just as endless as the topics. Just over six months ago, a group of this nature did not even exist in Eastern Kentucky. Now one does, and the most important thing to remember is how many women are finding a higher self-esteem and the freedom of speech through the workings of a group such as this.
T h e W o m en ’s G roup in F lo y d C o u n ty gets to g eth er to exch an ge id ea s, som e o f w h ich in clu d es d ifferen t ty p es o f h and crafts.
22
The Mountain Spirit
Sarah’s Graduation 6 4 rT ''
X hat Sairy is the best lookin’ woman ever been on this holler,” muttered her brother, Jim Bob, as Sarah Swisher nimbly leaped off the front porch with an arm-load of textbooks. “Your little sis is the purtiest woman in Pike County, but she ain’t got enough sense to know it!” exclaimed the siblings’ cousin, Arnold Swisher, as he let go a long stream of chewing tobacco amber off the front porch of Jim Bob’s new double-wide trailer and watched the spittle land among a bed of marigolds and zinnias almost ready to start blooming. M ay-June 1988
by Ike Adams illustration by Martin Rollins
“Arnold, Ol’ Son, you’re gonna kill them flowers if you don’t quit spittin’ that backer juice on ’em. Lemme getcha a can,” said Jim Bob, as he searched around the porch and found an empty soft-drink container. Meanwhile, Arnold curiously watched as Sarah dumped the load of books onto the hood of her dilapidated, old Ford Maverick. She opened the passenger door, stacked the books inside the car, and then she raced back into the small frame house from which she had first emerged to return with another arm-load of legal pads and note books which also made their way into the car. 23
“ Reckon what Sairy’s gonna do with herself, now that she’s too old to marry?” mused A rnold .
Sarah noticed Arnold and Jim Bob just as she climbed into her car. She waved heartily, blew a kiss in their direction and then was gone as her old car coughed and sputtered its way down the rutted gravel road that paralleled Swisher Hollow. Jim Bob’s new modular home was no more than fifty yards from the old home place, and Arnold’s new residence was just across the road. Sarah still lived alone at the old house which Jim Bob and Arnold considered an eye sore, even though both of them had grown up in it. They had offered to “fix it up,” but Sarah had graciously declined, saying only that she would rather do it herself, since she had inherited the place. As Sarah Swisher drove out of sight, Arnold, with a spit can in his hand, spat again into Jim Bob’s flowers. “Arnold, Ol’ Son! You’re gonna have to quit doin’ that,” noted Jim Bob, as the amber hit his flower garden again. “You’re gonna kill off everything I’ve got growin’!” “Jim Bob,” Arnold calmly asked, “why are you putting so much effort into growing something that you know you can’t eat?”
the jokes that were made about hillbillies in high school classes made up entirely of other hillbillies. “It’s like being black and telling ‘nigger’ jokes,” she yelled at several classmates during a debate when she was in the eighth grade. “Why do you think it’s fun to make fun of ourselves?” Sarah went home that night and cried herself to sleep. She awoke the next day with a determination that would guide her the rest of her life. Sarah Swisher, at the age of 14, decided, without the benefit of a professional or family counselor, that she would finish college. At the time, she didn’t even know why such a goal was important beyond the fact that it felt good. Sarah was a sophomore in high school when she turned 16. More than half her class had dropped out of school, because it was legal to do so during that year. Sarah calmly made straight A’s and announced at her birthday party that she intended to stay in school. Almost everybody asked her why. Sarah didn’t have a ready answer.
Jim Bob didn’t have a ready answer. * * *
Sarah Swisher, unlike her brother and cousin, placed a high value on education from an early age. Sarah had won so many academic contests in elementary and high school that she knew she was a bit brighter than the average Swisher. Not only that, but she loved school and thrived in the academic environment. Sarah had read and listened many times to 24
“Reckon what Sairy’s gonna do with herself, now that she’s too old to marry?” mused Arnold as the car went out of hearing. “She keeps talking about teaching school,” mumbled Jim Bob. “She’d be a helluva lot better off married,” grumbled Arnold. “I never saw much worse a waste of time than teaching school. How long has Sairy been in school, anyways?” The Mountain Spirit
“Ever since she was a baby,” said Jim Bob. “I think this makes sixteen years.”
never had the time to make herself look prettier than natural nor the money to purchase cosmetics.
“I’m a tellin’ you, it’s a waste!” said Arnold. “She could have made as fine a wife as any man around here ever had, and she even had a house to throw into it.”
She was, though, the baby of the family and therefore a great concern of her oldest brother, Jim Bob, who found her entirely too difficult to manage.
“And never even had a boyfriend,” said Jim Bob.
“Sairy,” Jim Bob used to say, “is driving me crazy with her comin’s and goin’s. I can’t get a wink of sleep! Ever’ time I talk to her, she’s askin’ me about things that I don’t know spit about. I’d just about as soon be dead and done with it.” Then Jim Bob would go to bed and go to sleep.
“You think she’s funny about sex and stuff?” Arnold genuinely asked his cousin. “Nope,” Jim Bob replied. “I just think she’s in love with goin’ to school. And I think she’ll get over it.”
***
Sarah Swisher, at age 23, was, as Arnold put it, most likely the “purtiest girl in Pike County.” Not that she went out of her way to make herself attractive, because she did not. Her high school grades had gotten her a partial academic scholarship at Knotville College, and she landed a job washing dishes in the school cafeteria to earn the rest of her tuition. The old ’71 Maverick she drove had belonged to her father. Jim Bob kept it tuned as best he could, and Sarah made enough money selling tickets at the movie house to keep herself otherwise afloat financially. She dressed herself mostly in loose-fitting jeans and flannel shirts that covered a lithe, athletic body. She wore her auburn hair straight and long, so that it cascaded down between her shoulder blades to belt level. On the job, she wore it in a pony tail or a plait to keep it out of the way. But she never used make-up. Sarah M ay-June 1988
Arnold Swisher stopped about three steps past his mail box and seemed preoccupied. He handled a yellowish envelope for several minutes before he finally made the gist of its contents. He looked up toward Jim Bob’s porch and saw that his cousin was pouring over a similiar document. “Says here that me and mine are invited to Sairy’s commencement next Saturday,” mulled Arnold. “Says on this thing that she wants me to come, too,” said Jim Bob. “What the hell is a commencement exercise?” asked Arnold. “Must be where you get off your end and start doin’ somethin’ for a change,” said Jim Bob. “You all ready to see Sairy start doing something?” “Yeah,” Arnold answered, and he and Jim Bob laid plans to attend Sarah’s graduation ceremony. 25
“I a in ’t ever been to a graduation, ” said Arnold as he and J im Bob entered the auditorium .
*** Sarah Swisher sat for long hours and worried about who might get her meager allotment of invitations to the graduation ceremony. She only had two seats on the floor section and a dozen bleacher seats. Floor seats were generally reserved for parents, she had been told, and bleachers for other family or close friends. Sarah’s decision to invite Jim Bob and Arnold was almost spontaneous. It never crossed her mind that they might be ill-at-ease. And they were, in fact, her closest family. The Swisher boys, on the other hand, had never once attended a graduation ceremony of any sort. Arnold was particularly dismayed. “What if they ask me to say somethin’?” he kept asking Jim Bob. “Just tell ’em to talk to me an’ everything will be all right,” Jim Bob kept saying. “What are we gonna wear?” Arnold kept asking. “A shirt and tie,” Jim Bob kept replying. “I ain’t got one,” Arnold would moan. “I’ll loan you one,” Jim Bob would say again. *** Jim Bob and Arnold were dressed in their Sunday best long before noon on the cool May Saturday that marked Sarah’s baccalaureate. Jim Bob was wearing a navy blue felt blazer, a nice pair of matching slacks, a white shirt and a white tie emblazoned with a roaring blue lynx just above his belly button. Arnold had on a brown three-piece suit that fit like tailor-made, and only God knows where he got it. They bummed a ride to the auditorium from 26
Sarah, who was wearing jeans and a sweat shirt when she picked them up. “I ain’t ever been to a graduation,” said Arnold as he and Jim Bob entered the auditorium. “Don’t worry, Ol’ Son,” said Jim Bob. “I ain’t either and I ain’t scared a bit.” “Do you reckon Sairy is gonna wear them blue jeans after we got all dressed up like this?” asked Arnold. “Not lessen’ she wants me to kill her,” replied Jim Bob. *** Going through her graduation ceremony, though, was the biggest moment of Sarah Swisher’s life. Jim Bob and Arnold had teased her mercilessly on the ride to town. Had she made a mistake by inviting them to her graduation? Sarah quickly changed clothes and dabbed her eyes so that her tears wouldn’t stain her new, bright blue dress. She quickly donned the grey processional gown, grabbed up her mortar board and mixed with the other graduate candidates. In short order, the processional was called and Sarah Swisher felt as alone as she had ever been in all her life. She was paired in the march with a person she had never met and she walked humbly down the aisle until the class was seated. Finally, after much ado, Sarah found herself walking forward to claim her bachelor’s degree in English. Just as she touched the diploma, a war-whoop erupted. Sarah turned long enough to see Jim Bob being arrested. Then she stopped crying and stuck her right thumb straight up. “Jim Bob Swisher —my brother,” she whispered to herself. “God, I’m glad he came!!” The Mountain Spirit
W hile everybody else seems to be enjoying a beautiful K entucky spring, C A P ’s em ergency assistance crew is th inking ahead to the w inter, an d inevitable house fires th a t occur w ith the first cold snap in the fall. C A P has em ergency assistance offices in nine counties, an d , of course, the w orkers will try to help anyone who asks, no m a tter w here they live. T h ey had a particu larly busy season in 1987-88, so by the end of the w inter, there was n o thing left to help families whose hom es will b u rn dow n in the com ing w inter. C an you help us plan ahead for the com ing season? W hile helping families to replace th eir clothing is never a problem , due to the generosity of people who supp o rt o u r “ A ttic” stores, we never seem to have enough household item s and fu rn itu re to help families get back on th eir feet after a disaster. If you w ould like to help, please w rite: C h ristian A ppalachian Project 322 C rab O rch ard R o ad L ancaster, K entucky 40446 A ttn: Em ergency A ssistance.
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 P A ID Christian Appalachian Project
C H R IS T IA N A P P A L A C H IA N P R O J E C T 322 CRAB ORCHARD RD , LANCASTER, KY 40446 The Mountain Spirit