The Mountain Spirit - March/April 1991

March - April 1991

The Mountain Spirit The Magazine of the Christian Appalachian Project

The Mountain Spirit

The Magazine of the Christian Appalachian Project

March-April 1991

Vol. X, No. 2

Contents Features 4 What Are We Going to Do Next? by Ike Adams

Jean Bames, manager of one of CAP’s child development centers, is helping groups co­ operate to answer this question.

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Coordinate. Cooperate. Collaborate.

Eastern Kentucky Child Care Coalition, p. 16

by June Widman

By working together several groups in Eastern Kentucky are providing child care for working parents, strengthening Ken­ tucky’s economic development possibili­ ties.

20

See What We Can Accomplish? by Margaret Gabriel

Since 1987 the Bath County Literacy Council has been enabling citizens to ob­ tain high school equivalency, strengthen basic skills, and leam to read.

22 What A Year! by Mike McLaughlin

CAP’s president recounts a rather disas­ trous year for founder Father Ralph Beiting. Mike’s memories not only include accidents and operations, but Father Beiting’s determination to continue his work despite some setbacks.

Departments 3 9

A Thought From the Editor Letters

10

Around the Project

14

The CAP Closeup

Liz Phelps, p. 14

The March-April Theme Cooperation—an important concept for people anywhere, but espe­ cially for people in Appalachia. Cooperating with family and neigh­ bors is a long tradition in this area, and more and more groups and organizations are beginning to follow that same tradition. CAP is involved with several projects in which workers share information and resources with colleagues in similar fields of work. On page sixteen June Widman will tell you about the Eastern Kentucky Child Care Coalition, a group that formed to provide the best care possible for Appalachia’s children. CAP worker Jean Bames has proven that the best way to get a project done and get everyone involved is to ask everyone to contribute what they can. On the COVER, Jean spreads some hugs during outside play at the Eagle Child Development Center. On the BACK COVER, Sunshine Center students take a break from their bike-a-ton (photo by Lorraine Corsale).

Published by the Christian Appalachian Project. Editor: Margaret Gabriel. Advisory Board: Father Ralph W. Beiting, Mike McLaughlin, Rose Price, Bill Begley, Ike Adams, Kathleen Ford Leavell, Barbara Delmonico. Graphic Designer: Elizabeth Reed Miller. Circulation: Linda Grider East. 77i<? Mountain Spirit is published six times a year. The annual subscription price is $5.00. Subscriptions and other correspondence should be sent to The Mountain Spirit, Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, KY 40446. Copyright, 1991, The Christian Appalachian Project, Inc. Ah rights reserved. Member, Catholic Press Association. The Christian Appalachian Project is a non-profit Christian service organization operating throughout Appalachia. The project operates on the philosophy that “helping people help themselves” is the best approach to Appalachian poverty.

A Thought From the Editor Corsale

Ask any number of people how they think the problems of Appalachia might be solved, and you’re going to receive any number of answers. “More economic de­ velopment,” one person might say. “Better education,” you’ll hear from another. People whose families have been in the region for many generations might have an answer different from one that you’d hear from a more recent native. Some might say that people need to be able to get out of the area, to places that offer better employment opportunities. Others think people should have the resources to stay if they choose. Most will agree, however, that the problems of Ap­ palachia will only be solved through cooperation. When people, organizations, even governments work together, looking out for the good of the whole rather than the in­ dividual, progress is made, conditions are improved. Jean Bames (page four), manager of Eagle Child Development Center, CAP’s pre-school program in McCreary County, is living that sense of cooperation through her work with the center. From the beginning, Jean knew that success for a child development center in McCreary County would require cooperation of many organizations. As a participant in the Commonwealth Fellowship Program, Jean receives reinforcement from other people who believe that cooperation is a key, exchanging re­ sources and knowledge with other leaders in the area. They share their resources and knowledge with one goal in mind: to improve aspects of life in Kentucky which need to be improved. Jean and the others in the program know that through their cooperation, they are helping to make significant changes in Appalachia. In a story about the Eastern Kentucky Child Care Coalition, June Widman describes the cooperation of a number of organizations in the Appalachian region of Kentucky that work together to improve, and in some cases, provide, care for children of working parents. In some places, it is good child care that enables parents to work outside the home, reducing dependency on agen­ cies or government. In this instance, it is the coopera­ tion of human and economic development workers that will go a long way toward improving the atmosphere for job creation in Kentucky. Government, too, has a part to play in a cooperative effort. On a local level, small counties in Kentucky are learning to work together to provide services which would be impossible for a small county to provide. His-

March - April 1991

Margaret Gabriel (left) helps volunteers Carla Durand and Nancy Uschold draw water for Rosie Bowman of Rockcastle County.

torically, the 120 counties of Kentucky are fiercely au­ tonomous; for counties to work together to attract in­ dustry to their area, for instance, marks a new level of cooperation in the state. Not all of the cooperation that is needed comes from within the borders of Appalachia. The members of the CAP family in many places can cooperate, too. If you’d like to cooperate with CAP’s work in Appalachia, there are several ways you can help. First, you can help spread the word about conditions in Appalachia. If you’d like to share this magazine with a friend, please do, then drop us line and tell us about it—we ’11be happy to send you a replacement copy. Next, you can help with one of our most powerful tools—prayer. Can you imagine the impact if even half the readers of The Mountain Spirit prayed one minute a day for poor people everywhere? And finally, you might consider cooperating first hand by volunteering some time to come and work in Ap­ palachia. If you think that you might be interested in giving of your time—and yourself—for three weeks or more, let us know, and we’ll have a representative from the volunteer department send you information. All this discussion of cooperation makes me think of the state motto of Kentucky: “United we stand, divided we fall.” While it might be a little harsh to say that without cooperation we will fall, it is not harsh at all to say that without cooperation, it is doubtful that we in Appalachia will succeed, or even advance.

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What Are We Going to Do Next? Story and photos by Ike Adams W e often write in The Mountain Spirit about people making a difference in the lives of other people by helping them to help themselves. Years of effort are required before the results of that work start showing up and most often results are indicated by the interest of the people with whom CAP works. Folks will help start programs, and then involve themselves in new things to improve their lives. When workers at a child develop­ ment center succeed in winning the confidence of the community, parents of child development students of­ ten request CAP’s assistance with a program for teens or an education program for themselves. In the counties where CAP has many different programs, they have generally evolved in such a manner. The trick, of course, is winning that confidence and then having the vision, drive and motivation to channel it. Winning that confidence must be the job of a very special person. In 1987 one of CAP’s very special people ventured into the northeastern comer of McCreary County to explore the possibilities of establishing a child development center for some remote communities located in the rugged Daniel Boone National Forest. Jean Barnes’s accomplishments since that time offer a fine definition of cooperation. Through that sense of cooperation, people are beginning to feel more confident about the 4

ability to bring some positive change to one of the most impoverished and poorly educated counties in the United States. Ask Jean Bames about the parents of the children in the Eagle Child Development Center, and she’ll tell you, “They don’t know what to do next. They want to go out and have fun and do things that teenagers do. They see kids their age when they go to town and on television but they can’t relate to them because they skipped that part of their lives. These girls have laundry to do—and dishes and mopping and meals to cook when they aren’t taking care of their babies. Some of them have husbands and some still live at home with their parents, but they all have a lot more responsibility and a lot more weight to carry than people their age normally have enough ma­ turity to handle.” There is no frustration in her voice as Jean describes many of the mothers of the 32 children enrolled in Eagle Child Development Center which she established, and now manages, for CAP in McCreary County, Ken­ tucky. But it is clear that she acknowledges another gap in the social infra-structure of the Eagle community that her program simply doesn’t have the capacity to fill. As she goes about her schedule for the day, visions of a teen center and a high school equivalency program play in the back of her mind. The Mountain Spirit

“They don’t know what to do next, but you have to believe that having a place to socialize where they could have received some motivation and encouragement might have prevented them from dropping out of school or getting pregnant,” Jean says of the young people in the county. “It’s too late to do that for our mothers but it would be great for twelve-and-thirteen-year-olds who still have time to find out that they have alternatives. “It’s not too late for our mothers to get some more education, though, and I know that most of them would study for their GED with a little encouragement,” she determinedly insists. “That’s probably what they should be doing next.” The child development center that Jean Bames man­ ages is located just behind the Eagle community’s ele­ mentary school at the edge of a clearing deep within the Daniel Boone National Forest. The Forest Service owns the property on which both buildings are situated. Mature hardwoods border one side of the property and towering white pines on the other shed brown needles onto the playground. Large pileated woodpeckers, a rare and endangered species, occasionally glide through the timber. Whitetail deer and raccoon tracks are com­ mon in the parking lot.

visitor asks where they live. Together, these communi­ ties encompass a geography of ten square miles. They are knitted together with a network of winding moun­ tain roads that zigzag back and forth through the forest for a distance of more than 100 miles.

Eagle, because it has the school, is the center of several communities that have small populations of 100 to 300 or so residents each. Sawyer, Parker’s Lake, Beulah Heights, and Greenwood are the places that many of the children who attend the center will mention when a

There are, perhaps, 250 households in all five commu­ nities. Some are clustered in groups of three or four, but many houses are so isolated that it is not possible to see the closest neighbor’s home. Most of the residents live in older mobile homes or homesteads that have with-

Eagle is a favorite assignment among temporary volunteers. The children benefit from meeting people from many places around the country.

The playground at Eagle is another example of cooperative effort. A group of CAP volunteers built the rustic, Inviting equipment with the parents of the children who enrolled to begin when the center opened.

March - April 1991

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stood the test of time. The average family size is six. Few families have annual incomes exceeding $ 10,000. Most receive food stamps and many raise small vege­ table gardens for their sustenance. Meager subsidies from Social Security or the state provide minimal cash to make ends meet for most families. A few people are able to log or cut firewood through small contracts with the Forest Service but the work is sporadic and lowpaying at best. A few also travel to jobs “in town.” It is 15 crooked miles from Eagle to the nearest town (Whitley City, population about 1,000) and more than 20 from parts of Parker’s Lake and Sawyer. “Even when people do get out and find a job, it only pays minimum wage,” Jean notes, “and it simply isn’t possible to maintain a household and a reliable car at that income level. Several people around here have had jobs but they lost them after their car broke down a time or two. There are so many people looking for work that employers don’t have to contend with that problem and our people can’t afford to. “They don’t know what to do next.” But Jean Bames has some ideas. Jean came into Eagle four years ago because she loves children. She had worked in other early childhood centers and then spent more than two years as head teacher at the Children’s Discovery Center, CAP’s child development program 6

in Somerset where, she said “the poverty is of a much different nature than it is here. “In Somerset our families lived a hop and a jump from shopping malls and hospitals and schools and all sorts of services. For some people around Eagle, it’s ten miles to the nearest grocery store and most of the time it doesn’t have fresh meat or produce,” she notes. “CAP knew about the isolation here and we knew that there was a home visitation program run by two sisters that focused on young children. In fact, the nuns were encouraging us to start a child development center. I’m not sure whether I volunteered or whether someone talked me into looking around to see if we could get something started. Now we have the child development center going and I ’m still looking.” To start the center, Jean rode along with Sister Jean McCullough and visited, door to door, most of the families that live in Eagle and the surrounding commu­ nities. She learned to look for clotheslines to see if they contained anything that might fit a toddler she could stop to visit. If she saw a pre-schooler in the yard or on the porch, she stopped to talk with parents. She made trips to the Board of Education, the Cabinet for Human Resources and the Health Department. She became friends with the principal and several teachers at Eagle Elementary School. When she was finished, she knew the people who live in the community and she knew that The Mountain Spirit

they would respond to an early childhood education program. She went back to the Board of Education and negotiated an arrangement that enabled her to test that conclusion. Eagle School had a kindergarten classroom available on a half-time basis. Jean received permission to use that room to begin her program. The school system also agreed to provide utilities if CAP would staff the pro­ gram. Jean carried that news back to the parents. They had promised to help run the center if she could pull off her deal with the Board of Education of whom they had been skeptical that any cooperation might be forthcoming. But nearly 20 people enrolled children in the program and agreed to work two full days each month, helping run it. The program was so successful that it soon became obvious that the classroom would not be large enough to house it. It also needed its own space because of the time limitations that came with the classroom. Jean went back to the school board seeking permission to erect a building for the center on the school grounds and dis­ covered that the Forest Service actually owned the property. While they were all in favor of the center being built, the decision was not entirely up to the Board of Education.

house gets ransacked when folks are gone and we hear about it all the time. But we haven’t had a single breakin and I am absolutely convinced that it’s because this facility is viewed as something that belongs to every­ body. I’m convinced that it is common knowledge that what we do here for children is good and loving and people respect that. Sometimes when we have little events for parents, Grandma and Grandpa show up too—and aunts and uncles and older siblings. This really is their place and there is security for it because of that ownership,” Jean explains. Besides Jean, the center is staffed with a salaried teacher, Sue Keith, two full-time CAP volunteers, Laurie Eislep and Beth Dotson and a jack-of-all-trades, Dee Morrow, who drives the van, makes repairs and helps out with teaching chores. Two or three parents are also in the center every day to help with everything from meal preparation and household chores to play­ ground supervision and transportation assistance. As they become confident enough to do so, parents help with educational planning and instruction activities. “We need to add a room where we can put some adult­ sized furniture because we are starting to get enough people interested in parenting classes and our center isn’t appropriate for teaching them. Many of the par­ ents see what we are doing with the little ones and they like our style. They would like to use the discipline and

“We had a really difficult time dealing with the National Forest Service. We waited and waited and they couldn’t tell us anything. Paper work changed hands for months and they still wouldn’t say yes or no. Finally I called Congressman Harold Rogers [congressional represen­ tative from the fifth district of Kentucky] and explained the dilemma. “The Forest Service is still angry at us for pulling rank but it had gotten to be ridiculous. That was over two years ago and w e’d probably still be waiting if the congressman hadn’t become involved. They’re cooper­ ating real well with us now,” she notes and there is no malice in the statement. “Finally we received approval to put up this double­ wide trailer and then we went through weeks and weeks of waiting for the fire marshal and the licensing people to allow us to use it for a child development center. But now we have it up and going and I feel like we’re dug in for the long haul. The people who use this building feel like it is theirs and as far as I’m concerned, they’ve earned it,” she proclaims with satisfaction in her voice. “Breaking and entering is a crime that happens all the time in our neighborhood. It’s sad, but we seem to have lots of thieves around. The school gets broken into or a

March - April 1991

One can imagine that “Miss Jean” is often the recipient of children’s hugs.

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couldn’t be done,” she insists and the listener knows that Jean will figure out a way. In the summer of 1990, Jean heard about a fellowship program sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and carried out by the University of Kentucky that was aimed toward increasing the leadership capabilities of people who demonstrated long term commitment to causing change in their communities. Called the Commonwealth Fellowship Program, it operates out of the university’s Research and Graduate Studies Department and is limited to 40 students per annual session. Applicants are rigorously screened and the program is very selective. Jean Bames wrote on her application that she wanted to make a difference for the children who live around Eagle and she told about her child development center. She has been accepted as a Commonwealth Fellow because the university believes she can make a difference.

Eagle, as well as CAP’S other four child development centers, prepare children for public school, and work to give children high self-esteem.

“In the first place, I just feel very honored. This makes me feel very good and I ’m excited about it. Already we are learning the intricacies of Kentucky’s new Educa­ tion Reform Act and discussing ways to increase paren­ tal involvement in their schools. But it also gets me in touch with other people from all over the region who are doing all that they know how to do to improve things. Right now I’m just overwhelmed with all the possibili­ ties,” says Jean Bames and her eyes are sparkling.

guidance techniques that we use with their other chil­ dren who are too old or too young for our program. And, of course, we are already teaching some of that. “We just need to get better and we’re going to have to have some space to do it. W e’re already tutoring a few of the older children who have younger siblings in our program because they’re right on the verge of dropping out. It’s just something that has to be done,” she confi­ dently insists, and her voice rings with conviction that it will be done. Jean Bames does not know in precise terms what she is going to do next either, but it is abundantly clear to her that all the work that needs doing in Eagle and Sawyer and Beulah Heights and Greenwood and Parker’s Lake can’t be accomplished through just her child develop­ ment center. It’s also clear to her that nobody else in the community knows much about getting a teen center and a GED program established. “I wonder about programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon. Alcoholism is such a major symptom of poverty, especially among men, and women don’t know how to cope with them. And family planning. They are actually embarrassed to even discuss it be­ cause of their modesty, but that doesn’t mean that it 8

CAP’S child development centers begin enrolling children at age three. Some attend until they are five.

The Mountain Spirit

Letters Your magazine is one of the best (if not the best) down-to-earth maga­ zines I have ever read. I feel a real kinship to the people of Appalachia. My own grandparents and parents had very little money, but worked hard for what they had. And the most important thing I learned from them is that they cared enough to help others. So I try to follow in their foot­ steps. Florence Beard Spring City, PA I enjoy reading your magazine The Mountain Spirit and reading of the works that many people are doing to help the less fortunate. This past sum­ mer I read in my local paper that several youth groups had spent six weeks in various areas of Appalachia working on a special project and are looking forward to going back next summer. I know God will bless these young people. God bless you Father Beiting for all your work. Mary V. Alex Nografton, MA I surely count The Mountain Spirit as one of my blessings—it also makes me feel an important member of the Appalachian family. Frank Osborne Bluffton, OH

I read your magazine cover to cover, and enjoy every article. It keeps me in touch with the people my contri­ butions are helping. Continue your good work and God bless each and every one of you. Margaret Gauvin Southgate, MI I’ve been receiving The Mountain Spirit for many years now. It keeps me informed and in touch with CAP and the special mountain people it ministers to. I only wish I could be one of the many volunteers who work in this much needed project. God bless each and every one of these selfless people especially Father Beiting, who had the foresight, cour­ age and perservance to carry out this program of ministry to his special people.

At Christmas we reflect on the mindblowing mystery that God took on our human nature. That makes each of us so honored. Supporting your work is a most appropriate way for me to celebrate Christmas. The way you enable those you help to become helpers inspires me in my own innercity work. Margaret Johnson Arlington, MA

Marilyn Quigley Buffalo, MN

Thank you for helping those less fortunate. The volunteers and staff of CAP do such a great job. I know it makes the Lord happy to see such dedication. You are all truly filled with the Holy Spirit.

You are doing a great work for God. He will reward you and your people. May you increase and prosper in all that you do.

Diane & Larry Harlow Bethel, OH

Gladys Hodges Lakewood, CA

It is so interesting to read about all the people in Appalachia and they become friends. It is my pleasure to be able to be of help in a small way. God bless all who make this possible for me.

I have been receiving The Mountain Spirit for a year now. I have read each article, able to feel the love and work each and every one of you are doing there. Many times I have wished I could be there working side by side with each one of you but our lives take many directions and often the demands placed on us are many. My prayers are with you in all that you do. Keep up the good work. God loves you all.

Through The Mountain Spirit I have grown very close to the mountain people and hope someday to be able to visit and work with them.

Mary Jo Miller Erlanger, KY

Teri Ferguson Cedar Rapids, IA

March - April 1991

The breadth and comprehensive scope of CAP’s services astounds me. It is clear from your articles and stories in The Mountain Spirit that the dignity of each person is as ten­ derly nurtured as their immediate needs for food or shelter.

Mrs. E. Wolbert Whiting, NJ

I wouldn’t want to miss an issue of The Mountain Spirit. It is an inspira­ tion to groups trying to build selfhelp in communities, and pride in individuals. I pray for your continued success! Nan Wilson St. Mary ’s City, MD Letters to the editor are wel­ come. 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 Ap­ palachian Project, 322 Crab Or­ chard Road, Lancaster, Ken­ tucky 40446.

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Around the Project Tournament Sponsored in California Linda Montoya, Covina, California, has been sending a few dollars to CAP for 10 or 12 years. “Then, in the last year I had a couple of traumatic experiences, and I saw the blessings I’d been given in the last year,” she said. Linda and her family have traveled in Kentucky during trips to the South, and “I saw things that didn’t leave my soul,” Linda said. “Then when I wanted to do something to return my blessings, CAP popped up as #1.” Bowling is “our big thing, sport-wise in this area,” Linda said, so she de­ cided to organize a bowling tourna­ ment, with the proceeds benefitting CAP. Thirty-three bowlers bought tickets to the event in early Decem­ ber, 1990, which entitled them to three games of bowling and a chance at the big raffle. Covina Bowl, the bowling alley in Covina, supplied trophies and bowling shoes, in addi­ tion to allowing Linda and the bene­ fit committee to use the alley.

by the CAP News Service

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Warner Brothers Studio made con­ tributions this year, and Linda re­ ceived pledges from others, includ­ ing the Los Angeles Rams, for 1991. “We definitely plan to have a second annual event,” Linda said. “I ’m not an affluent person, but I have it a whole lot better off than a lot of people. I’m troubled to see the pov­ erty level in the United States of America. I bum inside when I see children going to school not properly clothed and hungry. I want to be able to give children confidence that they can leam, and I’ll continue to work here as much as I can.”

Teens Help Collect Garbage Kentucky’s “Adopt-A-Highway” program has some new participants in Garrard County—the young people from the Garrard Teen Cen­ ter. “I noticed a sign that said “Adopt-AHighway” on top, with the name of an organization on the bottom, and

wondered what it was about,” said Theresa Toler, coordinator of the teen center. She called the Kentucky Department of Highways, learned that a two-mile stretch of US Highway 27, not far from the center, had not been adopted so the teen center applied for the pro­ gram, and received the contract. “W e’ve agreed to take on the project for two years, picking up litter as often as we think it’s necessary. The highway department lets us use safety vests and signs that say ‘Shoulder Work.’ Then they collect what we pickup. We try to get out about once a month, after school on a Tuesday.” Theresa said that depending on the weather, as many as eight teens take part in the project every month.

CAP Celebrates Nutrition Month Each month Wendy French, coordi­ nator of CAP’s elderly program, and the workers in each county gather the people who participate in the pro­ gram for activities. In recognition of National Nutrition Month during March, Wendy has planned several activities and speakers concerning diet and exercise for the 216 elderly people from six counties who partici­ pate in the program. In 1990, the focus on nutrition re­ ceived such good comments from evaluations, Wendy decided to re­ peat the focus for 1991. “Everyone enjoyed the recipes, and tips about cooking a ‘healthy heart’ diet,” Wendy said.

Linda Montoya (in the reindeer costume) organized a bowling tournament to benefit CAP. “We had a great time and definitely plan to have a ‘second annual’,” Linda said.

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“This year, Nancy Uschold [a CAP volunteer who is a physical therapist] is going to show the folks about the kinds of exercises they can do to keep physically fit.” The Mountain Spirit

around the project. . . continued

CHAP Gives Présentions in Two Counties The community health advocates in both Floyd and Magoffin counties work to educate people in the coun­ ties about monitoring their own health and learning ways they can prevent rather than cure disease. Since 1986 when the Community Health Advocates Program began in Floyd County, it has designed pres­ entations for various age and interest groups, tailoring the program as needs are perceived and assistance is requested. As a result of a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation CHAP ex­ panded into Magoffin County in 1989 with health programs and presenta­ tions similar to those in Floyd County. John Tippett, a volunteer from Mary­ land with a background in environ­ mental science, began working with CHAP in the fall of 1990. ‘T v e been giving presentations at the Martin Youth Center, and Kathy [DiSalvo, program manager] has been going to the teen center,” John said. Kathy recently made a presentation at the teen center on AIDS that in­ cluded a film and a discussion. Young people at the Martin Youth Center enjoyed John’s presentation about the structure and function of the heart.

During this presentation each student puts one shoe in the basket. The CHAP worker demonstrates that the unique qualities of each shoe are sim ilar to the unique qualities of people. The students told the class why they liked themselves as they reclaimed their shoes.

short while) and dental hygiene. Workers in the county are enthusias­ tic about their support from local teachers and school officials.

Local Volunteers Work in Floyd County The emergency assistance program in Floyd County has had an upswing in local volunteerism recently. Since September, 1990, over 200 hours of volunteer time has been donated by folks who have received help through CAP emergency assistance loans. “I think it’s only right to help CAP— they helped me when I needed it,” said Patricia Cobb. Patty first came to CAP in June of 1990, when she needed a car seat for her six-monthold daughter, Kelly.

“Some of the kids took other kids’ blood pressure. It made them feel like they were doing something re­ ally important. When a kid with no goals and low self-esteem has an ex­ perience like that, it’s important. You never know, but it might help them decide what they want to do.”

Almost every Wednesday, Patty appears at 8:00 a.m. to “help out.” Other workers say they enjoy Patty’s company as she takes on the tasks of sweeping, preparing food boxes, un­ loading trucks or sorting donations of clothes and toys.

In Magoffin County, school presen­ tations include units dealing with self-esteem (which involve each child surrendering one shoe for a

Agnes Younce had her first contact with CAP in 1988 when her sons attended the CAP Youth Center at Wheelwright, Kentucky. A lot has

March - April 1991

happened in her life since then, but one of the most positive is her enroll­ ment in college and her determina­ tion to become a registered nurse. She completed the first semester with a 3.0 average in December of 1990 and shared the good news with all her friends at CAP. “I know I have to get my degree to be able to find a good paying job and support my boys. I like helping here at CAP—it’s hard work, but I’m used to that! Everyone here is so nice! I keep busy and the day just flies by,” Agnes said. Recently Agnes’s caseworker at CAP, Katie Newsome, referred her to the Parent/Homemaker Program at Prestonsburg Community College where she will be in contact with more community resources, coun­ seling services, and a support group made up of people with goals similar to hers. Some volunteers, like Diana, have never had any help at all from CAP. She has a part-time job and all her children are grown. Diana heard of CAP through a friend that received milk and clothing for her children. Diana said that she wanted to help out because she knows “that CAP is doing good work in the community and I want to be a part of it.” 11

around the project. . . continued

AA and Al-Anon Groups Begin in Mount Vernon The efforts of some parents of young people in CAP’s Rockcastle Teen Center and Ginny Gilpatrick, the program coordinator, have resulted in chapters of Alcoholics Anony­ mous and Al-Anon, the first ever in the county. “This program has been great,” Ginny said. “Many of our kids have alcohol problems in their families. When they find out about this, they want to come. “I’m terribly excited about it—it’s almost like a missing link. We have kids who ’ve been through a recovery program, but don’t have any follow­ up. The adults who come have a good attitude toward the kids, too.” One Friday night a parent brought her children in for junior high night. Ginny was short-staffed that night, and asked the mother if she could spend a couple of hours at the center. Shortly after, the woman mentioned that she had tried with little success to begin an AA chapter at the Family Life Center. Ginny learned that she had been a resident at Family Life Services after time at a treatment center in London, Kentucky. Ginny recognizes the problem involved with trying to treat the problems of alcoholics with no support system. “This was an answer to a prayer,” Ginny said. “She’s down-to-earth and really smart. Anyone could re­ late to her.” The Al-Anon program, too, started with the interest of a mother whose husband is a recovering alcoholic. Ginny believes that through Alco­ holics Anonymous and Al-Anon, the Rockcastle Teen Center is becoming more of a presence in the commu­ nity, and recognized as a viable pro­ gram.

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In its first four years, the Berea Attic moved five times, but it has called Appalachian Village, on Highway 25 home since 1970. Here, Doris Anglin arranges merchandise in the “old days.”

Berea Attic Celebrates 25 Years The Attic in Berea, Kentucky, the oldest in CAP’s chain of used cloth­ ing stores, celebrates its 25th anni­ versary the week of March 10, with the grand finale on March 16. Each of the five stores in the chain will have sales all through the week, and on Saturday, the store in Berea plans to have coffee and cake, balloons, music and prizes. Attic manager Doris Anglin has been with the stores almost since the be­ ginning, starting as a volunteer, when Father Beiting asked her to take some clothing to a store that was being used at the time, set it up and wait for the lady who ran the store. The lady didn’t come that day, nor the next, and before she knew it, Doris was running a used clothing store. “I can’t tell you how many people have told me that if this store wasn’t here, they couldn’t send their kids to school with shoes,” Doris said. “And we see a lot of lower middle class people, people who have a lot of kids. How could they buy Nikes for all those kids to go to school? They couldn’t, so they come here. “We see a lot of community support from wealthy people, too,” Doris

said, “people who shop here because they know we need their support, and because they feel good about what we do with the money they spend.” Doris and the other Attic store man­ agers are looking forward to the anniversary celebration, and hope for another 25 years of service to the community.

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around the project. . . continued

G ift A n n u it ie s

Sarah Dixon, manager of Ihe Children's Discovery Center, purchased coats for several children for Christmas with a gift from Martha Lester in honor of Allison Wilson.

“The Other Side of the Mountain” CAP recently received a letter from Martha Lester of South Boston, Vir­ ginia, with a gift honoring the new­ born daughter of a doctor who showed Martha a great deal of kind­ ness during a recent illness. “In 1953,1 was eight years old. My mother was from Kentucky, and my grandmother had died. It was Febru­ ary and we were on our way from Virginia to my grandmother’s fu­ neral. As we reached the mountain­ ous area in Eastern Kentucky it be­ gan to snow and sleet. “We went up an incline that passed an overlook stop and in the blowing snow stood a little girl waiting for the school bus. She was about my age, but very thin. I could see she had on a flour sack cotton dress, worn little brown lace-up shoes, and thin white socks that barely came up to her ankles. For a coat, she wore a sheep­ skin cape, not made as a finished cape, with buttons and a hood, only a raw, tanned hide pulled around her and held together by hands with no gloves. “I recall that I jumped up from the back seat, begged my daddy to stop March - April 1991

so I could give her my coat, for I had several with me, and he told me he could not do that at that time. I watched her until we drove around the snake-like curve that wound around the mountain, then fell back into the seat of the car and cried! I so wanted to give the little girl my coat! I had so much and she had so little. “When I learned that Dr. Wilson’s little girl had been bom, into my mind flashed the same thought: little Allison will have so much, and some little girls CAP cares for will have so little. My memory of the little girl in the sheepskin cape popped into my mind and my heart. I knew that I wanted to send some money for winter coats to be given in honor of Allison. Allison will probably never know about life ‘on the other side of the mountain,’ but I do, and I felt very good about wanting to donate something towards this cause. As you said in your letter recently, thank­ ing me formy orderfor a wreath, ‘It’s the kind of compassion brothers and sisters show for one another.’” Sarah Dixon, manager of CAP’S child development center in Pulaski County, purchased several coats with Martha’s gift. When she talked to the store manager, and told him of her project, he was moved to give two additional coats.

A gift annuity to the Chris­ tian A ppalachian P roject will help us continue to provide em ploym ent opportunities to A ppalachian people. This ac­ tivity is an essential p art o f o u r m ission to help people help themselves. But, w hat is a gift annuity? It’s a legal agreem ent by which you m ake a gift to CAP and re­ ceive a g u aran teed life incom e in return. For a m ore com plete expla­ nation, write today for your free copy o f “Giving T hro u g h Gift A nnuities” by filling o u t the co upon below an d enclos­ ing it in the envelope provided. Clip an d send N am e______ A d d re ss-----C ity ________ State, Z ip __ Date o f Birth T elephone _ 13

The CAP Closeup

Helping People Make It On Their Own: Liz Phelps by the CAP News Service Photos by Margaret Gabriel 6<-L/iz, T do you think that these 8 or 9 women would have been able to go to college, if they hadn’t had the support of Family Life Services?” “I don’t think they would have even tried,” she re­ sponded immediately. Liz Phelps manages Family Life Services, a residential program at CAP’s Family Life Center. FLS helps people make life transitions: from dependency or co­ dependency to independence. Single adults and fami­ lies live together at FLS, each with a set of goals which they design to in order to be able to maintain their own home. An average of two referrals each month come from CAP spouse abuse shelters. Other residents might be people who have been evicted from rented homes, referrals from a detox center in London, Kentucky, or simply a single mother who is unable to provide for her family with a minimum wage job or welfare. The average stay for a resident at FLS is 67 days. During that time, they work toward enabling them­ selves to live independently and productively. Nine of the women who have been through the program in its three years of existence attend Eastern Kentucky Uni­ versity, living with and supporting their children in Richmond, Kentucky.

14

Liz Phelps

“A couple of them stopped by this morning, sharing their grades and their ups and downs, which is kind of neat to see,” Liz said, “It’s neat to see the impact the program has had on different people.” Liz said that one of the women “was simply terrified of a university of 14,000 or 15,000 people.” Liz relates well to people in this situation because, “even I was in culture shock when I went [to EKU] and I thought I got out a lot!” Originally from Pulaski County, Kentucky, Liz gradu­ ated from EKU in 1984 with a degree in recreation and a minor in psychology. After working the summer after graduation at a recreation complex in western Ken­ tucky, Liz took several months to assess her options, then answered CAP’s ad for a recreation coordinator at the Family Life Center. As recreation coordinator, Liz started a day camp which still operates out of the FLS facility. During the last two summers the camp was managed by an FLS worker, in cooperation with workers from several other programs. “I gave it up the last two years, but it was sort of a baby that I started and nurtured.” Cooperation is the name of the game for Liz, and for Family Life Services, as they work with people who have been involved in other CAP programs, as well as The Mountain Spirit

folks from state and private agencies. “CAP is starting to be more involved in Mount Vernon,” Liz said. “The Family Life Center School has done a tremendous job with Bige Towery [the superintendent of Rockcastle County schools] and the board of education, which has helped all of us. “W e’ve gotten some good referrals from agencies around here, plus there have been some more things that have opened up, like the REAP [Rockcastle Emer­ gency Assistance Program] food bank. I think CAP’S involved a little bit, maybe, in getting them hooked up to places they can get food, but it’s not seen as a CAP program. Rockcastle County is doing it. “I’ve seen a lot more cooperation in the five years that I’ve been here, Liz said. “I think it’s been because of everybody.” There’s also been an increase in the amount of respect for CAP and its workers, Liz said. “Local people’s attitudes are a lot different now. Yeah, we’re still referred to as ‘the Catholics in the valley’,” Liz the Baptist pointed out. “I had a girl come out for an interview one day, and she thought we were going to be nuns dressed in black, and I had on blue jeans. That has shifted to tolerance, and some respect. And it’s hap­ pened because we’ve started to become more involved.” Despite what seems to be a total involvement with her work at FLS, Liz enjoys the great Kentucky wilder­ ness—her major in recreation had an emphasis on the outdoors. “Of course, I live in town now, but I like to get out in the yard. I used to live on a farm—I rented a basement of a house and had access to the farm. Now I usually drive out in the county, or to one of the state parks. I like outdoor sports, white water canoeing. Anything but basketball.” Liz took piano lessons from the time that she was five until she was 17, but claims no special talent for the instrument. “I played a lot in church, and my sister and I used to sing. “So, I do a mixture of things. I like getting out, but there are days when I like to come home and just stick my head in a book. That’s how I get away from things.” Cooking, too, is one of Liz’ special pleasures, a talent which comes in handy at Family Life Services, she says. “Sometimes I ’ll work weekends or weeknights, and I like to teach these folks. They get so excited about learning things, and that’s another part of sharing with them. They say ‘Wow, you do all these things for yourself?’ And you show them that a person can make it on her own. You don’t have to depend on other people. It’s nice to have that, but if that means you have

March - April 1991

can accomodate twenty people, including adults and children. With eight bedrooms, the household usually consists of six adults and their children.

to give up your own life, no. I ’m able to demonstrate that, and I think some of them are a little envious.” When she answered an ad for a recreation coordinator in 1984, she said “I never thought I ’d be doing this!” and since that time, Liz has started to leam to separate her work from her personal feelings. “There are days that I go home, and I wonder if I’m going to be able to come back the next day. You can get really hooked emotionally, and it’s something that I’ve had to leam to be aware of, and to teach the staff, too. That’s not to say that we turn cold-hearted, but you’ve got to be able to do it. “I guess I’m still working on it, because I ’ve been in a couple of situations where I really got attached. At­ tached, in a way that people weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing, or were only doing some­ thing to please me. You have to stay in tune with what’s happening with you and with them. If they’re not used to having that kind of support or that kind of family environment you have to put out what we call ‘those little flags.’ You pay attention to the red ones and go with the green ones.” 15

Marshall

Coordinate. Cooperate. Collaborate.

by June Widman

JX elly and Paul arrived at the block area at the same time, each with an idea about what to create that day. There was plenty of space and plenty of blocks, so they independently set about working, building and stack­ ing, arranging, imagining and creating. Paul was using long blocks to make a road. Soon he was in Kelly’s territory where she was working on a tall building. Paul had been absorbed in his task and Kelly in hers, and they had not spoken during their block play. “I need those,” Paul said, pointing at two long blocks Kelly had used in her structure. Kelly’s response was a simple but emphatic “NO!” Sensing the need for an adult to mediate, the nearby teacher joined the children in the block area and said, “Wow, you two have really been busy! I wonder how we can cooperate and see what else we can make?” With minimal direction, the children responded to the challenge of using the rest of the blocks to complete a town—each building on the other’s idea. Their coop­ erative effort even included putting away all the blocks together when it was time to clean up. Coordinate. Cooperate. Collaborate. These words have taken on new significance in light of dwindling human services. The words conjure up visions of people work­ ing together, though. Although it is a concept that we expect children like Paul and Kelly to grasp, for adults the concept is easier discussed than accomplished. 16

For organizations to work together effectively, many factors must be in place. Whether or not they realize it, before they can combine resources, organizations must share common goals. In the case of human service groups, the needs of the people being served must be seen in the same light and solutions must have the guidance of a similar philosophy. Second, groups must be able to communicate. When communication is es­ tablished, groups can move toward coordination. Webster tells us that coordinate means “to bring into proper order or relation; adjust.” But even when agen­ cies agree to come together to work toward a common goal, all agree that adjustments are needed. With the preliminary factors in place, the stage is set for cooperation. Again from Webster, “cooperate—to act or work together with another or others.” What a wonderful concept! So wonderful in fact, that it’s part of CAP’S Mission Statement: “We seek to promote a spirit of tolerance (respect) and cooperation among religious and humanitarian groups in Appalachia and will support other such groups where possible.” When my husband and I first came to CAP as volun­ teers ten years ago, we were strongly encouraged by Father Beiting, CAP’s founder, to work with other folks in the area who had similar goals. This led first to our association with HEAD (Human/Economic Appa­ lachian Development) and the group’s interest in the area of agriculture. Later we became involved with the Kentucky River Foothills Development Council where The Mountain Spirit

we were able to expand on their concept of a seed distribution program. When I began working in a CAP child development center, I was always encouraged to participate in events that brought people who were involved in early childhood education together to share information, concerns and resources.

the rural United States, concerns involving quality, availability and affordability of child care continue to be problems. Quality of care relates to available train­ ing opportunities, education, resources and funding. In CAP’s service area, all of these factors are generally lacking.

Workers from various counties in our outreach pro­ grams participate regularly in the monthly meetings of the inter-agency councils in their respective areas, fin­ ishing our three-pronged concept. These meetings are truly collaborative efforts (collaborate: to work jointly with others, especially in an intellectual endeavor). Generally at these meetings, representatives from each of the different service agencies in a county come to­ gether to share information about the services they are currently providing. This collaboration has meant that each agency’s resources can go a little further and therefore more people can be helped.

Availability of care is tied both to potential child care providers and families in need of care. It is not eco­ nomically feasible for large child care centers to oper­ ate in small rural communities. Where they do exist, transportation is often a problem as are hours of opera­ tion. For the low-income worker, the cost of reliable child care can be prohibitive. The barriers to good quality, available, affordable care in the mountain areas are enormous, but the need only grows greater.

To focus back on child development, though, a truly concrete example of cooperation can be seen in the formation of the Eastern Kentucky Child Care Coali­ tion (EKCCC). I’ve been part of a process that has brought folks together from organizations with similar philosophies and it’s been both exciting and satisfying. The excitement comes from the positive energy gener­ ated when we gather monthly; the satisfaction, from seeing some fruits of our labor. An understanding of the status of child care in the Appalachian region of Kentucky helps one to under­ stand how the coalition came to be. As in many parts of

Part of the Family Support Act (also known as welfare reform) sets up a system for people who receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children to begin to work their way off of welfare rolls. For single mothers, this can only be accomplished when appropriate child care is in place. In the more isolated areas, the most appro­ priate form of child care would be smaller family day care homes. With adequate training and resources, these homes could answer the rural child care need as well as provide a source of income for the women who run the homes. Thus, appropriate child care becomes an economic development issue in addition to a human development issue. The very fact that the child care issue crossed the lines of two CAP department gave birth to the Eastern KenGabriel

Don Manning-Miller, organizer for the Eastern Kentucky Child Care Coalition, talks with Denise Wainscoti, director of a community action agency in Knott County that sponsors Head Start. In the past year Denise has been recruiting women interested in becoming small family day care providers. The coalition believes that home providers may be the answer to the problems of child care in Appalachia.

March - April 1991

17

In order to move toward cooperation, we first had to get to know each other. The original group consisted of five people representing four organizations. There was a di­ rector of a group of folks who have been working for years to empower parents in children’s education, com­ munity education, adult education (GED) and many other programs in Jackson and Clay counties. Also present was the manager of the community loan fund which was part of an organization that could empower low-income folks through technical assistance and loans for small business development. There was a rep­ resentative from Hazard who had worked as a consult­ ant providing technical assistance to day care centers as small businesses. And there were two of us from CAP, supporting economic development of the region and bringing many years of experience working with and supporting parents in their role as their children’s first teacher.

The Whitley County Communities for Children provides pre-school programs in a small county in the southeastern part of the state.

As we saw the need to first coordinate our efforts (remember Webster: “to bring into proper order or relation; adjust”), we tried to incorporate more repre­ sentatives. Soon the director of a group of folks in Whitley County who work on a variety of human and economic development issues joined us. He had knowl­ edge to share concerning health education for new parents, adult education, the Heifer Project (a livestock program), and other opportunities in addition to child

Marshall

tucky Child Care Coalition. Ric Armstrong, a CAP worker who was exploring economic development opportunities in several counties, kept bumping up against the child care problem. As he was gathering data related to child care, he asked me to share informa­ tion and knowledge concerning child care costs and regulations with the groups he was serving. Before long, Ric asked if I would meet with some people from several different agencies so we could share our per­ spectives on child care. The minutes from that first meeting titled the group “Daycare Technical Assis­ tance Working Group.” The group’s beginning was a result of several inde­ pendent grass-roots type organizations working with low-income folks and arriving at a similar point around the same time. Each group had independently come to the conclusion that for economic development or prog­ ress in the rural areas to occur, the issue of affordable, accessible child care had to be addressed. Each of the founding organizations had been linked to at least one of the other organizations in some way, prior to becom­ ing part of the child care coalition. Most of the organi­ zations had long-term experience working with the Appalachian children and families. 18

AT CAP’S Sunshine Center, children are given time for creative expression, as well as more cognitive skills.

The Mountain Spirit

Adams

In addition to school-based programs, Whitley County has a “School on Wheels” in which teachers also Instruct parents in ways to prepare their children to succeed in public schools.

development. Representatives of two organizations that sponsor Head Start in nine different counties joined in. Head Start is a child development program that dates back to the War on Poverty. Communication and organization were the keys to getting this group of very busy people together often enough to actually incorporate as a separate identity— the Eastern Kentucky Child Care Coalition. As we met, we confirmed the similarity of our basic philosophies, and concluded that we had been working with the same paucity of resources, conditions and factors. Perhaps together we could be a voice that would be heard, an agent that could effect change. At the very least, we felt that together we had a better chance of pulling in more resources and making child care information more available to prospective providers. With this in mind, we set about educating ourselves. We brought in a speaker from North Carolina who had helped to start a rural day care association. We heard from the director of the child care support center for Save the Children Federation in Atlanta on sponsoring and supporting family day care homes. We listened to Kentucky folks from Frankfort (our state capital) on how to become sponsors for the USD A food program and work with small family day care homes. We asked a representative to speak to us about the Family Sup­ port Act, including the JOBS program. Once all of these pieces of information were in place, we decided to hire a full-time organizer who could fit the pieces together to get the results we were looking for: first, an increase in quality, affordable, accessible March - April 1991

child care in the areas we serve, and second, a voice for rural child care concerns. Last September we had the good fortune to hire Don Manning-Miller, who came to us with years of experi­ ence in community development and organization. Don worked with the first Head Start program in Missis­ sippi, and has helped in many aspects of small business development. He came to us with just the right combi­ nation of experience and knowledge to satisfy our needs. Don set to work immediately getting to know the work, goals and philosophies of each of the member groups, as he met people active in child care issues from the state level. Before long, our coalition was being recog­ nized as a voice for the concerns of rural child care. Don also got the EKCCC approved as a sponsor for the food program so that we can be a means of providing addi­ tional income to small family day care home providers (reimbursing them for serving nutritious meals to the children in their care). As a coalition, cooperation has meant sharing informa­ tion, expertise, funding sources, training opportunities, and the results of our experiences. In January of 1991, we came together for a day to clarify our mission and set goals for the future. The excitement continues for me as I see this group of dedicated individuals struggling to make Eastern Kentucky an even more wonderful place for children to grow. With kids like Kelly and Paul learning about cooperation as three-year-olds, perhaps they will carry that knowledge into adulthood and coalitions will be the norm instead of the exception. 19

See What We Can Accomplish?

by Margaret Gabriel

.LJoris Kincaid, a VISTA volunteer who works with the Bath County Literacy Council, enjoys talking about the students in the program: adults who are learning to read, improving their skills, or working on high school certification. “If you start talking about students, you could go on all day,” she said. “Our oldest student was 67 years old and had just retired. He wanted to leam to read by the fire. He learned enough to read his paper, and that was enough to meet the need.”

The community became, and has continued to be, involved in the council through its advisory board, made of up Bath County citizens in various occupa­ tions. “W e’ve been operating for three years, so we’ve had quite a few different people serve,” Doris said. Cur­ rently, the mayor of Owingsville, Kentucky (the county seat), the county home agent, bankers, a student and several tutors are a few of the 15 board members, who serve a three year term. Nominations for new board members come from the community at-large. The Kentucky Commission for Literacy provides fund­ ing for a coordinator, and in cooperation with Morehead State University, the council received a grant from VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America). “Shirley Hamilton, with the office of regional development at Morehead, has supported us with workshops on organ­ izing programs,” Doris said. VISTA volunteers, as well as university employees, attend workshops which have included sessions on grant writing, assertive action and telephone manners. The sessions give tutors in Bath County the ability to provide education for over 2500 people who have not finished eighth grade, to tutor non-readers in literacy skills and help those who have not finished high school prepare for the high school equivalency test. The literacy council is restricted from accepting stu­ dents who could graduate with their high school class, but has a total of 50 students in three categories. Twelve are non-readers; those with skills up to grade five. Twenty have skills from grades six to eight and are enrolled in ABE (adult basic education). Eighteen are GED students, work­ ing on high school certifi­ cation.

The Bath County Literacy Council illustrates in a classic fashion the type and amount of work that can be accomplished when people, organizations and agen­ cies work together. In 1986 Doris watched a telethon for the Kentucky Literacy Commission. “That stayed with me and I knew I wanted to work with people on a reading program.” Doris has no formal background in education, although her husband is a retired Bath County school superintendent.

Tutors instruct non-read­ ers in the Laubach method, a system devised by Frank Laubach when he was teaching English in the Philippines. The method, geared for students who have no experience with written language, concen­ trates heavily on phonics and repetition.

She made a presentation concerning a literacy council to the local library board and received a tremendous amount of cooperation. “We worked out of the library for a year,” Doris said.

In an initial interview with a student, Doris or another worker leams his or her education goal, and works

20

The Mountain Spirit

to help the student meet that goal, like the man who wanted to leam to read after his retirement. “We had one young man who refused to study—he just wanted to leam enough to get his driver’s license, so that was the only thing he would study,” Doris said. “Even though that was the only thing he was studying, we think he was learning in spite of himself. “Many of our students want to leam to read so they can read the Bible. Another lady wanted to teach Sunday School and needed to leam to read. And she did, too. She’s reading on the fourth grade level, and she’s teaching Sunday School at her church.” The council has had an influx of students recently, Doris said, because of the new education bill intro­ duced in Kentucky. The bill requires workers for the school system (the largest employer in several coun­ ties) to have a high school diploma or a GED, “so we had quite a few bus drivers and cooks enter our pro­ gram,” Doris said. Other students inquired about GED and literacy when a factory in Owingsville closed, leaving 340 people in the county unemployed. “Some people had been work­ ing there for 18 to 20 years. They were left in a whole new atmosphere; getting a job isn’t like it used to be.” To help folks relocate into the job market, in addition to providing tutoring free-of-charge, the council started a

job search program, and held workshops on personal appearance, resume writing, how to fill out a job application, and other skills required to re-enter the workforce. The Christian Appalachian Project is another of the resources that the Bath County Literacy Council has used for funding. Ben Pogue, a Disciples of Christ minister and long-time friend of CAP, filled in for a Bath County minister one Sunday, and spoke about Ap­ palachia and programs that were available in the area. CAP was one of those programs, and after hearing about its human development grant program, Doris applied for funds for a copier. The council has also received funds for operating expenses. “And Glen [Taul, CAP’s public relations manager] called once, and asked me if we needed extra money for the year. I still think he had been talking to Ben, and knew that I was in a bind. He really helped me out that year,” Doris said. Doris thought for a moment when asked about a student who came to mind as a great “success story.” “One of our students is a 39-year-old lady who was brain damaged as a baby. Her sister asked us to work with her. She’d been involved in a program for handi­ capped adults, but couldn’t read and was very intro­ verted. When we first met and interviewed, the lady wouldn’t look at me. She would answer my questions, but she looked right at her sister when she did. Her com­ munication was very limited. “Well, she’s been with us for three years, and she’s reading on a second grade level, and she counts with an abacus. She’s gone into a store and picked out a workbook that she needed, counted out her money and paid for it. Things that other people take for granted have become very special to her. Before, she never communicated, but now she calls the senior citizens center to get a ride into town. Before she never did any­ thing for herself. Now she even sings solos in the church choir.” While other “success stories” for the Bath County Literacy Council might not seem quite so dramatic, Doris guarantees that each and every one of the current students, and those who have been involved since its in­ corporation in May of 1987, have had lives touched in some way because of an improvement in literacy and education.

Left to right: VISTA volunteer Doris Kincaid, Morehead State University worker Jackie Scott, and volunteers Rita Manley and Janie Jones.

March - April 1991

21

What A Year! by Mike McLaughlin

J anuary 2,1990: We were having an employee fringe benefit meeting when CAP’s vice-president of admini­ stration, Walt Jaeger, came in halfway through the meeting and beckoned to me. He looked shaken, I thought, as I met him outside the door, though maybe it was because of the cold temperature outside. He had just received a phone call from Mike Sanders, director of CAP’S operations in Martin, with the message that Father Beiting had fallen asleep at the wheel of his van and had driven up behind, and then under, a coal truck on the Daniel Boone Parkway near Hazard. Mike was on the scene about 15 minutes after it happened, and now, an hour later, Father Beiting was still pinned in the wreckage beneath the truck. Mike said Father Beiting was conscious and able to talk, but was obviously in serious shape and was worried about the wreckage catching on fire before he could get out. Fire control people were on the scene, though, and we hoped they

22

could prevent any serious fire from ruptured fuel tanks or hot engine oil leakage. I collected myself for some minutes, struggled with my feelings, and then as I could, I let the gathered employ­ ees know what Fd just been told. To be reassuring, I tried to let them know what a strong old buzzard he was. This wasn’t the first time he’d been in a serious acci­ dent. I knew of about five during the ‘70s and ‘80s, nearly all caused by his falling asleep, and he always seemed to have more Irish luck than any Irishman I knew (and he’s not even Irish!). This time, however, I knew already he wouldn’t be so lucky. I wondered what he was thinking, now, this very minute. I doubted he was worrying about living or dying: I ’ve come to realize he is prepared for death. One of my strongest recollections from my early days with The Mountain Spirit

CAP, some 15 years ago, was a time when he developed a terrible canker sore in the back of his mouth and on his tongue. It wouldn’t heal, and the doctors began to worry about cancer. The message came through loud and clear to me that if God wanted to call Father Beiting home, then he was ready on that score. By the standards of most people’s lives, he had already lived a productive and satisfying life. His concern would not be for himself or his death at all. It would be for the great unfinished work that remained to be done. It would be for those he loved, and especially the poor. Throughout the rest of the day I was posted on his status. First he was freed from being pinned beneath the truck, then taken to Hazard Community Hospital. I learned the extent of his injuries: a badly mangled right leg and kneecap, with open wounds and loss of flesh; a seriously hurt wrist and immobility of one arm; bleeding from his mouth and tongue and some pretty loose teeth; and a broken nose. Still he was alive, and as the day wore on we began to feel relieved that it wasn’t any worse. January 3: I drove to Hazard to see Father Beiting. Usually I phone him on January 1 to wish him a happy birthday. Somehow or other we didn’t made the connec­ tion this year, and I felt regretful. On my two hour-plus drive I reflected that it was just little more than a year that I had visited him in Pikeville Methodist Hospital where he was having minor surgery. That experience went well and was nicely handled, and I hoped this one would, too. Father looked pale, and pretty beat up. It was hard for him to talk with his mouth full of lacerations and stitches. Obviously his face had hit something flat out. He wanted to talk, however slowly the words came out. He told what he could about the accident, as much of it as he remembered. Gracefully he had no recollection of the accident itself and I was glad he didn’t have that ex­ perience to feel over and over again. His fear of fire while he was pinned was quite evident. It seemed that he couldn’t decide whether to live it over and over again, March - April 1991

or whether to give it up; I sensed that he was trying to come to terms with it. I did not want to overextend his strength, and when I felt reassured that he would pull through—with a prolonged convalescence—I decided to leave. He wanted to talk about CAP, though: a donor from Cali­ fornia who wants to help, an idea for job creation in Floyd and Johnson counties, other concerns that had been building up and that he wanted to relate. As he talked, he seemed to grow in the feeling that he was back in the action, controlling events and happenings, so despite how weak he appeared, I let him wind down. Even today, I smile to myself about his need for action. He loves to be at the center of it. He loves to direct as many people as he can, sending one here, in this direction, another somewhere else on a different errand or problem, some doing the church’s work, some CAP’s, some for the bishop and the new diocese... the more that’s happening and the more he’s involved at the very center of the action, the happier he is. He loves bulldozing; moving the earth. He loves erecting build­ ings. He loves to move people, to inspire and motivate them. As the title of one of his books suggests, moving mountains is appropriate for his approach to life. As I drove home I thought about the vacation he was about to begin in Florida. No wonder he had fallen asleep; he’d really been overdoing it the last six months. Even by his standards he’d been overextending his limits, something had to give. Unfortunately he nearly did himself in. He didn’t feel sorry for himself in this, however; there was more of the reverse. He felt guilty for having caused the accident, of incurring consider­ able expense, of causing necessary delays in his plans for his churches and the poor. I guess it’s natural to feel guilty at a time like this, but I hated to see him hang himself with any kind of guilt trip—hell, I wanted to tell him, save your strength for your own recuperation! January 4 - 7: I called and talked to Marilyn, Father’s

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. . . that’s where he can best follow the life and examples of C h r i s t . . .

ever able and ready right hand. She conveys what’s on his mind, so he won’t need to talk. Visitors are begin­ ning to come a little too often, and she asked me to tell the people in the office not to visit just yet, but that he’s thankful for their prayers and that he remembers them in his own. I marveled at Father praying for others at a time like this—I marvel because I know it is true! Such people have always amazed me. I wonder if I will ever be even close to being able to do that—to think and pray for others when I ’m in such deep trouble and need myself. He knows what to do with his own sufferings—he puts them to good use! The following Sunday he was trans­ ferred to Taylor Manor Nursing Home in Versailles, where he can be looked after by the sisters there, and some Lexington medical specialists can have a look into some of his continuing complaints. January 10: He was transported across town to Woodford Memorial Hospital, where they could look at his mangled leg, to see if they might be able to close the two open wounds they were unable to close in Hazard. Since he had been complaining about his casted wrist, saying that he could not sleep for the pain, they took further x-rays. They found his wrist not sim­ ply cracked as the doctors thought, but actually broken. It was healing improperly and would have to be re­ broken and set properly. Taking additional x-rays for the oral surgeon who was to come and determine the injuries to his teeth, they found for the first time that his jaw had been broken, and determined that his nose would have to be re-broken and set. January 11: Father Beiting had surgery to set and wire his jaw, and to set the broken bone in his wrist. They felt the nose could wait for a month or two so he could have some time to build back his strength. January 13: Additional surgery was performed on Fa­ ther Beiting’s leg, to sew it up properly and totally close the wounds. There was lots of flesh missing, but the 24

doctors decided reconstructive plastic surgery would not be necessary. January 20,22,24: I had various meetings with Father at the nursing home: a venture capital investing group, an executive committee meeting of CAP’S board of directors, an applicant for a high level CAP management position—and these are just the meetings he had with me! I thought he was already overdoing his luck; he would meet too long one day and pay for it the next. His energy level rose and fell. He might have healed more quickly if we who had business to discuss had left him alone, but if we had, he’d have found other stuff to get into, then gotten behind in that, as well as behind in his work with us. We were left in a pickle, damned if we did and damned if we didn’t. Father Beiting just can’t say no, to us or anyone else who feels they need him. That’s the spot he’s cut out for himself in this life .. . that’s where he feels he is called by God to serve . . . that’s where he can best follow the life and example of Christ. To those who need him . . . February 1: Father got himself discharged from the nursing home earlier this week because he felt the church needed him back in Paintsville. (I wonder how many lies he had to tell! God he’s amazing—he will lie like a fish to get out of a hospital-like confinement. We even warned all the doctors ahead of time!)I met with him in Paintsville, and he was sitting at his desk, though dressed in bedclothes. I have to admit, he was doing very well. Who would have thought it 30 days ago? February 16, 17: Father’s nose continued to bother him. He just couldn’t breathe well, there was too much obstruction. A specialist came over from Ashland, Kentucky, to examine him and perform requisite diag­ nostic tests. There was absolutely no question; the nose needed breaking and setting. March 2: Father Beiting entered Kings Daughter Hos­ pital in Ashland where they broke and set his nose. The The Mountain Spirit

operation was long, but all went well. He expected to be discharged the next day, the aggravation of the hospital well worth the ability to breathe normally and well. March 3: During the night he began to hemorrhage from the nose. He told the attendants, who duly re­ ported it, though no one seemed to worry very much about it. Some bleeding was apparently to be expected. The bleeding got worse, and he began to have to swallow it. By late morning they realized it was more serious than imagined. Back to surgery and in the after­ noon they operated again and gave him six pints of blood! March 5: Two more pints of blood. They discharged him to recuperate back in Paintsville. He really looked pale; I guess that’s what loss of blood does. It was hard for him to get up and walk. Peggy Gabriel’s wedding was Saturday the 10th, and we wondered if he would be able to stand. He was doing so poorly . . . Of course he came through, and the wedding was simply marvelous. We all were made to feel united in one big family in support of Peggy and Jim. Father’s determination to push forward for those he loves is un­ conquerable. In retrospect I guess we all knew he would. When any of us are really hurting, or in great need of help, or we need someone to stand beside us, I guess we know that Father Beiting is utterly dependable. Over my sixteen years at CAP, he has cancelled scores of meetings, been late for three times that many, and occasionally simply has not shown at all. No matter how angry I get at the time, I rather quickly forgive him. I know his schedule and I know he can’t say no to those who need him. I reckon he figures I’m better able than most to get on by myself. Still, I know, if I really do need him, he is utterly, absolutely dependable. What can you say about a guy like that? March 15 - April 15: Father developed a serious nose March - April 1991

infection. They filled him with antibiotics, but he re­ mained very weak. This became the worst time, and he wondered when and if his condition would improve. The infection seemed to drag on and on. He had never before had such a prolonged period of utter weakness. He would push himself, but for perhaps the first time in his life, he couldn’t go on. I hoped that spring and Easter and the eternal rebirth would bring its healing balm to anoint him. May - June: He began to come out of it, but slowly, painfully slowly. He pushed himself too quickly to a full 14-hour schedule, then paid for it with the exhaus­ tion that accompanied his overexertion. I got so mad at him at times. Couldn’t he see that if he would schedule himself a little more reasonably and responsibly he would end up getting more accomplished in the long run, and more effectively to boot? I guess such habits which have served him in the past are simply too hard to break, particularly if he doesn’t really care to break them. We all want Father Beiting to be happy, but I think we want him happy in the ways we would be happy ourselves, and he simply moves to the beat of a different drummer. July 18: Quarterly board meeting. Father Beiting moved about rather painfully. Finally he admitted that he thought (he knew!) he had a hernia. Probably got it from doing handyman work around the school and church. Roof-work I understand. His bowel had popped through the tear in his abdominal muscle the previous Monday (it was Wednesday), causing great enough pain, but he was able to push it back inside his abdomi­ nal cavity. The doctor who was summoned wanted to operate on Tuesday, but Father Beiting refused—he said he couldn’t miss a church meeting Tuesday night nor the CAP board meeting on Wednesday. In our board meeting, after his admission of his health prob­ lems, Dr. Burchett, a board member, severely warned him of his problem, and recommended immediate surgery. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink! 25

July 20: Driving to Hode, one of his mission churches, Father Beiting felt sudden and intense pain. His intes­ tine had popped through again, this time causing a strangulated intestine. He almost couldn’t complete his drive. Arriving at Hode and entering the church, he collapsed in front of the altar. Help was summoned and a parishioner who is also a doctor drove him to the hospital where immediate surgery was performed. When, when, when will all his nonsense stop! You can’t help but love the guy, but his normally quite perceptive, keen reasoning mind seems to go on a holiday and he ends up paying a pretty dear penalty. Does he know something I don’t know? And why do I smile when I say I think perhaps he does. Whether it’s a matter of knowing, or feeling, or intuiting, or whether it’s simply the way he is, I realize this priest has some­ thing I don’t have, or more of it, probably, is a better way to put it. There is a quality about his life that is so very, very rare. His kind of spirituality is well worth re­ membering . . . remembering and emulating. October 31: Next quarterly board meeting. As Father Beiting reported on his health, nothing major having occurred since his hernia operation, we sensed he was beginning to feel some of the bleakness of his year was starting to disappear. He quipped “I almost feel that if I can just get through to year’s end, my bad luck will all be used up, and you folks just might have to put up with me for another ten years at least!” It was nice to feel he

26

was beginning to see and feel a few rays of sunshine deep down inside himself, where it counts. That kind of sunshine, enough of it, can make you feel like your cup runneth over. I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more. December 5,6: Father Beiting was honored in Wash­ ington D.C. by the Caring Institute as one of the ten most caring persons in America. Modest in his accep­ tance speech, he accepted it on behalf of the poor of Eastern Kentucky, among whom he has served and loved for nearly forty-five years. Norman Vincent Peale was another of those so honored. Why, he was a legend when I was in high school! That puts Father in some pretty rare company. Well deserved I think. As the year ended I asked myself what I had learned that was different from when the year began. I think I see Father Beiting continuing to grow, to leam and mature as each year seems more packed and active than the year before. Life and living do not even begin to end at sixty-five. I have learned that there is much that I can leam from him and his ways, if I can hear and listen to the music that he hears and let it resonate in me as it does in him. There has been a growing nobility about him this year as he has accepted the humility and weakness his accidents and infirmities have pressed upon him. He ended the year with the eagerness and enthusiasm that new years can bring . . . there is so much that is waiting to be done . . . it’s time to roll up ones’ sleeves . . .

The Mountain Spirit

BURNOUTS! This is one of the most difficult times of the year for CAP outreach work­ ers and the families they serve. Families who live in substandard housing often have inadequate means of heating their homes, as well. They over­ stoke stoves with bad flues, or use kerosene heaters or overload faulty wiring with electric space heaters. The result? Burnout! Thanks to the generosity of CAP donors, families can call CAP outreach workers for the means to start over again. Sometimes this means finding an apartment. Sometimes, buy­ ing new furniture or clothes. Al­ ways it is a difficult time for a family both physically and emo­ tionally. Could you help us help these families? A donation of $50 would help us with a needed de­ posit or a used refrigerator or new school shoes for the chil­ dren in a family that has lost everything. If you can help us re-establish a home—or wherever the need is greatest— let us hear from you.

God Bless You!

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

CHRISTIAN APPALACHIAN PROJECT 322 CRAB ORCHARD ROAD LANCASTER, KY 40446 The Mountain Spirit

Address Correction Requested

4Q456SL3HQ00 12/85 S E A L S HOME FOR HANDICAPPED CHILDREN SOX 30 RT 3 MT VERNON, KY 40456