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T h e M a ga zin e o f th e C h r istia n A p p a la c h ia n P roject Ja n u a r y - F e b ru a ry 1993

The Mountain

Ja n u a r y - F eb ru ary 1993 V o i.

xn, N o . 1

The Magazine o f the Christian Appalachian Project

Family to Family

The House Built on Faith

by Margaret Gabriel

by June Widman

20 A Natural

Combination

WaltJaeger, page fourteen.

by Lorraine Corsale

22 A Mountain Family by Katrina Clark

D e p a rtm e n ts 3 9 10 14

From Our Founder Letters Around the Project The CAP Closeup

Rebuilding in January We’re in a rebuilding mood as we swing into 1993, so we’ve focused the January issue of The M ountain Spirit on CAP’S home repair program. Safety is one of the most important reasons for reconditioning Appalachian homes, but we also believe that making homes more comfortable and liveable gives a boost in self-esteem which then leads to other benefits. We’ve seen families begin to make advances in other areas of their lives when they have homes they can be proud of. On page four you’ll meet Cheryl Abrams who has had many worlds opened to her by a repair project accomplished by a unique group of volunteers. On page twenty-two, Katrina Clark, a CAP volunteer, tells about a family in Magoffin County that helped the crew with the repairs on their home. On the cover, volunteers begin the foundation needed to lay the flooring for the repairs on the Abrams’s trailer (photo by Gabriel). And speaking of rebuilding, you’ll note as you page through this issue that we’ve adopted a new look for the magazine, in an attempt to make it more readable. Please let us know how you feel about our changes. Are the pages easy to read? Are you able to find the features and departments that you’re most interested in seeing? How’ve the pictures been looking lately? We’re looking forward to hearing your comments!

Family to Family, page fou r.

Published by the Christian Appalachian Project. Editor; Margaret Gabriel. A dvisory Board: Father Ralph W. Beiting, Mike McLaughlin, Bill Begley, Ike Adams, Barbara Delmonico, Katie Newsome, Beverly Potter. G raphic D esigner: Elizabeth Reed Miller. Circulation: Linda Grider East. The M ountain Spirit is published six times a year. The annual subscription price is $6.00. Subscriptions and other correspondence should be send to The M ountain Spirit, Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, Kentucky 40446. Copyright 1993, The Christian Appalachian Project, Inc. All 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.

The Mountain Spirit

From Our President There’s something about partici pating in a home repair project, or building an entirely new home, that excites all of us. From visitors who come to see us, to volun teers who give of their services for a short time (three weeks) or a long time (a year or more), to the news media, there is nothing quite so popular. I guess home repair is something we can easily visualize and does not take a huge amount of skill for us to make a contribution, although a strong back and an able wrist can always be of help somewhere. In building a home, we give what we hope will be a lasting benefit. I know of more non-profit groups in Appalachia working on housing than almost any other endeavor, and still it is not enough. So much more seems always needed. I wonder some times if it will ever end. I have a particular county in mind, where several non-profit housing groups participate, and have for decades. It’s only of moderate size as Appalachian counties go (population of 15,000 to 20,000), but despite years of interaction, the need still seems to be as great as any place I have visited. Surely, I thought, with all this work over a prolonged time period, this particular county must be well on its way to solving its housing burden. How wrong I was . . . the need just seems to go on and on, and renews itself with each new generation, or even what seems like every new “half generation.” Part of me feels good about all those who are willing to help. It truly is a fine part of the American spirit that volunteerism is so healthy, alive, and predominant. Yet housing requires such an expensive, extensive, and intensive effort that all of our past and current efforts are simply not enough. So I fully encourage anyone and everyone to do more and all they can.

January - February 1993

There is another danger here, however, that does not so readily or easily come to mind. So much do we of the American middle class love our own homes that epigrams centered around the home come easily to mind. “Home is where the heart is.” “I want to go home.” “A man’s home is his castle.” I could go on and on. I wonder Mike McLaughlin sometimes if we place such importance on that physical well-being that we allow ourselves to imagine that if we solve a family’s housing problem, their other problems pretty much take care of themselves. I guess sometimes it does happen this way, but more often than not, housing is simply the most visibly upsetting deficiency. The lack of education and the even greater lack of job opportunities, genera tions of social neglect and abuse, poor diet, medical care, and environmental nightmares are nearly always present as well. These other deficiencies, in their total, form a much greater problem than housing alone. Solving one problem, even one as basic as housing, is but a piece of the pie, just one element of the strategy in the road up from poverty. With this caveat aside, I neverthe less want to return to the exciting times we can all experience with hammer in hand. There is such

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fun in the simple doing of it! The pounding of a nail to join two pieces of wood is one of the most pleasurable and satisfying experi ences that life has to offer. How wonderful it is to be giving to another and reaping such great benefits oneself. . . and isn’t that really what we helping profession als are about? We heal ourselves as we try to heal the hurt in others, and where we feel the greatest hurt in ourselves lies the very source of our most special gift and service to others. The older I get the luckier I feel about being involved with an organization like CAP— an organization that exists to serve and help others. There is so much good waiting to be done, dreams to nourish, minds to challenge, life to be experienced, that every day can be a new beginning, for myself as well as for someone else. It is never too late. Come on and join us . . . be part of the excite ment! Catch it, and pass it on!

JL WJL ild r e d a n d C h e r y l A b r a m s h a v e been f a m i l y to e a ch o th e r f o r n e a rly tw en ty f i v e y e a r s . A t seventyp lu s , M ild r e d h a s c a r e d f o r h e r g r a n d d a u g h te r, w h o h a s c e r e b r a l p a ls y , sin c e C h e r y l w a s a baby.

Family

“She was seventeen months old when her parents separated,” Mildred said. “Her mother kept her for a while, living in Lexington. I lived about five blocks away, and I’d check on her. She wasn’t well, and that kind of worried me. I got to where I couldn’t do my work right ‘cause my mind was on her all the time. I thought she was going to die. I’d go by to see her and she’d be sick, so I’d take her to the doctor. “All this time I was praying that the Lord would make a way for me and make a way for Cheryl. One night in my prayer I said, ‘Lord, I love her, but you love her a lot more than I do. I’m willing for you to take this kid, but if you’ve got a purpose in life for her, I’d like for her live. And if it’s your will for her to live, I ask you to remove her from that home. If you’ll do that I promise I’ll do everything I can to raise her.’ “The next night, at seven o’clock, I heard footsteps on the stair and a knock at the door and [Cheryl’s mother] raised her out to me and said, ‘I’ve brought you Cheryl. I’m going to Ohio.’” ***

♦ Story and photos by Margaret Gabriel ♦ 4

The Mountain Spirit

At the same time that the Abrams family was forming in Lexington, Kentucky, the Haragan family was becoming more and more involved with Eastern Kentucky from their home in Louisville, Kentucky. In the early 1960s, after learning of the work of Father Ralph Beiting, a young priest, Bob Haragan, his wife Alma Lee, and their six children decided to “vacation” in Appala chia, helping Father Beiting with construc tion projects, farming projects and a summer camp for boys. Father Beiting, founder of the Christian Appalachian Project, and Bob Haragan form a “mutual admiration society.” Father Beiting respects and admires Bob for the strength of his family values and his dedication to helping others. Bob says, “Father Beiting is a dynamic man. I don’t know anyone who’s given more for God and his country. How can I give any less?” Since those early years when he gave the labor of his own hands and those of his family, Bob Haragan has contributed ideas and beliefs to CAP by serving on its board of directors, a task he calls “very satisfying. I’ve been on boards and committees for other organizations, where all we did was sit and talk, and the situation would not be any better or worse—all we accomplished was to contribute to global warming.” He believes that CAP has made a demonstrable change in Appalachia, and is proud that his involvement has been in the field as well as the board room. In honor of his birthday in 1989 Bob asked his family to participate in a home repair project in Jackson County, which he set up through CAP’S home repair workers. Several people gathered to make repairs on a rural home. Others cooked and provided child care; still others who could not partici pate in the actual construction sent donations to help offset the cost of materials. From that small begin ning the project has grown each year. In 1992 families from Louisville, Lexington, and Nashville, Tennes

January - February 1993

see, were involved, as well as churches of several denominations. Donations were solicited from friends, out-of-state family, businesses and employers. They totaled over $10,000, a large enough sum to make a significant change in the trailer where Mildred and Cheryl live. * * *

CAP linked the Haragan and Abrams families because the job was an “appropri ate size and scope for Bob’s needs,” said Larry Cranfill, director of CAP maintenance and home repair projects. “Bob was tickled because of the kind of work it entailed, and the need. It’s bigger in scope than anything we would have been able to do if it hadn’t been for the Haragans.” Larry said that there are two primary differences between the Abrams project and the ongoing projects of CAP’S home repair program. “First, we had to schedule this project on weekends; but the main difference is that the workers raised all the money for the project. “That makes projects of this scope more possible. It’s hard to justify spending $10,000 on one home when there are so many needs.” Larry said that large projects like the one undertaken for Mildred and Cheryl could be undertaken once a month, with smaller projects continuing on an ongoing basis. “We could do a dual type of arrangement.”

Bob Haragan

Cheryl now attends Jackson County High School four days a week. On Fridays, she travels nearly 60 miles, to Lexington, for physical therapy. Kentucky law requires that the Jackson County school system provide everything that is necessary for Cheryl’s education, including physical therapy. She saw therapists in Berea, Richmond and East Bemstadt, all of whom worked with her for a short time then quit, Mildred said. “But they wanted her to keep working with a therapist.

Mildred and Cheryl chat with Debbie Goonan, C A P ’S outreach case worker fo r Jackson County. They live near Sand Gap, Kentucky, in a trailer that was purchased in Cheryl’s name with her Social Security payments.

“When I first got her, people said to me, ‘you’ll never raise her; put her in a home,”’ said Mildred. “We didn’t have a wheelchair at that time. She stayed on the bed a lot, and I held her in my arms a lot and loved her. She didn’t smile when I got her; she didn’t show no response. If you talked to her, she didn’t act like she heard you. She smiled her first smile at me when she was two-and-a-half years old.” Gradually, Cheryl began to respond to Mildred’s loving care and attention. From the time she was about eight until she was sixteen, a tutor came to Mildred’s house one hour a week. “I knew she was smart; you can tell by looking in her eyes. She’s smarter than I am, but she’s in a handi capped body,” Mildred said. The parents of another child with a disability in Jackson County asked Mildred several years ago if she was aware that Cheryl could go to school. “Nobody ever told me that Cheryl would be capable of going to school. He gave me a telephone number in Frankfort [the state capital].” Mildred’s call set in motion action from the state board of education. The board ruled that although she did not begin going to school every day until she was past eighteen years old, Cheryl is entitled to thirteen years of public education. “All I’m asking that school is to give Cheryl her rights,” Mildred said, “what she should have had all along. She’ll go until she’s about thirty years old.”

“Well, one day the phone rang and I answered it and it was the lady who sees Cheryl at the White House Clinic [see The M ountain Spirit, March-April 1992]. She said she had gotten a call from Cardinal Hill about Cheryl coming there for therapy.” Cardinal Hill is a rehabilitation hospital in Lexington. “I know those people at Cardinal Hill,” Mildred said. “I wanted her to go. So she set the appointment up, and we went. We found out that Cheryl’s teacher at Jackson County High School had made the calls.” Mildred said that Cheryl made tremendous progress with only weekly therapy and she knew how much more improvement would come if Cheryl had the opportunity for daily exercise. Their small trailer, though, was nowhere near large enough for Cheryl to move and exercise on a daily basis. When Mildred learned of the Christian Appala chian Project’s home repair program, she filed an application with Debbie Goonan, a volunteer who works in the outreach program in Jackson County. Mildred asked CAP to add a room large enough for Cheryl’s exercise mat and standing box. “One day Debbie came up, and told me ‘I just received word that your application has gone through.’ It was another answer to a prayer. I kept asking the Lord, ‘Whatever blessing you have, I’ll receive it and I thank you in advance for it.’” *** A crew of nearly twenty construction workers, three kitchen workers and several children met on a Friday night at CAP’S Camp Andrew Jackson for the first of four weekends that would be needed to com plete the job. The construction workers left for the Abrams trailer promptly at eight o’clock the following morning with plans to

The Mountain Spirit

add an addition to the back of the trailer. The addition, which runs the entire length of the trailer, includes a room large enough for Cheryl’s exercise equipment, a bath room big enough to accommodate her wheelchair, a bedroom for Mildred and— best of all, Mildred said—a back porch with the most beautiful view in all of Jackson County. During the first weekend, the crew was make up of folks who had been recruited by Bob Haragan and his family. Despite the praiseworthy quality of the project, a lot of them “just like to build,” Bob said. “There’s a wonderful camaraderie that comes when people realize how much good they’re doing.” Bob has worked on Habitat for Humanity projects in Louisville, and says that the group who worked on the Abrams trailer was more closely knit than the Habitat groups because it was smaller. “And staying together at Camp AJ, eating and sitting around together in the evening gives a different dimension, too,” Bob said. The “Louisville Group” worked the first two weekends of the project; their work was completed two subsequent weekends by a group from Lexington. Chip Summers, a Lexington native who has been working with Bob since 1989, recruited the group. Chip worked on the projects in ’89 and ’90, “Then in 1991 we decided to take on a bigger project, so we got a group together from Lexington,” Chip said.

“M o m a n d D a d la id a g re a t e xa m p le f o r us. We lea rn ed that the b o rd e rs o f o u r fa m ily w as n o t j u s t o u r h o u s e ...” “This has really been my first opportunity to get involved with something like this and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s not just hammering nails; there’s a lot of fellow ship. Mildred was so appreciative when we left. We had a lot of help from her son, too.” Chip said many of the people from Lexington are his parents’ contemporaries and that he would like to recruit some younger people for the project in the fall of 1993- “Younger people are beginning to be more aware of the needs of people. They see the problems, but don’t always know what they can do. I can tell people, this is what we do and these are the dates. Most of the people I’ve talked to are pretty enthusiastic about it. In fact, I’ve had friends tell me that they wish they’d known about the project this year.” As a native Kentuckian, Chip said that he’s always been aware of the poverty level in Eastern Kentucky. “I have a brother who worked in Hazard and lived in Leslie County,” he said. “He lived on a farm about two miles up a gravel road, and you sure could see a lot of need on that road. Most of the people I’ve met from Eastern Kentucky are good, countryfolks.”

In order to devote as much time as possible to construction, kitchen workers brought lunches to the jo b site. There was a short break, then back to work!

January - February 1993

Bob Haragan’s son, Chris, recalls summers spent at Cliffview Lodge, CAP’S first camping program. “I’ll always remember that as something that was important to our family. I guess I was about seven years old the first time we went. I loved being

down there—there were all those kids to play with, then on the weekends, we got to do anything we wanted. Really, though, I consider the work I did at Cliffview as my first volunteer work. Some times we handed the tools to the guys, and I guess some times we weren’t worth the trouble, but it was part of the fun.” Chris is a returned Peace Corps volunteer, and credits his family’s volunteer work with impressing on him the importance of reaching out to others. “Mom and Dad laid a great example for us. We learned that the borders of our family were not just our house, but that we should go out into the world, that we needed to participate with people who had less than we did. I carry that lesson with me to this day; to have a fulfilling life, 1 need to spend time doing for someone else.” As a father, Chris knows that he has a responsibility to teach that lesson to his two niche, though, and contributed to the completion o f the project. small daughters. “We’ll have to teach by example. When the techniques that resulted in Cheryl’s we were growing up, we were expected progress. They will help Cheryl with her to offer something back; 1know I’ll have exercises in the new addition to their to make sure that Molly and Anna know trailer. that they have that responsibility, too.” *** When Cheryl started her weekly trips to Cardinal Hill Hospital in January of 1992, the therapist told Mildred that she could work with her for six weeks. “The therapist told us that if she made progress in six weeks, she’d work with her another six weeks. “At the end of that time 1 thought that we wouldn’t get to come back, but then the therapist said that she’d work another three months.” Mildred said that after those three months had passed, the therapist decided to see Cheryl as long as she was progressing. “She’s come a long way; she’s a hundred percent better today than she was in January.” Mildred, her niece, Jessie, and several of Cheryl’s teachers have been trained to use

“We’re hoping that someday Cheryl will be self-sufficient,” Mildred said. *** Bob said that one of the most gratifying aspects of the project is the concreteness of the work. “Sometimes you talk and talk and talk and never accomplish anything, but Mildred and Cheryl are better off today because CAP gave us the vehicle to help them. That’s rewarding, too, because so many people got involved.” Mildred sees the work crew as the Lord’s conduit. “Through the blessings of the Lord’s people and prayers, he made it possible for Cheryl to have this,” Mildred said. “It means a great deal to know that people have reached out, people I never saw before made it possible for her to have that room.”

The Mountain Spirit

Around the Project Workfest Planned for March o f 1993 The 1993 Spring Break Appala chian Workfest is shaping up, according to Carla Durand, who works in the Christian Appala chian Project volunteer recruiting office. During the weeks of March 7 and March 14, twenty-six groups of college students from throughout the country will travel to Jackson and Floyd counties to work on home repair projects. “They’re staying at Camp Andrew Jackson and Camp Shawnee,” said Carla. “Our outreach and home repair departments are lining up the houses.” In 1992 college volunteer groups made repairs on the homes of eighteen families in Jackson County. This year they hope to repair a total of twenty-five homes in Jackson and Floyd counties. In the evenings the volunteers will have some time that is unscheduled so that they might meet and mingle with young people from other areas of the country. “And we’ve invited Father Beiting to speak one night,” Carla said. “Another night we’ll have Dr. Jim Wayne Miller from Western Kentucky University talking about Appalachian culture. We hope to have a night geared to Appalachian music, and Glenna Robinson [who works in CAP’S Family Life Child Development Center] will perform her ‘Granny Fanny’ character one night.” This will be the second Appala chian Workfest. Carla said that the workfest for 1993 is being planned because of the tremendous response from the groups who were involved in 1992. Sixteen groups served in 1992; hopefully, that number will double for ’93“Campus ministries and student activity and development groups seem to be looking for alternative opportunities for their students; places for them to go besides

January - February 1993

Daytona and Fort Lauderdale. We’ve also had a great benefit in the volunteer office. From last year’s workers we’ve gotten a permanent volunteer and a couple of temporary volunteers. “But the most important thing is that we’ve gotten a lot of homes fixed in a short amount of time.”

What Can I Do for CAP? Christian Appalachian Project supporters often ask what more they can do to eliminate suffering in Appalachia. First, you can tell others of the problems in Appala chia which you learn about in The M ountain Spirit and other CAP publications. Please share this magazine with a friend and we’ll send a replacement. Ask us about any of the problems in Appalachia and we’ll be happy to share any knowledge we have or to refer you to another organization that can help you. Secondly, you can give us a most valuable commodity—time. Since 1950, millions of hours have been donated to helping the people of Appalachia help themselves and their families out of poverty. If you would like to volunteer three weeks or more to working in Appalachia, please contact The

M ountain Spirit, so that informa tion can be given to the volunteer department. Finally, our most powerful form of assistance is prayer. We believe that if our supporters spend at least one minute a day praying for poor people everywhere, moun tains can be moved, the course of rivers changed. The CAP family forms a powerful prayer network reaching into Appalachia and across the nation.

Successful Christmas Season for Outreach Bev Potter and all of the CAP outreach workers would like to extend a special thanks to all of the M ountain Spirit readers who participated in CAP’S Christmas basket program for 1992. When all the food boxes were packed, the packages opened, and the tinsel enjoyed, 1200 families and 800 elderly people in nine counties celebrated the birth of Christ as a result of the generosity of CAP donors. The outreach department also made Christmas grants to 40 organizations in Appalachia that do work similar to CAP’S. “Tell the M ountain Spirit people, thanks, and we love them,” Bev said.

Sixteen colleges were represented by students at the ’92 Spring Break Appalachian Workfest. In 1993 the volunteer department hopes to double that number. Groups will work in Jackson and Floyd counties.

around the project. . . continued Magoffin Students Receive GEDs The Magoffin County Adult Education program (of “Little Red School Bus” fame), the Christian Appalachian Project’s newest adult education program, awarded GEDs (General Equivalency Diplomas) to eight of their ten graduates in late October at Salyer Elementary School. Over 140 proud friends and family members looked on. One graduate is a 72-year-old employee of the Magoffin County school system, said program manager Cathie Bailey. “At one time the school system had a regulation which required employees to have high school certification. The school board dropped the rule, but this lady was determined to get her GED. Her grandchildren were all there, cheering her on.” Cathie said that one graduate plans to attend Prestonsburg Community College; two are enrolled in vocational school. One plans to study cosmetology, “and the other is going to study refrigeration and air conditioning. She’s the first woman in Eastern Kentucky to take the course, so she’s really breaking new ground.” The 1990 census revealed that 59 percent of adults over the age of 25 in Magoffin County have not completed any education beyond the eighth grade. “Our dropout rate has decreased, but there are 13,000 people in this county—59 percent of 13,000 people is a lot folks.” Cathie said that the Magoffin County program has an enroll ment of 36. Nine of them are literacy students and three are studying for college entrance exams. The bus has been an ideal solution to combat the isolation of Magoffin County. Students say that if not for the bus they would have to travel many miles to study.

Its visitation program, is an important part o f C A P ’S services to elderly people in Appalachia. In addition to visiting, workers provide elderly people advocacy and transportation assistance.

CAP Volunteer Has Book Published When Bob Best arrived in Ken tucky to work as a CAP volunteer he brought with him ten years’ experience as a nursing home administrator. “Ever since I was ten years old, I’ve liked working with older people. I can remember visiting and cutting lawns,” Bob said. “My parents instilled an incredible respect for older people by their example. I can remember my father always enjoyed talking to older folks we’d see when we were out.” Through his work, Bob realizes the attachments that older people have to their homes, “and how difficult it is to leave those homes, even when they go by choice. They might know that it’s the best thing, but they have a real sense of loss because of all the memories they’re leaving.” In an attempt to help people handle those feelings, Bob and a co-worker wrote a book entitled, “I ’ll Never Forget Our Hom e, ” A H ealing Guide fo r Older People Who Choose to M ove Forward to a New Life. The book is a guide

book for older persons who are contemplating a move or who may have moved several years ago. It provides a healing process or ritual which helps lead to acceptance. When the step-bystep exercises are completed, it will result in a legacy to enjoy for years to come. Bob is currently working in the Christian Appalachian Project elderly program in Floyd County, and says that some of the insights he has from his work on the book have served him well in his position. “I’m more sensitive to the attachments that people have to their homes. The culture is different here, but the feelings are the same. Those feelings tran scend, whether we’re talking about a condo in Manhattan or a cabin in the mountains. Home isn’t bricks and mortar and logs, but symbols.” If you are interested in obtaining a copy of “I ’ll Never Forget Our Hom e, ” please write Montgomery Media, Inc., 6 l l North Broadway, Suite 600, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, or call (4l4) 223-4366. The book costs $9-95, and Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

The Mountain Spirit

around the project. . . continued Two Buses to Run in Knott County Plans are underway to equip two buses which will travel in Knott County providing adult education and outreach services. “It’s next door to Floyd County,” said Rose Price, assistant director of pro gramming in the eastern part of the Christian Appalachian Project service area. “I can be in Knott County in ten minutes from here. When w e’re providing services, we always get requests from folks there who have families in programs here. “It’s a very poor county, too,” Rose said. “We won’t have as much going on there as in Floyd and Magoffin, but it’s a start.” One of the buses will be devoted to outreach and elderly programs and the other will be outfitted for adult education, similar to the “Little Red School Bus,” which travels the roads of Magoffin County. Two areas are being investigated as a location for the outreach bus:

one near the settlement school in Cordia, and the other in Caney Creek, the location of Alice Lloyd College, Rose said. Ann Sizemore, the Knott County worker, is already spending about one day a month in the area, Rose said, and the bus will enable her to spend even more time meeting needs there. “They have a Family Resource Center that we’ll work closely with. They’ll recommend clients and be a part of our lending closet.”

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At the Caney Creek location Ann will work in conjunction with Lawrence Baldridge. “There’s a lot going on already. He’s operating a used clothing store and a commu nity center and has offered us a place to park our bus. It’s a good location, right across the road from the local Head Start, so we ll see a lot of people,” Rose said. “The word ‘outpost’ comes up a lot when we’re talking about these buses,” Rose said. “We want to complement and fill the gaps of services that are already avail able.”

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Christian Appalachian Project 322 Crab Orchard Road Lancaster, Kentucky 40446 Please send without obligation, your booklet, "37 Things People 'Know' About Wills That Aren't Really So." N a m e _____________________________ Address __________________________ C it y ________________________________ The “Little Red School B u s” has had great success in Magoffin County. Two more buses will serve as traveling outreach and education programs in Knott County.

January - February 1993

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around the project. . . continued Sunshine Dads Attend Program For three or four years, Brenda Mullins said, she has wanted to begin a parenting program specifically designed to involve men. Brenda, manager of the Sunshine Center, made up her mind to just do it this year. “They’ve showed a lot of interest. In August they got together and renovated our playground. We’ve had several fathers put in the hours that we ask for from every family, and lots of them come to parent meetings.” There was so much interest and enthusiasm, Brenda said, that later in the year the center sponsored an evening planned with men in mind.

program. After we ate, the staff took the kids home, and the men stayed behind.” Mel Bonner, director of the local mental health agency, made the presentation which pointed out the importance of taking time for family. Brenda emphasized that in addition to biological fathers, the program welcomed grandfathers, stepfathers, uncles, “anyone who might be a significant male role model for a child. We even had boyfriends of a couple of moms,” Brenda said.

CAP Recognized with National Award The Christian Appalachian Project was recently recognized by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives as the Outstanding Philanthropic Organization in the U.S. CAP was nominated by the Lexington chapter of NSFRE, and will be recognized at a banquet in Atlanta on March 1.

“We called it How to Be a Hero to Your Family, and invited folks to come for a potluck dinner and a

“If there’s not a dad present in a family, that makes the other roles even more important,” she said. “We want men to feel like heroes to their families, and we’re discussing how to make that happen. They’re learning that they have to invest time and effort in their families.

Judi Jackson, CAP’S manager of direct mail fund raising, said she believes that the committee that decided to honor CAP was impressed with the diversity of CAP’S program. “They were looking at the national aspect of the things we do in volunteer recruiting and Operation Sharing,” Judi said. “That and the good work that our programs do in education and all the rest made our work really stand out!”

Moving?

“So far, the dads have told me how rewarding this program has been and how much they’ve enjoyed it.”

Betty Marshall, manager of CAP’S alternate fund raising, worked many hours on the application, explaining CAP to the society.

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Mail to: The Mountain Spirit 322 Crab Orchard Road Lancaster, KY 40446.

The Sunshine Center hosted a program f o r the fathers o f children in its program. Sta ff plans to hold similar events through the school year.

The Mountain Spirit

Letters to the Editor I would like to say how deeply affected and impressed I was by Karen Jones’s story, “A Look in the Mirror of an Appalachian Woman.” I have cut it out, copied it, sent it to friends and discussed it a score of times already, for two reasons. One, it is beautifully writtensimplicity and authenticity shine from every paragraph. It has the earmarks of fine prose. I hope that Karen Jones will realize that she shouldn’t bury this God-given talent, but sharpen it up, and write, write, write a lot more, especially about the Appalachia she knows so well. The second reason is that America does not know these things. That a wife “belongs” to her husband. We rant and rave about Muslim women draped in black veils, but I for one never knew it was common practice in parts of my own country. Thank God for The M ountain Spirit, for it does not only help people help themselves, but it tells the rest of us a little bit of what life is like in Appalachia. Education, change and hope, all are on their way. A ndy M arshall New London, N H

In the September issue of The M ountain Spirit you had a terrific article by Karen Jones. It told the story of what it is like to be a woman in Appalachia. In between the lines it told the tragic story of her husband. He married too early and tried to support a family on too small an income. When his wife went to school he probably got razzed at work and felt jealousy. She got the education needed to get ahead in life. He was trapped in a low paying job with no future. To seek consola tion he drowned his troubles in alcohol. To fight back he beat his wife. To get love he found a

January - February 1993

loving mistress. The law sup ported the wife in her search for relief and freedom. The law did nothing to give the husband a job that would support a loving family. If someone cared, the husband might have been able to bring love into his home and find happiness in his poverty. Unfortu nately, no one cares. Christian groups help the battered house wife. The law takes away jobs from men and gives them to women. Only death can bring escape from the unhappiness men feel. There was too much emphasis on the independence of women in the September-October issue, and not enough love. If you want to do articles on Appalachian women, why not do articles on women who have suffered hardship but stayed with their families, giving them the love they need. I think you would do better to tell the story of the men of America and how they suffer from poverty, discrimination and injustice. Gerald Rauscher Sacramento, CA I was very impressed with Karen Jones. If any woman fits the “you’ve come a long way, baby” description, it’s her. Considering how she was brought up (her mother and her grandmother) and that Karen was in the same marital situation at 14, it is amazing that she had the will to be different. What a brave and intelligent young woman! I am glad she found her “Buddy ”; he sounds like a wonderful husband.

women feel as though they have it bad. In my opinion an article of this type will serve to give the woman looking for an opportunity to end her marriage the excuse to do so. I believe that our nation is in the grips of an evil force trying to break up marriages and homes. I would like to see articles in your magazine of women who have good marriages and proud of their families and all they can be for their family. Our children suffer enough through watching low moral shows on TV, violence, sex outside of marriage, Christians being made fun of, shows making men look stupid and mean. Granted, many do have it hard, but the Church should assist them without advising them to walk out on their family. I read where two Girl Scout troops heard Ms. Jones’ speech, so I see you are indoctri nating them while they are young. Karen’s was an exceptional case, but will be used by malcontents, as a reason for them to do like wise, even though their case may not be as destructive as hers. I know it is popular to “bash” men, “bash” families, “bash” normal marriages, “bash” obeying God’s word concerning husband and wife and family life, but that doesn’t change God’s word, it only makes the United States a little sicker than it already is.

WS White Plains, N Y

An unhappy reader has sounded off and I hope you will prayerfully consider what I have said. Nancy S. Fenn Rose H ill, VA

In regard to the article by Karen Jones, “A Look in the Mirror of an Appalachian Woman,” I believe this typifies the type of article being pushed in all secular magazines, as well as religious magazines, that of helping

Letters to the editor are welcome. They should not exceed 150 words in length, and we reserve the right to edit them fo r space. Address letters to The M ountain Spirit, Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, K Y 40446.

The CAP Closeup “There's no better way to demonstrate God’s love. ” In 1974 when Walt Jaeger arrived in Nicholasville, Kentucky, his job was to start a Phillips Industries plant. The first person he hired to help him staff the plant was a man named Mike McLaughlin. Twelve years later when Walt was searching for a job outside of the fast track business world, he called Mike, who had since left Phillips and gone to work for the Christian Appalachian Project as executive director. This time, Walt went to work for Mike to help him build a strong adminis trative team. “I sort of liked what CAP was all about,” Walt said, referring to the people-oriented approach of the organization. During his years in the business world, Walt had known organizations to take the short approach to looking for profit, sometimes to the exclusion of their employees. He no longer wanted to be a part of that world. “CAP was an opportunity to get off the fast track and help people,” Walt said. “Nothing pleases me more than seeing someone grow.” Walt was hired at a time when CAP was growing in its manage rial capacity and goals. In 1983,

the board of directors decided to give the organization more struc ture to insure its continuing service to the region. Walt became Walt Jaeger receives a hug fro m Shelia Barrett, o f C A P ’S senior purchasing department, at his retirement luncheon. director of administra new approach has shown positive tion, which included the purchas results is risk management. ing, personnel, accounting, public relations and maintenance “Accident rates were astronom departments. ical,” Walt said. In one year, there were 1280 lost time days, an Although it was Walt who amount of time equal to five introduced a number of strength employees being off for an entire ening strategies to CAP, he never year. After the management team takes all the credit. One of his studied the problem and ad goals was to help create a strong dressed it, with a campaign of administrative team and it is that awareness and prevention, the team effort that he emphasizes. As number of days decreased to 580 a leader, he said, he merely helped the next year, and to 40 last year. those around him diminish their weaknesses and intensify their Another program in which Walt strengths. has felt great reward is Operation Sharing, the CAP initiative which Another of Walt’s goals was to links companies that have goods eliminate organizational inconsis to donate with people in need. tencies and to create some The program began through an security for the agency. CAP’S accident, Walt said. When a increased attention to policy and publishing company donated procedural detail is testament to books to CAP, the organization that work. One area in which this

♦ by Beth Dotson ♦ 14

The Mountain Spirit

Walt Ja eg er saw there was a need to fill and many companies who were glad to fill them. In six years, the program’s value had increased from $2 million to $30 million. It reaches beyond Eastern Kentucky to other parts of Appalachia and to other parts of the country where organizations have a mission similar to CAP’S. The personal contact with recipients of Operation Sharing goods convinced Walt of its value. He remembered attending a fish fry and meeting a woman who was extremely grateful for the paint that she was given because it made her home look so much nicer. “It’s amazing how these goods that we receive can help people.” Walt said. Some goods are more coveted than others in Appalachia. “After food, books are the most wanted item,” Walt said. “A book is the last thing a person living in

poverty could ever buy.” Walt went on to explain that if you are landlocked by poverty, books are the only way to see the outside world. He has also met people who used wallpaper ingeniously to cover cracks and make their home warmer and more pleasant. Through Operation Sharing, he said, it is CAP’S goal to reach the many people in Appalachia who do fall through the cracks in the system. Both inside of the work, and in his personal life, it is the people that Walt most values. At CAP adminis trative offices, he has helped people around him advance their careers by gaining new skills. Throughout rural Kentucky, though, the people he has met have been teaching him lessons. Several years ago, Walt and his wife, Beverly, bought land in

Menifee County that had become overgrown and abandoned. They worked many hours to clean up the land and restore it to its original beauty so it could be used as a park. Walt recalls being rewarded for his work by a visit from an elderly woman. She remembered how beautiful the area had been when she was a child, how life had been happy, if simple, and the hills were always full of the beautiful music of life. She cried as she said that Walt and Beverly were the first people in a long time who cared enough about the land to clear it and make it beautiful again. Walt and Beverly now live on a small farm near Lancaster. Their three children live in Ohio and Kentucky. After 14 years in the state, Walt said, “I really call it my home area. I like the area and people—the honesty, the open ness. They’re willing to be friendly.” He also admires the people of Eastern Kentucky. “You know you better be honest with the people or you’ll lose respect.” Walt is now retiring from his job as administrative vice president and treasurer of CAP. He and Beverly hope to travel out west and make up for lost vacations by spending some time in one of their homes in Missouri. But Walt doesn’t expect CAP to be totally out of his life. He hopes to do some consulting work for the organization. “It’s given me, personally, a feeling of pride in being able to help other people. You get such a better sense of accomplishment, and even pleasure,” he said. Who would want to leave that behind? A Gilbert and Sullivan fa n , Walt was presented with a compact disc player and six operettas at his retirement party.

January - February 1993

A Ho u s e B uilt o n F a ith Now a select group o f volunteers can call this place home.

thriving operations today. The wreath manufacturing turned into a large scale production employing over one hundred local people for several months each year, allowing folks some extra income before the winter months set in. Camp Andrew Jackson has expanded to accommodate up to ninety children per week throughout the summer, and offers a beautiful setting for community groups to gather and retreats to be held. In the last few years, Camp AJ has become the local schools’ favorite site for a field trip. The children enjoy their experience with activities related to environmental educa tion. Jackson County, where some of CAP’S earliest programs were located, has now become the latest location of a volunteer community. From a level spot on a knoll across the “holler” from Camp AJ’s lodge and dormitories, a “house built on faith” has come to be. Until now, the volunteers who worked in CAP’S various programs in Jackson County lived in Berea and made the daily drive up “Big Hill.” (The name is a slight understatement for the steep,

The sound of a lone whippoorwill or a chorus of noisy frogs, the scent of clean air and pine trees, the sight of mist rising off of the small lake have all burned indelible images onto the hearts and minds of the hundreds of CAP volunteers who have spent a hard-working summer or a soul-searching weekend at Camp Andrew Jackson. For many volunteers since the early ’60s, Camp AJ was their total CAP experience. And now a select group of volunteers can call this place home. In 1964, a plot of land was dozed and the earth was moved to create a space for the first buildings that would come to be known as Camp Andrew Jackson. Camp AJ joined a sawmill operation, a dairy farm, and a small Christmas wreath factory to make up the Christian Appala chian Project’s most visible presence in Jackson County, Kentucky. After a few years, the sawmill and the dairy farm spun off as privately run industries in a county which continually battles high unemploy ment. Both of these industries are still

♦ by June Widman ♦ 16

The Mountain Spirit

curving road that takes you into Jackson County!) In the last few years, the number of programs in the county that volunteers work in has steadily increased. The need for a house that would put the volunteers closer to their work site became quite evident. A Jackson County volunteer house would help provide stability in staffing the programs, and consistency in service. It would also mean easier access to the surround ing counties where CAP is beginning to bring in pro grams. Need is one thing. The problem, of course, is that houses are not cheap, and one big enough to meet the needs of a volunteer community was beyond CAP’S financial means at the time.

On weekends, perm anent volunteers traveled the holler on Sand Lick Road to help with the construction.

know that financial considerations alone have never stopped a good idea from becoming reality. “Stepping out in faith,” “Where there’s a will there’s a way,” and “Dream the impossible dream” are all phrases with considerable meaning to the folks at CAP. In this case, it was Moe Mercier, former volunteer and present senior director of human development, who took hold of the vision of a volunteer house for Jackson County. Moe hung onto that vision until it did indeed become a reality. Starting with a promise of a little money for building materials, Moe latched on to the idea of having volunteers build the house. As is often the case, one good idea led to another, and soon the entire project was blessed with volunteerism. An archi tect friend of CAP’S volunteered some time and talent to formalize the building plans. Ken Stuber, a volunteer in the home repair program, asked to head up the project at the work site. And then when a donor got word of the effort to use volunteer labor to build a volunteer house, he very gener ously volunteered a single gift of $125,000 to cover the entire cost of building materials, supplies, and all the furnishings (right down to the food utensils, and bed linens!)

Groups o f temporary volunteers donated hundreds o f hours o f labor to construction o f C A P ’S volunteer house in Jackson County.

January - February 1993

Ken will tell you that it’s done one nail at a time! This incredible offer meant that a 3,700 square foot house could be built to accommodate up to nine permanent volunteers and at least four temporary volunteers. (A permanent volunteer agrees to spend a year or more working in a program of the Christian Appalachian Project. The food, housing, and medical insurance costs are paid by CAP during a permanent volunteer’s stay.) The house was designed with the flexibility to include appropriate space for a married couple serving as volunteers. And in true Ken tucky fashion, a wonderful front porch was included in the plans. CAP has been housing volunteers in communities for over twenty-five years, so several other considerations were incorpo rated into the design as well. A large space for the dining room table is necessary to foster mealtime conversation. An ample living room area is needed for community meetings, social gatherings, and daily group prayer. A smaller area off to one side will provide a quieter space for a small number of folks to congregate. Individual bedrooms allow for the privacy that can be lost as a group of strangers come together to form community, to be a family. The covered porch, extending right out into the trees, can accommodate several rocking chairs and a porch swing or two. The plans were complete, the finances in place; now all that was left to do was to coordinate the labor force and bring forth a house from the hands (and arms, legs, and backs!) of volunteers. Appropriately enough, this responsibility came to rest in the volunteer office of CAP’S human development department. The bulk of the coordination effort was handled by three employees who are all former volunteers: Kathy Kluesener, Barb Delmonico, and Carla Durand. Barb organized the perma nent volunteers so they could manage their work schedules and each put in some construction time on the project. (Ken Stuber was the only volunteer to be placed on the project full-time.) Kathy and Carla handled the recruiting and placement of the individual temporary volunteers and the volunteer groups that would come for a week or so at a time.

And now you might be wondering how in the world a house was built with that kind of a labor force! Borrowing some cues from Habitat for Humanity and a few lessons learned from CAP’S own annual home repair day (where employees and volun teers congregate in a single county to work on at least ten different home repair projects in one day), Ken will tell you that it’s done one nail at a time! But before any nails could be driven, the ground prepara tion had to be completed. By February of last year, the exact location for the house had been chosen, and a ground-breaking ceremony was held with prayers, praise, and shovels full of earth. Then, as in 1964, a bulldozer returned to Camp AJ to clear and level the site for the house. Fortunately, no large trees had to be removed to make room for the building. The foundation footers were put in place and final prepara tions before actual construction were soon completed. In March all the “volunteer building energy” was focused on Workfest ’92 where sixteen different colleges sent over 150 volunteers during a two-week period to work on homes in need of repair in Jackson County. A particularly wet and rainy April caused another delay in construction of the

Progress o f the fe n ce post holes was impeded until some o f the rockier parts ofJackson County were cleared away.

The Mountain Spirit

volunteer house, but folks were ready to hammer in that first nail on the first Monday in May. With guidance from some members of CAP’S home repair crews and the program man ager, Jim Lynn, Ken coordinated the volunteer workers from mid spring until Thanksgiving. Ken estimates that more than one hundred and twenty-five volunteers worked on the Jackson County volunteer house. In the spring it was mostly the permanent volun teers putting in a day here and there as construction was Built on faith, Ken Stuber. gearing up. Throughout the summer, groups of temporary volunteers came for a week at a time to work on the house. The weather little longer. It seems Ken must be enjoying cooperated for the most part, but work on his work because in August of 1992 he the roof was delayed a few times because became a CAP employee. the afternoon sun made it too hot to work with the shingles. Imagine supervising a major construction project with a workforce that varies in Back in the volunteer office, Kathy and number in each day and varies in construc Carla worked with the volunteer group tion experience from little to none. Ken leaders by phone to prepare them for the seemed unruffled by not always knowing work their people would be doing. After how many people would be working on these groups arrived in Kentucky, they had the house with him. the opportunity to talk with some of the permanent volunteers about what it is like “Sometimes I had advance warning, and to work in the programs. From the sometimes I didn’t. I just figured with a volunteer house worksite, the workers house this big there would always be a job could see the Camp AJ summer camp to do!” Fortunately, Ken was right. There activities. It didn’t take long for the groups was always a job, and someone to do it. to get charged up about the project they were working on. With summer over, the autumn workforce once again relied on the permanent When individual people came to volunteer volunteers rotating in and around their for three or more weeks, Kathy tried to set regular work schedules. A few temporary them up with a couple of days’ work on volunteers who offered to stay for three another home repair project. In this way, months really helped provide some the volunteers that were staying a little consistency. When the work required a longer got to learn a little more about the little more expertise, members of CAP’S region. Oftentimes, people who come to home repair program would come to the Christian Appalachian Project as Jackson County to help. temporary volunteers are so deeply moved by their experience that they return as By Thanksgiving, most of the trees in permanent volunteers, signing on to work Jackson county had shed all of their leaves. in a program for a year. In fact, that’s The first snow had fallen and melted. The exactly what happened to Ken Stuber! In November days kept everyone guessing June of 1990, Ken arrived in Martin as a where the thermometer would go. But if temporary volunteer assigned to work at you just happened to be driving along Sand Camp Shawnee for the summer. He then Lick Road on the way to Camp Andrew began to help out in the outreach program Jackson, you would notice that off to the and became a permanent volunteer in left, nestled into the side of a hill, sur December of 1990. The following August, rounded by trees, looking as though that Ken joined the home repair crew in Casey spot was created for just such a place—a County and decided to stay on with CAP a house built on faith has come to be.

January - February 1993

A Natural Combination

Sandi Knight manages the Christian Appalachian Project’s elderly visitation program in Floyd County. When one of her friends, Ocie Puckett, began to have a problem with a leaky roof, Sandi knew just who to call-the folks who work in CAP’S home repair program. This kind of thing happens all the time. Folks who work in CAP elderly and outreach programs serve the entire family or person. Education, home repair, emergency assistance-whatever the need, CAP outreach workers will try and help. When Sandi took Mark Casson, a volunteer, to Ocie’s house to take a look, they said, “No problem. We’ll have those leaks fixed within a week.”

Above, Ocie Puckett welcomes Sandi Knight, a worker in CAP’S elderly visitation program; right, she shows Mark Casson, the home repair worker, the locations o f leaks during rainy weather. Ocie has lived in this house built into the side o f a Floyd County mountain fo r many years. When Sandi wants to introduce someone to one o f her special friends, often thatfriend is Ocie Puckett.

♦ Photos by Lorraine Corsale ♦ 20

The Mountain Spirit

Above left, Ocle shows Mark the rug that she has placed over a spot where the floorboards are rotting away because o f dampness. Left, Ode leads the CAP workers in prayer before they leave her home.

January - February 1993

♦ ♦ ♦

A tU m ilw i Family

Thai A Better £i|e

Larry Holland has taken what several groups o f people have given his fam ily and is helping others as well

♦ Story and photos by Katrina Clark ♦ The Mountain Spirit

When Larry Holland and his family were given the tools to build a better life for themselves they accomplished just what many people believe is the best approach to helping people. A hard working team consisting o f the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA), the Chris tian Appalachian Project, and volunteer workers helped provide the family with instructions, tools, and extra labor power to build a house. The Holland family’s love, hard work, and hope for the future has made the house a home. The Holland family has seen hard times. Within the last three years they have gone from losing everything in a fire, to living in a small deteriorating house, to finally, the near completion o f a new three bedroom home. But to look into the eyes o f Larry, Darlene, or any one o f their three children, would not reveal the frustrations and hardships they have seen. In each face one can see humble pride and strong hope. “We had a house I’d built myself. It hadn’t been finished long and I was getting ready Larry and Darlene have seen hard times, hut hard work and hopefulness have kept the fa m ily strong through it all.

to add on two new rooms when it burned.” Larry calmly described their situation o f about three years ago. The family was not home when the fire struck, and when they returned, practically everything they owned was lost. They moved nearby to a small wood frame house which Larry’s father had owned. The structure did little more than keep a roof over their heads for over a year. One room had to be shared by the whole family because the rest of the house was falling apart with rot and leaks and would have been a huge expense to repair. At the time Larry was out o f work, so they were at a loss for a way to get out o f their situation.

The Holland children, Larry Jr., 9; Jonathan, 8; and Tasha, 7 are proud o f their new home. They pitched in to help the workers whenever they could.

Jan uary - February 1993

Then a opportunity came along when the family met Willard Holiday and

“They’ve certainly got a lot of patience and they like to work hard. Tilings don’t always go right but they keep hoping,” said Darrell Combs about he Holland family. “They’re the symbol of inherent struggle in a mountain family that wants a better life and they’re willing to work for it. We see (their hope) growing day by day.”

Larry and “Doc” look over thefinished steps o f a new house. Reverend Holliday is the chartered non-profit contractorfor FmHA in Magoffin and pastor o f the Philadel phia Tabernacle Church.

“We just kept hoping. We knew it would get done sometime.” Larry said as if hope was just part of his and his family’s life style that gave them positive glimpses of the future. Their hopes did become reality the following April when a group of 12 volunteers from a United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio, came to Magoffin County especially to help the Hollands. Few had extensive experience in construction but the strong will to work as a team and the faith to succeed made up for any lack of building knowledge. In just one week the group finished enough of the house so that the family could move in. During that week unforgettable friendships were made. Larry

Darrell Combs. Willard, or “Doc” Holiday, as he is most commonly known, is heavily involved in community' service in Magoffin County where he manages the Magoffin County Attic and Food Pantry and preaches at the Philadelphia Tabernacle Church. He is also a chartered non-profit contractor for FmHA in the county. Darrell Combs is the manager for CAP’S home repair program in Floyd County. These two men and their organizations joined forces with the Holland family to help them on their way to a better life. In August 1991 the foundation for the Holland’s new house was laid. The family was ready and anxious to start building. Unfortunately, the project was stalled for several months due to a lack of funding. Such a disappointment must have been hard to handle but their hope did not falter. Larry is now workingfor FmHA, which has plans for twelve low-incomefamily homes.

worked alongside the volunteers and Darlene enjoyed telling the group about life in Appalachia. The kids, Tasha,7, Jonathan, 8, and Larry Jr., 9, pitched in when they could and joked around, likely providing necessary comic relief for everyone. Since the construction several volunteers have kept in touch and have come back to visit the Hollands. Every step o f the way the house turned into a home because o f the relationships that were built along with it.

The sparkling new white house sits on land teeming with Holland family history. Larry knows the hills that surround his new home well because his family has lived in that Magoffin County holler for generations. He chose a cozy, secluded spot guarded by tree-lined slopes, all part of the rich, beautiful land given to him by his grandfather. “My place up there-I’ll keep it forever. It was my grandfather’s and I lived with him.” Larry grew up there with a large family around and now his children are being brought up with the same strong family-oriented atmosphere and values typical of Appalachian culture. Larry’s family is clearly important to him. He has worked very hard to meet their needs and make their hopes reality, but he has higher hopes yet.

“I h a ve gotten so m u ch that I w a n t to p a y b a ck by w o rk in g to h elp o th ers lik e us. ”

Even though the Hollands are quite comfortable now with their new home they continue to look to the future. “I have gotten so much that I want to pay back by working to help others like us.” Larry now has a job with FmHA, building homes very similar to his own for families who have had similar problems. FmHA has a large strip of land on which 12 new houses will be built for low-income families. One, which was started the end of August, is now nearing completion. The Hollands seem just as enthusiastic about the completion of this house as they were about their own. With a crew of only three workers, the construction has moved remarkably quickly. Even so, Larry was quick to point out problems that set them back a few days. He expects a lot of himself and learns quickly from mistakes. “Yeah, this one went up pretty quick.” Larry said quietly as his eyes scanned the new structure. He is happy with his work and the results. Darlene is just as happy. “Larry worked every day but three since it was started,” she said as she smiled with pride. The kids are very curious and supportive also. Tasha jumped to hold the end of a tape measure to help her dad. Her brother, Jonathan, nodded “yes” decidedly when asked if he would like to build things like his dad. Now that Larry has joined forces with Willard Holiday and Darrell Combs the team is even stronger. Each of them says he wouldn’t know what to do without the others.

________________________ January - February 1993

“Larry was tickled to get the job and we’re very glad to have him. He’s sure a hard worker.” Willard says he truly appreciates his help, and Larry says the same for him. “Without Willard checking up on us and gettin’ our materials we couldn’t cope.”

Each member of the team is dedicated to his part of the job and is fueled with hope to keep going. When the house they are working on now is finished Larry hopes they can lay several more foundations for new ones. “See, if you can get your block laid you can work on everything else right on through winter. But you can’t do (the foundations) if the ground’s frozen.” The more foundations they can lay, the more houses they can work on in the coming months. Larry is convinced that every house will go up faster than the one before because the crew is learning from its mistakes and finding ways to make the construction move along faster. He has faith in the team and they have every reason to have faith in him. By next summer, when Tipp City, Ohio, sends another group, Larry will have had the experience of building several more houses, so he’ll be ready to train them in nearly every aspect of the job. With his enthusiasm, he will make a great teacher.

“I like all of it. I like window framing, sheet rocking-all of it,” he smiled and looked around at his handiwork inside the new house. The sparkle in his eyes showed his hopes had reached further than he might have imagined. The connections between CAP and FmHA which have been formed on such a successful home repair project have spread to other aspects of commu nity service. Combined efforts of two such organizations and hopeful families like the Hollands can only create growing success for all involved and all those to be involved in the future. Larry’s hope is catching on through the example he and his family has set for others. Through his family’s active involvement with commu nity service organizations. Through the tangible results of his labor, we can all learn from the humble strength and wisdom of families like the Hollands. Larry’s reason for working is the simplest and yet the most important. “I like my job. I’m building for people who really need it. That’s what makes it so special.”

The Hollandfamily on thefront steps of their new home: Jonathan, Tasha, Larry, Jr., Darlene and Larry. The tools that were supplied to them by CAP and the FmHA have enabled the Hollands to not only build a homes for themselves, but help others as well.

The Mountain Spirit

"I stopped to visit her one day, and when she answered the door she was crying her eyes out, said Marie Bonner, a caseworker in the Christian Appalachian Project outreach program. "She said her little girl was sick and she didn't know what to do." A mother herself, Marie calmed Sally's fears, then suggested that they call the doctor to see what she had to say about Jessica's fever. Sally and her husband, Larry, had been told that they would never have children, but after they had been married for nine years, little Jessica came along! Although she is the dreamchild of their world, Sally and Larry had never expected to have a baby, so their experience is lacking. Larry is a tenant farmer, so their needs often exceed their means. Even so, they want to do the best they can for their baby. Marie met Sally and Larry several years ago when they filed an application for CAP'S gardening program. They were involved in our Christmas basket program this year, "and Jessica would be a great candidate for our infant/toddler stimulation program," Marie said. "I'd like to get them involved in the coming year. "They live way out in the county, and I think Sally gets lonely sometimes-she calls me every now and then just to talk," Marie said. Since the time that Sally was disturbed because she felt so inadequate in caring for her baby, Marie said that her confidence has grown. "That day she said that she didn't know if she was doing the right thing for her, and sure enough all she was doing was watching Jessica. Now she knows that if the baby is running a temperature to give her some Tylenol and see if it goes away. Then if she's still feverish after a few hours to call the doctor. Her confidence has really grown a lot." The support that CAP is able to give Sally is the result of the generous support that you give to CAP. And your continued support will enable us to help more people discover the value in their lives. And in themselves. A gift of $10, $15, $25-more, if you're able-wili enable us to help people like Sally. Someone who makes Appalachia a strong and beautiful land.

Housing in Appalachia In one Appalachian county served by the Christian Appalachian Project. . . 1 2 %

of the households do not have a complete kitchen.

They might have a hot plate or a wood burning stove on which to cook meals. Or they might not have running water. 1 6 %

of the households do not have complete plumbing.

Or they might have water pipes in the kitchen, but they don't have an indoor toilet.

22% of the households do not have a teleph one. And many of these families have small children and are particularly vulnerable in case of emergency. An official of the Kentucky State Housing Authority says: "The eastern areas of the state clearly have the most adverse housing situation in relation to their housing market. The obstacle to housing in this area is the generally lower income levels coupled with the higher cost to produce housing." Shaded area indicates the bound aries of the Appalachian region.

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

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

Address Correction Requested