Issuu

The Magazine o f the Christian Appalachian Project September - October 1993

T he Mountain

September - October 1993 Voi. XH, No. 5

The Magazine o f the Christian Appalachian Project

4 Switching from Help to Hope by Barbara Brown

1 2 Appalachian Classics by Teri Mehler

Environmental Education, p. 22

I f i Learning fo r the Whole Family by Elizabeth Paulow

2 2 Leave the Earth to the Young by Beth Dotson

D e p a rtm e n ts

Child Development Parents, p. It

3 8 14 21

From Our Founder Around The Project The CAP Closeup Letters

The Classroom is Everywhere In addition to its structured education programs, the Christian Appalachian Project sponsors several programs that are educational in nature but reach far beyond the walls of any classroom. Believing that education is a key to empower ing the people of Eastern Kentucky, CAP uses many means to offer opportunities for increased and improved education. On page four, Barbara Brown tells of the struggles of women who have made changes in their lives with the help of Family Life Services. A former FLS resident, this is the second of Barbara’s stories that have appeared in The Mountain Spirit. She submitted the first as she began her studies at Eastern Kentucky University; this story is a sequel, describing her work and that of other former FLS residents who are working on degrees. On page 16, Elizabeth Paulow examines the involve ment of parents in CAP’S child development centers. People often ask what happens at Camps Andrew Jackson and Shawnee during the 46 weeks that they are not hosting campers. Those facilities stay pretty busy, and one of the activities is an environmental education program offered to students in Jackson and Floyd counties. On the cover, Eileen Westgate displays a plant to students (photo by Dotson).

Published by the Christian Appalachian Project. Editor: Margaret Gabriel. A d viso ry Board: Father Ralph W . Beiting, Mike McLaughlin, Bill Begley, Ike Adams, Barbara Delmonico, Katie Newsome, Beverly Potter. G ra p h ic D esigner: Elizabeth Reed Miller. Circu latio n : Linda Grider East. The M ou n tain Sp irit is published six times a year. The annual subscription price is $6.00. Subscriptions and other correspondence should be sent to The M ou n ta in Sp irit, 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 oiganization operating throughout Appalachia. The project operates on the philosophy that “helping people help themselves” is the best approach to Appalachian poverty. A summary o f the registration and financial documents filed by this organization can be obtained by contacting: in New York, Secretary of State, Office of Charities Registration, 162 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12231; in Maryland, the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401; in Pennsylvania, residents may call the Pennsylvania Department of State at 1-800-732-0999; in West Virginia, the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305; in Virginia, the State Division o f Consumer Affairs, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23209. Washington State residents may obtain a copy of the last report filed with the Washington Secretary of State by calling toll free within Washington, 1-800-332-4483. In Florida, residents m ay call the Division of Consumer Services at 1-800-HELP-FLA. O r write to Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, KY 40446. Our license number in M ichigan is MICS 9933. Registration with any of the above government agencies does not imply endorsement by the state.

The M o u n ta in S p irit

From Our Founder Father Ralph W. Beiting Some o f the greatest educa tion, and some o f life’s most valuable lessons take place far from the classroom. Although I’m sure that some o f my knowledge o f and love for the saints is the result o f my studies from elemen tary school through my seminary training, much more o f that love stems from the example that they set for each o f us. One o f my favorite saints is is a fine example o f someone who used many different opportunities for teaching. St. Francis o f Assisi once took a young brother o f his community on a preaching mission in the city o f Assisi. They walked the streets for a whole day, stopping here, then visiting there. At the Here, he is accompanied in Martin County by seminarians and a young onlooker. end o f the day the brother asked St. Francis, “When are we going to preach?” “I knew I could count on you,” said Cynthia, a “O h, we did all day. You see, actions speak louder volunteer who works with the elderly in Louisa, when than words,” responded Francis. she asked my schedule for street preaching in Lawrence County this summer. Many o f her elderly I think the same is true o f education. Last week I friends in the housing projects had asked her when I got a call from a thirty-year-old man who lives in this would return to preach. They learn so much about life area. He wanted to know if I could advise him on an and its purpose from the talks, Cynthia told me. important matter. He told me that a friend o f his was involved with witchcraft and devil worship and he “I love to hear him so m uch,” one lady told Cynthia. had advised the person to stop. Had he done right, he “I could just go up and hug him .” Over the years, folks asked? I assured him he had acted correctly. have told me that not only do they appreciate hearing God’s word, they appreciate knowing that someone “I used to be into devil worship and I know how cares enough to reach out to them. much it hurt m e,” he added. “Is there anything else I can do to help him besides talking?” he asked. In the almost fifty years that I’ve been privileged to proclaim God’s word throughout the mountains I’ve “You can pray for him and offer to God some learned that we don’t have to preach from the pulpit penances for him ,” I said. (or even from the street comers!) to teach. I’ve learned that we are all teachers. We give a value “O h, I can?” he said. “Sure, I w ill. Thank you, Father system to others by the way we act, how we live and Beiting.” how we speak. What the world needs now is good teachers, not only in the classroom, but in the home, Sometimes it’s easy to forget that education doesn’t on the streets, in the market place, on the sports always happen through our talking. When we ask fields. God to enter the picture, we make Him part of the process, too. I hope the fellow that I talked to doesn’t I ask all o f you to be the best o f teachers. Be open. forget that his friend could very easily learn as much Never be too busy for others. Share your dreams. or more by observing virtue, good works and sacrifice Spread the good news, not gloom. Be encouraging. than by any words he could hear condemning Seek the things that are above. Care for all. The world witchcraft. Later that same week, I was again re needs you. You can make education work. A personal minded that much o f the world’s teaching goes on in involvement is always the best solution. You are a real many places other than the classroom. teacher. Be the best you can be.

September - October 1993

F a m ily L ife S e rv ice s h elp s p a r tic ip a n ts m ove fr o m c r is is in terven tio n p r o g r a m s to o n e that w ill en able them to m ake d e c isio n s a b o u t th eir g o a ls a n d lea rn h o w to a tta in them .

♦ by Barbara Brown ♦ 4

The M o u n ta in S p irit

c^ ave you ever thought about going to college?” my counselor at the spouse abuse shelter asked after he saw the scores on the tests I had taken at the vocational school.

education, and teach independent living. The idea became a reality in December 1987, when the doors o f “Family Life Services” opened in Mount Vernon, Kentucky.

“College?” I asked. “Are you crazy? I’m 38 years old! I have two kids, no car, no money, no place to live, and you want to know if I’ve thought about college?”

Family Life Services is not a shelter with a crisis line one may call for immediate help. Liz Phelps, the director o f Family Life Services, explains that the program is designed for people seeking to make permanent changes in their lives and already have goals in mind. My goal, for example, was to go to college so I could upgrade our standard o f living.

My counselor went on. “What if I told you that there is a new program sponsored by the same organi2ation that sponsors this shelter that makes it possible for you and the children to have a place to live, receive further counseling and help you get into a university where you can live on campus and get your degree in anything you want?” he asked. “I’m listening,” I said. “I want to know all about this new program.” *** For eight years, my home was plagued with mental, emotional and physical abuse, complicated by poverty and alcoholism. After the children were bom , they, too, lived in fear o f our abuser. Finally, a social worker told me about a place where I could take the children and be safe; in January o f 1988, my two little girls, ages four and six, and I went to live in a spouse abuse shelter in Somerset, Kentucky. The shelter where we stayed is one of three spouse abuse shelters sponsored by the Christian Appalachian Project, de signed to serve victims o f abuse tempo rarily. In some cases, though, a victim wants and needs help to detach herself from the abusive situation permanently. Often, a victim seeking a permanent way out finds herself with no one to turn to and nowhere to go. She faces the question, “Where do I go from here?”

In order for the girls and me to live at Family Life Services, I had to apply, as everyone does. After conducting an intensive interview and assessing my situation, Liz and her staff had to decide whether the program would be o f benefit to me. They believed it would help my family, so I was accepted into the program. In March o f 1988, the girls and I left the spouse abuse shelter and went to live at Family Life Services. At Family Life Services, I continued with my individual and family counseling, learned self-help skills, became indepen dent, and was accepted at Eastern Ken tucky University in Richmond. I was one o f the first residents from a spouse abuse shelter to accomplish my goals at Family Life Services. Since then, other women in the shelters who chose to leave their abusers permanently have been able to succeed with the help o f the program at Family Life Services. Like me, other women chose Eastern Kentucky University to continue or begin their college educations.

In late 1986 and early 1987, the staff of the CAP shelters, along with CAP’S Family Life Counseling Services, began to recog nize the need to provide further assistance to victims o f spouse abuse who choose to leave their abusive situations. The staff membe rs came up with an idea for a post shelter program, a transition service for women and children coming out o f the shelters with no place to go. The basic idea was to furnish families in transition with a place to live, provide further counseling services, encourage September - October 1993

Children who stay at Family Life Services always leave their mark! Above, left, a resident reviews her goalsfor the coming quarter.

! fÉ M

Residents at Family Life Services are required to participate in individual counseling and group therapy. Depending on the residents’ situations, they may be required to attend family therapy sessions. Therapy for children is available, too. Parents also attend a parenting education class called Systematic Training for Effec tive Parenting (STEP), which teaches parents a way o f child rearing that virtually eliminates physical punishments. STEP is a very different way o f life for families that have been dominated by domestic violence.

Although parents are totally responsiblefor care o f their children while they’re staying at Family Life Services, sometimes program coordinator Sheri Allen gets tofeed babies, too.

Ginger, a 37-year-old sociology major at EKU, and mother o f three, heard about Family Life Services when she left her home in Madison County and went into a spouse abuse shelter in 1988. “I was so scared and drained of energy,” she said, “but I heard the other women talk about the program at Family Life Services and I knew there was a chance for something better. It was a big turn around. I’m still growing from it and I’m still trying to get some strength from it. Hope is a big word in this.” In March, 1989, after 21 years of marriage, Doris took her four children and left Clinton County to go to a spouse abuse shelter. In June of that year, she was accepted into Family Life Services. Within two weeks she had her GED and then applied to Eastern Kentucky University. Because o f the abuse she suffered, Doris said she felt worthless as a human being. “I kept waiting for them to figure out that I wasn’t worth all the care and friendship they were showing m e,” she said. “Now I’m in college and my kids write essays about me at school, about how proud they are that I’m in college.” At age 46, Doris is studying to become a paralegal. Liz stresses that Family Life Services is not restricted to victims of abuse. Help is available to single parents, unwed preg nant women, or anyone who is homeless and needs help making a fresh start. Although most of of the residents at Family Life Services are women, services are available to men, as well.

FLS offers classes in life management skills, including budgeting, check writing, child care, and other subjects that families need to enhance their self-efficiency. Spiritual and recreational programs are available. And whether it involves a GED, vocational training, or pursuing a college degree, education is a strong component. “Residents complete a goal review every two weeks,” Liz says. “That way they can see that their short-term goals are adding up in regard to their long-term goals.” Family Life Services involves community living—several families living under one roof. “That doesn’t mean you have to like everybody,” Liz says, “but it does mean you may have to work through things that you may not have been confronted with when you were in your own home, dealing with just yourself and your immediate family. That’s always an interesting dynamic.” Because community living can be difficult, Family Life Services teaches residents confrontation skills. “We call it conflict resolution,” Liz said. “It not only teaches you an appropriate way to tell someone they are bothering you, it also teaches you how to say you are sorry.” Community living has a positive side to it, though. Doris says that the other residents living at Family Life Services were as much help and support as the staff. “Some of us sat up late at night after the kids went to bed and shared our stories of abuse,” she said. “Talking really helps.” At Family Life Services, I acquired the tools necessary to make a new life. Abuse causes low self-esteem, but with the professional and compassionate help of the staff of both the shelter and Family Life The M o u n ta in S p irit

Services, we were able to build our self esteem. After a while, I was able to confront our abuser and get a divorce. Victims o f abuse who wish to further their educations are encouraged by the staff. Thirty-one-year-old Donna and her four children now live on campus at EKU, where they moved after Donna completed the FLS program. “I’ve been wanting to go to school for years,” she said. “When I learned that Family Life Services offered that opportu nity, I made school happen.” May presently resides at FLS and said that she turned to her pastor in Pike County for help. At age 49, after 31 years o f marriage, May could no longer take the abuse. Her pastor helped her get into a spouse abuse shelter. When May heard about Family Life Services, she said, “It tickled me to death. I was floating on cloud nine. I had no money, a few clothes, and that’s it. I left everything. But I feel 100 percent better even though I still have a long way to go.” Liz said the FLS constantly looks at how they can do things better for the residents. She said they have the physical capacity for 15 to 20 people and that ranges from four to six families at a time. In a year, the program helps an average of 20 families. “Since the program started, we’ve increased services and the quality of services more than ten-fold,” Liz says. “W e’re looking ahead to the future; to expand and do more than we are doing.” Recently, Family Life Services began a new job training program. “It’s really added new flavor,” Liz says. “It means a lot more responsibility for the staff, but if we can help our residents get some paid employment, then they can either get off of welfare or save some money, so when they leave the program they’ll be able to afford a place to live.” According to Liz, the program is a one time deal. Residents are told in the begin ning that this is their chance. They don’t get to return if they leave before complet ing the program or if they stay six months, then leave, and fall back into old patterns. “They don’t get a second chance,” Liz says. “Family Life Services is their second chance.” September - October 1993

Liz Phelps (right), FLSprogram manager, eats with residents. Residents say that one beneficial aspect o f their time at Family Life Services is learning to get along with the otherfamilies they’re living with.

Like many others who have taken advantage o f the opportunities at Family Life Services, I have achieved my goals. The girls and I no longer suffer from abuse, and on May 8, 1993,1 graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. I do whatever I can to help prevent domestic violence and spouse abuse.

Not long ago, I asked my counselor from the spouse abuse shelter if he thought five years ago that I would actually get my degree. “I knew you could,” he said. “I knew you had what it takes and all you needed was the encouragement.” I believe I owe all of my achievements to the staff of the spouse abuse shelter and Family Life Services. Without them I may have had no choice but to return to a life of abuse. Family Life Services has been successful in helping many o f us living in abuse get our lives back. It offers understanding, comfort, and a desire to succeed. “We measure our success by doing follow-up visits,” Liz says. “If we visit one of our former residents and see that he or she now has a college degree, or has a budget hanging on her refrigerator, or has a parenting book lying on the coffee table, then we ‘see’ our success.” “If our families leave with nothing else but hopefulness, then w e’ve done our job,” Liz says. “If they switch from help to hope, then we have accomplished what we set out to do.”

-------- Around the Project--------CAP Child Development Center Nationally Accredited The Christian Appalachian Project Child Development Center in Berea recently received accredi tation from the National Academy o f Early Childhood Programs (NAECP), the accrediting arm of the National Association for the Education o f Young Children. The program is one o f five child development centers operated by CAP, and serves 63 families with children from birth to three years. It is among the first to be accred ited by NAECP. “For the southern Madison County community, it means that a high quality program for meeting the needs o f children and family is being offered,” said Teri Mehler, manager o f the center. In order to meet accreditation standards, Teri and her staff complied with a variety o f strict criteria w hich included provision o f activities appropriate for pre schoolers; well-qualified and trained staff; an adequate number o f staff for the number o f children enrolled; stringent health and safety standards; and opportuni ties for parental involvement. The accreditation process included an on-site study o f the program and review by a three-member national committee. But it’s not just national accredi tation that makes CAP Child Development distinctive. An observer can sense they’ve entered a special place when they walk into an environment de signed especially for children. The program encourages family participation as it includes parents as active members o f the team of people educating their children.

“Any day that you walk in, you may see a parent playing on the floor in the block area or reading to several children or setting the

Mary Mundy, head teacher at CAP Child Development in Berea, leads “circle time’’ with some o f her young students. The center in Berea is one o f Jive CAP child development centers. A sixth will open soon in Magoffin County. tables for lunch,” says head teacher Mary Mundy. “While they’re working, parents can learn appropriate activities and ways of talking to their children.” Parental involvement is not a one way street, either. “We learn from parents many things about their children, since parents are the child’s first and most impor tant teacher,” Mary says. Parents are invited to become involved with parenting classes and lesson preparation in connec tion with the pre-school curricu lum. As is true with all o f CAP’S centers, the center offers speech therapy for children, an infant/ toddler/parent program, assis tance with study for the GED test for parents without high school diplomas, and family counseling. The NAECP developed the accreditation standards over a three-year period with input from approximately 200 educators and administrators from around the country in order to assure high quality early childhood education programs.

M agazine Receives Editorial Award The M ountain Spirit was honored at the recent Catholic Press Association convention in Cincinnati as it won first place in the mission magazine division for “Best Article Originating with the Magazine.” “A Look in the Mirror of an Appalachian Woman” by Karen Jones appeared in the SeptemberOctober 1992 issue, which addressed the theme “Women in Appalachia.” Competition judges said, “Written in the first person, this touching account is the journey of soul through joy and pain into selfdiscovery. Told without self-pity, the authoress learns to help herself by helping others. A beautiful job.” If you’ve joined us since October o f 1992 and missed seeing “A Look in the Mirror o f an Appalachian W oman,” feel free to request a back issue. W e’d be proud to share it with you!

The M o u n ta in S p irit

around the project. . . continued

Hundreds o f Children Attend Three CAP Sum m er Camps One can’t help but smile looking at the changes in the Christian Appalachian Project camps, from 1958, when Father Beiting and another priest con ducted camp activities for six boys in a lean-to and tarpaulin, to 1993This summer CAP sponsored camps in Jackson County (Camp Andrew Jackson), Floyd County (Camp Shawnee) and Rockcastle County (Family Life Day Camp). Summer camp provides an abundance o f new experiences for young people ages six through 14. Experiences many other kids take for granted are part o f the joy o f a week’s camping for children in Appalachia. Some o f these experiences are as simple and basic as being able to play with

other kids. Because o f the isola tion o f so many Appalachian families, children often have no playmates outside o f their immedi ate family. Others experiences are more worldly. At Camp Shawnee, for example, campers make a weekly trip to the Jenny Wiley Summer Music Theatre to see a musical comedy. “Most o f these kids have never been to the theatre, and for some, this will be the only play they ever see,” said Joan Hellebush, a former CAP volun teer who has returned to work at Camp Shawnee. “Some o f the littler ones don’t see the whole play, anyway. We play them so hard during the day that they fall asleep!”

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Campers at Family Life Day Camp in Rockcastle Countyplay “blind volleyball, ” one o f many outdoor activities. Young people also have arts and crafts and swimming.

Clip and Mail

Jubilee Project, a coalition o f Baptist ministers in the area,

Christian Appalachian Project 322 Crab Orchard Road Lancaster, Kentucky 40446

Operation Sharing, the Christian Appalachian Project in-kind distribution program, recently

received the donation and will distribute the goods to needy individuals in H ancock County. H ancock County has a very small

Please send without obligation, your booklet, "37 Things People 'Know' About Wills That Aren't Really So."

Operation Sharing Travels to Tennessee

loaded all three o f its trucks and

tax base, so the rescue squad must

transported office furniture, 350 cartons o f toys, and safety supplies

operate only on the funding it can raise on its own. “ They really

(rubber gloves, covered trash cans

appreciated getting the safety

and safety signs) to Sneedville, Tennessee, about 65 miles north east o f K noxville.

supplies,” said Johnny Thompson, Operation Sharing procurement coordinator

Name Address City State

7IP

September - October 1993

around the project. . . continued

CAP Collaborates with McDonald’s Bob Hutchinson, manager of the McDonald’s in Magoffin County, sees a future in CAP’S adult education programs and would like to get in on it. After meeting Father Ralph Beiting, Bob sent a letter to Mike Sanders, senior director o f programs in Martin, and Shari Pesce, manager o f adult education in Floyd and Magoffin counties with sugges tions on how McDonald’s in Magoffin County can cooperate with CAP. “Mr. Hutchinson wants to help adults get into college and to encourage McDonald’s nation wide to get involved with adult education,” Shari said He proposes honoring top students, and the most faithful in attendance and has offered to match CAP’S scholarship funds for GED graduates who wish to pursue higher education. Mr. Hutchinson would like to use his venture with CAP as a model program. His letter to Mike and Shari asks CAP to allow him to share the program with McDonald’s people interested in a program in other parts o f the United States, and to extend the local program to the other GED programs sponsored by CAP.

Mr. Hutchinson closed his letter saying, “Thanks for working with individuals to fulfill their dreams, and I hope we, CAP and McDonald’s together, can form a relationship that will make it more enjoyable for those individuals striving to reach their goals.” CAP’S adult education program, featuring the “Little Red School Bus” in Magoffin County, will be

part o f a Public Broadcasting Service call-in special to be aired on September 8, 1993, at 10:00 EDT (9 P M. Central; Mountain and Pacific times will vary; check local listings). Programs in five other areas in the U.S. will also be highlighted for their unique approaches to adult education. Several guest celebrities will appear on the program, including country music star John Michael Montgomery, a GED graduate who grew up in Garrard County, Kentucky.

W hat M o r e C a n I D o To H e lp C A P ? CAP supporters often ask what more they can do to eliminate suffering in Appalachia. First, you can tell others o f the problems in Appalachia which you learn about in The M ountain Spirit and other CAP publications. Please share this magazine with a friend and w e’ll send a replacement. Ask us about any of the problems in Appalachia and we’ll be happy to share our knowledge. Secondly, you can give us a most valuable commodity—time. Since 1950, millions of hours have been donated to helping the people o f Appalachia help themselves 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 o f 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.

Moving? Please notify us of any change of address to make sure you receive every issue of The Mountain Spirit please print

OLD ADDRESS name

address

city

state

ZIP code

NEW ADDRESS name

address

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The “Little Red School Bus”provides educational opportunities in remote areas of Magoffin County. Another bus is ready to hit the road in Knott County.

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

The M o u n ta in Sp irit

around the project. . . continued B e th a n y H o u s e H o s ts D iffe r e n t T ype o f R e s id e n t A woman seeking refuge at a spouse abuse shelter is often visualized as a younger woman with small children, but Bethany House, one o f the Christian Appalachian Projects’s three spouse abuse shelters, recently hosted a different type o f resident. Bessie (not her real name) had been married over 50 years, according to Anita Seals, manager o f Bethany House. In addition to tolerating verbal and physical abuse during her marriage, Bessie cared for one o f her sons who had been injured in an automobile accident. When he went to live in a facility in Tennessee, Bessie decided that enough was enough and was referred to Bethany House by the state Department for Social Services. Unlike many women Bethany House serves, Bessie came to the shelter with her mind made up to change the direction o f her life. Because she had lived all o f her life without electricity or running water, that decision was even more complicated. “She stayed with us for almost two months,” Anita said. “That’s longer than most because we had to teach her how to use electricity and appli ances. “She’s living in a senior citizens’ apartment com plex, she’s in volved with the local senior citizens’ center and doing great,” Anita said. “She’s sort o f a ‘50year-old’ 70-year-old. Her family wasn’t very well off and she wasn’t used to getting much to eat. Here, she was amazed that she could eat as much as she wanted, but she always made sure that everyone else in the house ate before she did.” Anita said that Bessie lived without modem conveniences partly because o f her family’s poverty and partly because it was

September - October 1993

a means o f control for her hus band. A neighbor’s gift o f a gas stove angered Bessie’s husband, Anita said. “She was afraid and intimidated by appliances at first, but she always asked for help,” Anita said. “When she left she was using everything—the dishwasher, the coffee pot, everything.” Anita said that the other residents learned many lessons from Bessie, as well. “She told us about life when she was younger, and told us to appreciate each other, especially after being secluded for so long. She was very protective and grandmotherly and still calls to see how we’re doing, and to tell us how she’s getting along.”

Attention Retirees! If you are a CA P donor, or are considering becoming one, it is possible that you may be eligible to double your gift through your past employer's matching gift program. Many companies today match monetary support to non-profit community service organizations that are sup ported by their past and present employees. Please write for your bro chure "Double Your Dollars," which lists participating companies and instructions. Send correspondence to: Teresa McAnly Christian Appalachian Project 322 Crab Orchard Road Lancaster, KY 40446

Christm as Wreath Production to Begin in October at Jackson County Factory More than twenty years ago Father Ralph Beiting, CAP’S founder, had an idea to use the natural resources o f Jackson County while employing people for a least a few months out o f the year. Out o f this idea was bom CAP’S Christmas wreath factory. That first year, Jackson County workers fashioned a couple of thousand wreaths from trees that were stripped o f their boughs by the timber industry. There have been a number o f changes and improvements over the years, including the use o f high quality fir from America’s northwest. The factory this year will employ about 150 people from Jackson and the surrounding counties, some of the most chronically underemployed counties in the state, according to factory manager Gene Hensley. Most of the workers, whose ages range from 17 to 74, are women;

most are from low income families. They farm during the rest o f the year, or work at any task that will provide a little income. For some, the eight weeks of work in the factory from midOctober to mid-December represents most o f their income for the entire year. “People know each other from the community and work together really w ell,” Gene said. CAP is offering two wreath styles this year: the Mountain Home and the Christmas Cres cent. For more information, or to obtain an order form, please call 1 (800) 755-6928. Please note that you cannot place an order by calling this number. f Christian Appalachian Project is a participating agency in the Com bined Federal Cam paign. Federal and m ilitary em ployees can contribute to CAP by desig nating #0898 on the CFC \ p le d g e card.

Appalachian Classics

WHEN I WAS YOUNG IN THE MOUNTAINS by Cynthia Ryiant illustrated In* Diane Goode

TMDWHHC B oom

♦ Review by Teri Mehler ♦ 12

The M o u n ta in S p irit

C y n th ia Ryland’s book, When I Was Young In The M ountains, presents children with a gentle narrative o f life in a different time. By integrating the text and Diane Goode’s softly colored illustrations, When I Was Young In The M ountains invites young children into a time capsule which engages all o f the senses. The gritty blackness o f Grandfather coming home from work covered with the dust o f the coal mine contrasts with the wet whiteness o f brother’s shirt as he is baptized in the dark swimming hole. Hot okra, pinto beans, steaming cocoa, and “a mound of white butter” pique appetites and imagina tions for the good things o f mountain life. Illustrations of historical and cultural artifacts and customs lead young listeners to a personal understanding o f how one child in Appalachia lived her young years. When I Was Young In The M ountains comprises a mini-album o f portraits that convey pride and respect for the unique time and culture of the narrator.

When I Was Young In The M ountains encapsulates in simple phrases a life which was tranquil yet rigorous, humorous but harsh. The reader may be struck by the contentment generated by such activities as listening to the call of a bob-white from the porch swing or having one’s hair braided. It was such simple joy that leads the narrator to celebrate life in the mountains and to declare that she “never wanted to go anywhere else in the world.” In today’s fast-paced and highly mobile world, such genuine pride and joy in one’s own little spot in the world is a value that shines like the stars that sparkled in the sky above the narrator’s childhood porch. Both the adult reader and the child listener can enjoy and appreciate the simple qualities and values of another time and culture that are so lovingly described in When I Was Young In The M ountains.

Present day youngsters may be stimulated to compare their own lives to that o f the narrator or perhaps to the lives o f their own elders. “How does my life differ from this story?” The rich illustrations depicting butter chum s, wood cook stoves, and kerosene lamps may help children’s understanding of how and why we live differently today. At the least, the illustrations provide enchanting visual detail that will engage young eyes.

September - October 1993

The CAP Closeup

“You learn patience ... you learn patience. ”

The words “education” and “influence” seem to be the guiding standards for Gloria Jordan and as manager o f the Christian Appala chian Project Rainbow Respite Care Center, Gloria passes those standards along to children and adults with disabilities. “My mom had strong education values while I was growing up. She wanted me to go to Berea College; she had heard how good it was.” Gloria, who grew up in Red Jacket, West Virginia, a mining town in the southern part of the state, was hometown girl, though. It took a nudge from someone other than her mother to prompt her to look beyond her familiar surroundings for her life’s work.

Gloria says that before deciding to become a nurse, she’d had no desire to continue in school, but after spending a summer with family in Alabama, working in a shirt factory, she looked around and said, “This is not for me. I’m going to school! ”

beautiful—I was sucked in by dogwoods!”) to complete her degree in nursing.

“When I was in the eleventh grade, I hurt my foot and had to stay in the hospital. I really liked how one of the nurses took care of me, and decided I wanted to be a nurse,” Gloria said.

When she was working at Berea Hospital, Gloria also began working as a foster parent to children with disabilities, at the suggestion of a roommate. Gloria says she enjoyed foster parenting “because it increased my parenting skills and my medical skills because I was actually dealing with kids with syndromes I had learned about in nursing school.”

Gloria began her education at Southern West Virginia Commu nity College, later transferring to Berea College after visiting with a friend in the spring (“It was

That enjoyment continues, Gloria says, as she now uses her parenting and medical skills in the Rainbow Respite Care Center. With center-based and in-home

♦ by Margaret Gabriel ♦ Photos by Elizabeth Miller 14

The M ountain Spirit

Gloria Jordan programs, the center provides breaks to families who have members with disabilities. Families who participate in the inhome program host staff who provide routine care as well as needed physical or occupational therapy. Family members who normally provide this care are given an opportunity to go grocery shopping, visit friends or just read a book for a few uninter rupted hours. These breaks are important to relieving the stress of caring for a family member with a disability, but “We don’t tell people they have to leave because respite means something different to everyone,” Gloria says. The in-center program gives week-long breaks to families, alternating weeks when they take men, women and children. “About thirty families use respite,” Gloria says, “and twenty are consistent center-base users. “It’s good for the parent and the child to have separation, because when they get older, they’re starting to look at out-of-home placement. We run into a lot of families w ho’ve never had the child in out-of-home care. So, we really like to see in-home people make use o f our center-based program.”

pants to the movies or local malls and also offer speech and occupa tional therapy. “A therapist teaches the respite provider what she’s working on, and while the provider is there, she’s following through on those exercises.” Berea is home to Gloria now. “I guess it’s because of the opportu nity that I’ve encountered here. My hometown is a small mining town. Mining is all there was there, and I wanted something else. I wanted to go into nursing. “I really enjoy working with persons who are disabled. There’s no particular reason for it, but I have really enjoyed it.” Gloria says that she has as much to learn from people with disabili ties as she has to offer. “I’ve learned acceptance, for one thing. You don’t get into trying to change them; you accept them the way they are. They accept you just the way you are, and they deserve the same respect. And they don’t see any faults. At our dances, for instance, you see

everyone on the floor. Nobody cares if someone can’t keep a beat, or whatever. Everyone is accepted just the way they are. “You learn patience.” Gloria smiled and repeated, “You learn patience. And you learn tolerance. There are times when someone will ask you the same thing over and over, or talks constantly. You start to know when you need to get out, take a deep breath and come back in. “I tell my staff that I don’t care how ‘bad’ a person’s behavior seems to be, if we can provide respite just for a week for that family, w e’re doing exactly what w e’re put here for. Sometimes you have to wonder how a family copes with someone who has to be watched all the time, or a child who has to be suctioned throughout the night. I think, ‘hey it’s only a week for us.’ If we can keep them here for a week, then w e’ve helped that family, w e’ve given them the respite that they need.”

“Families asked us about inhome services,” Gloria said. “We had families whose members required a lot o f equipment, and at first, preferred that we come to them .” Gloria said that when in-home service begins, the first step is to learn the routine from the family, “specifically to the needs o f that individual. We have two or three people with tracheostomies, but we don’t care for them all the same way. The care is individual.” In order to make the distinction between respite and baby-sitting, Gloria and her staff take partici

September - October 1993

The Rainbow Respite Care Center alternates weeks caringfor men, women and children. Staff offers in-home respite, enablingfamilies to stay in their homefor a few hours while a trainedprovider caresfor afamily member with disabilities.

L e a r n in g fo r THE

W hole F amily Often, Appalachian parents begin their fa m ilies with the great disadvantages o f isolation and poverty. CAP’S child developm ent centers are helping give parents a boost to overcome these problem s.

^ flu c h o f Glenda Allen’s philosophy about raising children has formed while she has been working at one o f CAP’S child development centers. “If you tell a child, ‘You are great!’ that child will act so much better. Kids are proud o f them selves.” That’s just one element o f the philosophy that Glenda has developed since she has began spending about three days a week at the CAP Child Develop ment Center in Berea. As the parent o f a child attending a CAP child development center, Glenda is required to work two days per month in the center, but she comes in much more frequently because she loves the work. Staff and parents agree that work in the center is a fair trade for parents sending their kids to the center free of charge. Adults do a variety of tasks when helping out at one of CAP’S five centers, with opening pending for a sixth. For instance, Glenda sets up for breakfast and lunch, helps clean up, supervises when teachers are out o f the room, and plays with the kids. The centers couldn’t operate without the help of these parents, managers say.

•

♦ by Elizabeth Paulow ♦ 16

The M o u n ta in S p irit

Child development centers, a core CAP program, have been in existence for over 20 years serving pre-school children, largely from low-income families. The program combines discipline, guidance, teaching and social skills. Building self esteem in both parents and children is emphasized because, in America, selfworth is often related to money; thus, those from poor families have little self esteem. June Widman, who supervised GAP’s child development centers for seven years, says that centers are a priority at CAP. “The theory is that if you can work with the children, then a trust develops that allows us into that family. This is where a lot of other programs within CAP have come along. There has been an effort in the last couple years to reach a family sooner— when children are babies—so we can stay with the family longer and get concrete changes to occur. The value o f parents buying into what w e’re doing is vital.” There is evidence that parents do, indeed, buy into the ideology in child development. Ruby Alcorn and her grandson, Joseph, are involved with Family

Life Child Development in Renfro Valley. “Everyone at the center is kind,” Ruby says. “The staff teaches the kids the right kinds o f things like manners, right from wrong, how to adjust with other kids, and positive discipline—they use ‘yes’ words: pleases and thank yous. Joseph feels safe when he’s there. I feel safe when he is there without me. The staff has so much patience with kids.” This methodology has influenced Ruby’s discipline o f her grandson. “You shouldn’t scream at your kids. You should sit down and explain to your kids why they have to do something. This shows children you care.” Glenda also approves o f CAP’S method o f dealing with kids. “The staff teaches the kids to speak up and use words to express their feelings. My son, Jerrad, knows how to use words to tell the teachers how he feels. This teaches him how to relate to other people. He learns to relate to other children and how to share. It is a learning center for the kids if they let it happen.” Glenda has had children in the center for four years, but was initially apprehen sive about becoming involved. “At first I didn’t like it because I didn’t know anyone and I was bashful. I felt out o f place, and I didn’t know what to expect.” Now she feels differently. “My most enjoyable part is working with the kids because I learn from them. I’ve learned that all kids are different. They all have different ways o f looking at things. I also love it because I know everybody—all the staff and teachers—and we get along. If I need something, they can help me. Today I’m doing my laundry here because the storm knocked out my electricity. The pole broke. I couldn’t afford to go to the laundromat and Mary, the head teacher, told me to bring my laundry here to the center, help them out, and do some work while I got it washed. It really helped out.”

Family parties are a big part o f parental involvement in CAP child development centers.. When the staff and the parents can meet socially rather than professionally, insight is gained that is beneficial to thefamilies as well as the teachers. September - October 1993

That parents receive a boost about themselves is an added bonus to the original intent o f having adults assist in the center. June says parents were needed to work in the center because o f the number of children they were serving. “We decided at least two parents per session [there are two three-hour sessions a day in each center] would work best for the program. Also, if you only work with the children, you can only create a wonderful environment for three hours a day. But if parents are in the same environment, they can take home pieces o f what they learn in working with the kids. Then the children can benefit around the clock.”

Parent duties in the child development centers include supervising meals. . .

Ruby works at Joseph’s center at least twice a week. “I’ve loved the whole two years I’ve been at the center. I enjoy talking to the kids in the center and on the bus and keeping them safe. I am a mother to them. Children have a natural love for anyone that shows them love.” Mary Mundy, head teacher at CAP Child Development in Berea, says adult involve ment at the center has mutual benefit for the staff. “Parents get ideas from staff, and staff get ideas from parents. It also really benefits the staff when the parents come in and help because more adults are there to work with the children.” Mary also believes working in the center builds parents’ self-esteem. For instance, Glenda knows that the teachers at the center count on her to fill in when other parents cannot come. “I feel good that the teachers call on me to help. It makes me feel that I can be depended on, and it’s good to feel needed.”

Becky Kana, manager of the Sunshine Center in Lancaster, believes parental involvement is important because o f what parents can learn from the teachers. “The most learning occurs in a person’s life from birth to age six. You learn to talk, walk, communicate with others. It’s important that children have experiences that will help them in that development. Parents can tap into this by observing parenting skills through staff role modeling. They see positive guidance techniques. For ex ample, staff members may redirect a child to another activity to distract him from an argument with another child. Most parents are open to new ideas and suggestions.” Mary thinks parental involvement serves another purpose, too. “It lets the children know that what they’re doing is important to their parents.” June believes that the center improves the parent-child relationship. “If parents know what the child development center is like, it provides more meaningful conversation with the child. The parents understand what is there at the center. It draws the parents and children together.” CAP and the child development staff workers hope that parents’ involvement in their children’s education will extend beyond CAP. “Working at the center impacts the parents’ willingness to speak up for their children when they go on to the elementary schools,” June says. “Parents are more likely to become involved in PTO groups and in their children’s academic careers.” The observation of the educational process is good preparation for involve ment with public schools, Becky says. “They’ll have more knowledge o f the school system. They can communicate The M o u n ta in S p irit

better with school personnel, and they will know it’s all right to talk with them about their kids.” Workers at CAP’S child development centers hope that children, as well as parents, will be enthusiastic about their education as they get to be older students. One o f the goals o f CAP’S child develop ment centers is to create in children a desire to learn. June says, “Kids are naturally curious, so child development gives them an opportunity to pursue this. You hope the spark o f curiosity will equal education. You hope kids will be excited in kindergarten.” Family Life Child Development has sparked this curiosity in at least one child, Ruby says. “I think education is very important to my grandson. He’s really bright and has a natural curiosity. He loves to join in on a puzzle or game, where he never would’ve known how before. The center has taught him a lot o f things.

“Jo s e p h is in te re sted in com p u te r s . . . H e w a n ts to g o on to colleg e f o r that. ” human connection. “Isolated families don’t have a natural place to congregate. They need to have some place where there’s an opportunity for that.” Becky agrees. “The parents make friends with each other, especially when their children are in the center for more than one year. This is very important to some families who live in such isolated areas.” In addition to monthly meetings, the child development program conducts workshops on topics o f interest to the

“Joseph is interested in computers because my son-in-law, a computer designer in Knoxville, is teaching Joseph on the computer. Joseph wants to be a computer designer like him. He’s inter ested in computers and wants to go on to college for that.” While CAP’S child development centers seek to open new worlds o f learning for the children, they also seek to open new worlds for the parents as they learn more about parenting. Too many Appalachian parents are unsure how to raise their children effectively, so CAP’S child devel opment centers have begun monthly parent support group meetings to meet this need. Ruby testifies to the benefits of the meetings. “Parents share their ideas about how they discipline their kids and ask for suggestions from other parents. The rest o f the group tries to help solve a parent’s problem. The meetings show us we need to do what’s best for the child, not for us.” Mary sees CAP provide solutions to many parents’ self-doubt. “There are a lot of young parents here, and a lot o f them didn’t really understand what they could do with their kids, but they had a feeling there must be something else, something better, to discipline them. Parents have gotten a lot out o f the workshops.” June says that the parent support groups provide something even more basic: September - October 1993

. . . and helping in the kitchen.

Glenda is just one parent who is already pursuing her goal: she is studying for her GED at the on-site GED class CAP holds at the Berea center. “My dream is to get my GED and go into child development. I want to set up my own day care center.” Ruby, too, is working toward her GED with CAP’S instruction. A skiing accident when Ruby was 12, resulted in a concussion and was out of school six months. When she went back, she couldn’t remember anything she had learned. She thought she was getting too far behind, so she quit. The hardships o f life forced Ruby to put education on hold for a while. “I never had time to read; Parental involvement in CAP child developmentprograms begins with infant and toddler stimulation no time for nothing but programs, which begin at birth. Teachers travel to homes and show parents effective ways o f interact caring for my nine kids.” ing with babies and toddlers. But now Ruby has big parents. Either the staff o f the centers or a plans. When she receives her GED, Ruby resource person from the community has dreams o f attending Berea College. held workshops on stress management, tough questions children ask, children’s Since discovering the joy o f learning, health issues, women’s health issues, Ruby now emphasizes education for building self-esteem, single parents and herself and her grandson, Joseph. “Educa homemakers, money management, jobtion is important for me, as well as for hunting, and a host o f others. Joseph. Kids ask so many questions. You need to know how to answer in the right Workshops provide support for the kind o f way. I couldn’t read to my kids parents within the confines o f the center, before I came to CAP’S Adult Learning but the child development staff provides Center three years ago. support for the parents outside the centers as well. Mary says, “The relationship we “Joseph wants me to learn as well as build with the families is not just a school him. He understands that I need to learn. relationship, but a more personal relation He’s interested because I’m learning with ship. Because we are a Christian organiza him .” tion, we look more through Christian eyes. We deal with many problems here, and CAP’S child development centers seek to how the staff shows they care makes a big have a lasting impact on parents; prompt difference. We have a nurturing atmo ing them to strive for more in life is just sphere here.” one way the centers try to do that. Some of the parents who benefit from working “I can tell my problems to the teachers at the centers today attended CAP child here and I receive support from them ,” development centers when they were Glenda said. “They will listen and help in children. Today they say the centers have cases like when I’m having trouble with had a lasting impact on them as adults. June says, “There is another generation my kids.” coming about. Teens are telling stories of “We urge the parents to pursue their what they remember at child develop goals,” Mary says. “Most parents have done ment.” something to further those goals.”

The M o u n ta in S p irit

Letters to the Editor The M ountain Spirit is a very appropriate name for your magazine (and I enjoy every word o f it). People living in the moun tains with the spirit to forge ahead even though times are hard. Without your help and devotion no doubt many o f them wouldn’t have this spirit. It means so much to me to read about these people working together and helping each other and what you are doing to help the children especially is wonderful. Every child deserves a chance to be healthy and happy. May God bless you always! Dorothy M. M artin Biggs, CA

The M ountain Spirit has some very interesting stories o f the life style and happenings o f the mountain people. Charles Benker Chesapeake City, M D

I enjoy reading all about the people of The M ountain Spirit. The US government needs to be more concerned about their welfare and less about all the European countries who rely on handouts from the USA. Mrs. M attJa m es K em ersville, N C

Thank you for your faithful devotion to the people o f Appala chia, who constitute a group of honest, fine people—the “Salt of the Earth.” Mrs. B.P. W olff Atlanta, GA

God grant you a successful and blessed summer. Your articles, especially those about hurting children and teenagers, sometimes move me to tears. It makes me wish I had the means to give each o f them happy lives way beyond the poverty level. Mrs. Harry Uttley Tatum, I X My sister, Marge McKeithan, of Jacksonville, Florida, and I volunteered from May 3-21 in Martin, Kentucky. One week was at Camp Shawnee for the Women’s Leadership Conference. What a wonderful experience to meet the ladies that were guests there. They are such lovely people. We were also very impressed with the volunteers at Martin, their dedication to God, the Appalachian people and to each other. I can say from experi ence to each donor, “Your money is used very wisely.” And of course, we fell in love with Al, Jerry and Eunice at Camp Shawnee. Je a n C. White W ilmington, N C

I’ve learned a great deal about Appalachia and its people from The M ountain Spirit. In spite of trying times and what would be unbearable situations to most of us, they seem to have inner strength and courage. The good received is accepted with grati tude, and a tremendous effort made to find a better life espe cially for the children and elderly.

As I read The M ountain Spirit, I am moved by the help that is extended to the very poor and reminded of a motto which hung in a church I attended as a boy, deep in the hills o f West Virginia. The motto: “You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.”

Norm a M aine Dow ney, CA

Edm ond Woods Mentor, OH

September - October 1993

I really enjoy your magazine, The M ountain Spirit. It is so well put together and the articles are lively and picturesque. What strikes me the most is your ecumenical cooperation and dedication.

Sister Cecile D um as M illbrook, N Y The articles paint a terrific picture helping people gain insight into the problems and what can be done to overcome them. Thank you! Kathryn Foster Houston, TX I don’t believe people know how cruel rural poverty is. When I was young I used to wonder what I would do when I became old and unable to work. We are not rich in material things, but God has provided for us through modem social changes. Many thanks to CAP. Mr. and Mrs. H arry E. Hutten Aberdeen, SD

I very much look forward to receiving The M ountain Spirit and then sharing it. The pictures accompanying the articles are especially good. I’d like to know Joe Begley and Charlene Reynolds from their photos as well as the articles about them. May God be with you all. Laurie Fox M adison, WI 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 Mountain Spirit, Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, K Y 40446.

T h e students sitting on the Camp Andrew Jackson basketball court were playing “Concentration”: an environmental variation in which they matched animals and their habitats. A group hiking through the woods looked at the trees, identifying them and the plants on the forest floor. These students were among hundreds in Kentucky who spent some o f their school year studying the environment. Teachers from across the state are increasingly looking for ways to integrate environmental education into their planning. As the environmental conscious ness o f the country prompts personal action, Kentuckians have more diligently studied the effects o f coal mining, garbage dumping and deforestation o f their land. As the state continues to search for ways to develop jobs in the region, it is even more important to have an environmentally informed population and the schools are contributing to that constituency. Schools in and near Jackson Comity have good resources available for their educa tional programs. At Camp AJ, the Christian Appalachian Project offers a variety of environmental education programs. In the Horse Lick Creek areas o f the county, the Nature Conservancy’s bioreserve director has also worked with students to increase their understanding about the county’s natural gifts. Both o f these initiatives are helping young people see their role as stewards of the earth. CAP volunteers Shelly Brown and Eileen Westgate worked with Camp AJ program manager Bill Lynch during the 1992-93 school year to offer enjoyable educational programs to students and teachers. During

Leave the Earth to the Young ♦ 22

Story and Photos by Beth Dotson ♦ The M ountain Spirit

the spring, they worked with classes from Silver Creek Elementary School in Berea. Their lesson for the fourth graders left the students with some thought-provoking questions. “I would like to know why they keep cutting down trees when we have plenty of w ood,” said Christian Przybys. Christian and her friend, Rebecca Garland, were also concerned about pesticides. They ex plained that they had learned how pesti cides can kill a grasshopper, for example, then if a hawk eats the grasshopper it, too, will be adversely affected. It will lay thin eggs.

" . . . teach the k id s a b o u t n a tu re a n d to g a in a re sp e ct f o r it, b eca u se a lo t o f them live o ff o f it.

Rebecca suggested that we not use so many pesticides because of what they can do to animals. “If they weren’t here, we wouldn’t be here, either,” she said. Interconnectedness is only one o f the concepts students learn through CAP’S environmental education program. Bill Lynch has been offering education at Camp AJ for five years and he has other things in mind for the students also. “The goal is to supplement the teacher’s courses with some hands-on activity; that’s one obvious goal. The second goal is to have a child take the information he or she learned in school and apply that to a handson situation,” Bill explained. “If you say ‘habitat’ or you say ‘water ecology,’ what does that mean? How can you transfer that from the print into the working environ ment?” At Camp AJ, they transfer it through soil testing and other experiments. They also take part in a number o f other hands-on learning activities and problem-solving projects. More than 1200 students partici pated in the program during the past school year. Most o f them were in the primary program (grades K to 3) or grade six. In their schools, some o f them have also started recycling programs, monitoring birds and even making videos about environmental issues in their communities.

rote memorization lessons. It also pro motes inter-disciplinary learning and more proficient use o f writing skills. Teachers can call Bill and arrange for a program on the topic they are studying. He and his staff can tailor a program for any age range or subject area. Besides science programs, they work with teachers on literature, art and team building projects. In her work with students, Eileen has combined some o f these subject areas. While hiking in the woods, for example, she asks students to find a tree to hug, then they write about the feelings the tree might have. The project includes using nature as their art supplier by collecting objects to put on paper to represent a tree. Eileen can adjust her lesson as is appropriate for each group. The program’s flexibility wasn’t as great in the past when Bill ran it on his own and with the help of local agencies, such as the 4-H extension office. The program became more diverse, Bill said, with the addition of Eileen and Shelly. Shelly worked in outdoor education before joining the program at Camp AJ in March. She hopes to “ . . . teach the kids about nature and to gain a respect for it,

“I think KERA will be a main advantage for us,” Bill said, referring to the Kentucky Education Reform Act. KERA encourages teachers to use more hands-on activities and problem-solving projects and fewer Roxanne Vaughn examines creek samples with Jackson County Middle School students. They will take the samples hack to the lab at their schoolfor analysis. September - October 1993

from Jackson County Middle School to take students to the Horse Lick Creek Bioreserve. On the way to the creek, they passed a wildcat coal mine, an unreclaimed strip mine and a reclaimed strip mine. These sites provide examples o f how people have used Jackson County’s natural assets, and sometimes tried to recover them after abuse. Keith encouraged his students to write the positives and negatives o f what they saw. He asked them to consider if the money made from the mines was worth the environmental damage to the area. In the creek, students tested the water content for iron and sewage. They also studied the water life, and took some samples back to school for more experi mentation. Eileen and her students identify plants in the forest as they hike a trail at Cam p Andrew Jackson. because a lot o f them live off o f it and yet they still have a disrespect for it. They’ll throw stuff out, pollute the water,” Shelly explained. “One o f the thing we conveyed with the habitats was we need all of the elements—the food, water and shelter—to live. And we taught them that if you take a bird’s water away in its habitat, it’s probably going to die, or if you take its food away . . . that’s how some animals have become endangered, just because of the disrespect for the environment.”

“It’s a real good hands-on example for them ,” Jim said. Educating students about the area helps Jim with his goal o f creating good relations with the community. He wants to educate everyone about how off-road vehicles (a common form o f recreation in the county) that are driven through the creek disrupt the wildlife habitat. Much o f the surround ing area is farmland and cattle that cross the creeks can also cause damage. Jim offers grants to people who would like to

Students saw some of that disrespect in Jackson County when they participated in another environmental education program, this one arranged with the help o f Jim Hayes o f the Nature Conservancy. Jim is a former high school biology teacher and he understands the importance o f educating kids about ecology. “Biology should be taught outdoors,” Jim said, so he works with teachers who want to take field trips to the Horse Lick Bioreserve. The Reserve is a watershed area of approximately 1500 acres and home to several endangered plants and animals. The watershed’s caves and clifflines are home to endangered species such as bats and cave invertebrates. In the area, students can find wild mustard and geraniums, and study the endangered mussels. In the spring o f 1993, Jim w orked w ith teachers Roxanne Vaughn and Keith Lakes

The M ountain Spirit

put up fences that stop their animals from getting in the creek. He spends much of his time talking with people about buying their land for the Nature Conservancy so it can preserve the area.

the bluebirds back. Making bluebird boxes taught students about more than the birds. It also gave them an opportunity to put some practical skills to use, like measuring the parts for the boxes.

At Camp A J, Bill also points out to students the effect human beings have on the land. “People lived here before and I think that’s important too. I don’t want to subtract from human importance,” he said.

Bill has seen the evidence that students learned through his programs in other ways, too. He recalled a science fair workshop in which students were given paper towels and bolts. They decided they wanted to test the strength o f the paper towels. They labeled the towels by brand name, got them wet, and piled on bolts until one tore.

On the camp’s grounds, there is evi dence that people farmed on the mountainsides up to the rock line years ago. It used to be the kind o f place where bluebirds could live, but many o f them have been driven away. “Bluebird habitat was disrupted by humans in several ways,” Bill explained. “In one way, some o f the pesticides caused problems when they were using DDT. But then the main culprit was a lot o f the dead trees we cut down. A lot o f the old fashioned fence posts that we used to use that would get hollow inside were taken down and metal posts put up. The prob lem with that is that bluebirds would nest in cavities.” Those nesting places are gone now. With natural cavities gone, Bill needed something made by human hand to bring

When they returned to the rolls o f paper towels, they realized they had discarded the wrappers and didn’t know which brand name belonged to each roll. How could they figure out which paper was which brand? They decided they could repeat the experiment to find the strongest and that would give them their answer. “They figured it out. They knew how to apply their learned knowledge, a key element, and a personal goal o f m ine,” Bill said. Many o f the primary teachers with whom Bill worked wanted to study how things interact. Some teachers prepared their students well before going to Camp AJ. Bill has considered offering teacher training or other preparation to assist teachers. Whatever the subject matter, Eileen and Shelly make it fun. “Most o f them like what they’re doing because we try to incorpo rate fun into it. We teach them through games,” Shelly said. “W e’ll have relay races or, like with the habitats, we had them go out and build a bird’s nest so they actually learn by doing rather than by sitting down and watching.”

When they learn by doing, it captures their imagination and their memory. Rebecca Garland from Silver Creek Elementary said, “My favorite part was when we built the nest. It was hard for us to build them, then you can see how hard it would be for the little bird.”

4 CAP environmental education programs take place outdoors and involve students through hands-on activities. Studentsfrom every grade level are welcome; most students are in primary classes and grade six.

\ September - October 1993

Crystal Vance remembered the trees she studied, and she said would tell her parents about the trees in their yard. She said she had learned how to keep the earth clean.

foot rope for their guide. When they come to a knot in the rope, there is something for them to feel or smell, like moss or a flower. The rope takes them from the dense forest to an open pine stand.

After the week with Silver Creek students, Shelly was surprised to run into one o f them in a store in Berea. He was so impressed with his day, that he wanted to introduce Shelly to his parents. It wasn’t until then that she realized what an impression the day had left on the boy.

Myra carries the environmental message into the arts and crafts room. Campers re used drink bottles by making them into vases. Myra hopes that this simple recy cling lesson will teach them a bit about not polluting the area with their garbage, something she identified as a big problem. “I think if we could start working with the children and teach them about the effects of garbage, it could change,” she said.

Summer campers at CAP’S Camp Shawnee in Floyd County are also getting a taste of environmental education from camp counselor Myra Peffer. Myra cut a new trail through the woods and littered it with things that didn’t belong, like a shoe and a toothbrush. When she takes campers on the trail, she asks them to identify what shouldn’t be there and discusses the importance o f every little thing that is there—like a twig or a dead leaf. “You can get the kids in touch with hugging the tree and smelling things and beginning to feel like this stuff is impor tant,” Myra said. Previously, she worked in environmental education in Ohio and she has seen the value o f doing more than only teaching kids about what kinds o f trees are in the forest. “It’s more like just trying to get them to have a feeling about the land around them and that it’s important to take care o f it.” Myra also made a blind hiking trail. Hikers are blindfolded and they use a 200-

Students listen to Eileen’s instructions before they hike into the woods to adopt their trees, and describe the trees’ feelings.

W ill all o f this education pay off for our society at some point in the future? “I think there’s a bigger push nowadays just because there’s a good deal on the environment, trying to be environmentally friendly, not polluting, recycling. “I think people are more aware of the things that need to be done, so they are interested in why, or learning more about what they aren’t destroying and they’re trying to save it,” Shelly said. Bill remembers environmental education in his childhood and says it made a difference for him, because o f good teachers who addressed the issue periodi cally. He still remembers the teacher who took him to plant trees when he was in high school. It’s very possible that some day, a former student will also remember fondly Shelly, Eileen, Bill, Jim , Roxanne, Keith or Myra.

Never Stop Trying by Donna Brightson Not knowing how to read or how to spell is a very terrible thing. I know because I couldn't read or spell. There's so much I have missed out on in my life. Like reading to my kids when they were little and helping them with their homework. I've always wanted to write a song but I couldn't because I couldn't spell the words. I could make a ten-page list of things that I have missed out on just because I couldn't read or spell. And there is so much more I want to do with my life but couldn't until I learned to read and spell. I always thought there was something wrong with me because I would try real hard to learni, but just couldn't seem to get if so I just quit trying for a long time. But this time I don't want to quit I want to kept on learning until I am so good that I can help kids and adults learn to read. Donna is a student at CAP's Adult Learning Center, working to improve her skills so that she can pass the test for her General Equivalency Diploma and high school certifica tion. A "super lady," according to Paula Woodman, literacy coordinator at the Adult Learn ing Center in Renfro Valley, Donna began her studies through CAP's School on Wheels. "She started coming in to the center because we were only able to see her for an hour a week when we traveled to see her. She wanted to go faster, so now she's coming in about three hours a week," Paula said. "I've wanted to do this ever since I quit school," Donna said. She quit in the ninth grade, got married and had five children. "They're proud that I'm in school, now, too." Donna said that after she gets her GED she plans to get more training, possibly to become a nurse. Donna said that she enjoys the learning center. "The teachers are so nice and patient with you; it really makes me feel good about myself." W e have you to thank for Donna's kind words, and we thank you, too, for contribut ing to Donna's success. A gift of $10 . . . $15 . . . $20-more, if you're able-for our adult learning, or where it's needed most, will enable us to help more people discover the joys of education-and help them help themselves.

Is Education the Answer? In some areas served by the Christian Appalachian Project: #

As many as 49% of persons over age 25 have less than a ninth grade education.

As few as 36% of the people over age 25 are high school graduates. Nationally, 77% of the

people over the age of 25 are high school graduates. #

The school dropout rate for people age 16 through 19 is as high as 31%. The national dropout

rate for this group is 11.2%. A recent report entitled "Kentucky's Workforce: Preparing for the 21st Century" compiled by the University of Louisville found the following: Kentucky has the second highest

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percentage of high school dropouts in its adult population of any state in the nation. •

Over half of the non-working adults

in Kentucky are high school dropouts. •

In Kentucky, teenage pregnancy is a

major cause of school dropout. Eighty percent of pregnant teens age 17 and under never finish high school. In an effort to stem these statistics, CAP operates extensive education programs.

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

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