Issuu

The

M ou n tain S p irit The Magazine of the Christian Appalachian Project

In this issue: A Mountain Doctor CAP Works With the Elderly Peace Award

March-April 1995

T he

CAP serves sen iors — and v ice versa!

M arch-April 1995 Vol. XIV, No. 2

Mountain The Magazine of the Christian Appalachian Project

Networks and Contacts by Linda Piwowarski

A Daughter o f the Mountains by Beth Dotson

Seniors contribute to CAP, page twenty-six.

2 A

CAP Peace Aivard by Kathleen Leavell

Seniors: A Great Commission by Margaret Gabriel

D e p a rtm e n ts 3 9 10 16

Random Thoughts Letters Around the Project The CAP Closeup

A review of statistics points out that a disproportionate number of children and elderly people make up the number of people living below the poverty level in Appalachia, and these numbers deal only with economics. The goal of CAP’S elderly program is to provide services to people who also experience a poverty of the spirit because of isolation and loneliness. CAP’S greatest involvement with seniors isn’t the service provided, but the services seniors provide to CAP! On page twenty-six, you’ll meet volunteer Vi Ellis who is a contem porary of many of the folks she visits in Rockcastle County. Then you’ll learn about the transition that Peggy Spitzer is making in her life. On page eighteen is the second of our series of stories about recipients of the 1994 Mountain Spirit Awards. Dr. Mary Fox is recognized for her outstanding contributions to health care in eastern Kentucky. Dr. Fox has retired from her position in public health in Pike County, but continues to stay busy and active. On page twenty-four, participate in CAP’S observance of the mission of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as you read about the recipient of the 1995 Peace Award, Kelva Nelson, a teacher from Ashland, Kentucky. On the cover, Margaret and Kermit Mullins, two of Vi Ellis’ friends in Rockcastle County (photo by Gabriel).

Published by the Christian Appalachian Project. Editor: Margaret Gabriel. A dvisory Board: Father Ralph W. Beiting, Mike McLaughlin, Bill Begley, Carla Durand, Teresa McAnly, Katie Newsome, Beverly Potter. G raphic D esigner: Elizabeth Reed Roberts. Circulation: Linda Grider East. The M o u n ta in Spirit is published six times a year. The annual subscription price is $6.00. Subscriptions and other correspondence should be sent to The M o u n ta in Spirit, Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, Kentucky 40446. Copyright 1995, 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. A summary of the registration and financial documents filed by this organization can be obtained by contacting: in New York, Secretary o f State, Office of Charities Registration, 162 W ashington Ave., Albany, NY 12231; in Maryland, for the cost of copies and postage, the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401; in NEW JERSEY, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, 202-626-4380; in N O RTH C A RO LIN A, A C O PY O F T H E LICEN SE TO SO LIC IT C H A R ITA BLE CO NTRIBUTIO NS AS A CH AR ITA BLE O RGA NIZATIO N O R SPO NSO R AND FINA NCIA L IN FO RM A TIO N MAY BE OBTAINED FROM TH E D EPARTM ENT O F HUM AN RESOU RCES, SO LIC IT A TIO N LICEN SING BRANCH, BY CA LLING (919)733-4510; in Pennsylvania, residents may call the Pennsylvania Department of State at 1-800-732-0999; for W est Virginia residents, the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305; in Virginia, the State Division of 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 MAY CALL THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES AT 1-800-HELP FLA or by writing 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 Mountain Spirit

Random Thoughts Sandi Knight The sum m er I w as sixteen I attended a six-week internship at th e University o f K entucky Medical Center. My placem ent w as on th e pediatric floor w h ere I learned about a syndrom e called failure to thrive. A sixmonth-old baby —I’ll call him Zach —lived there. Zach w as b o m w ith o u t eyes and w as the size o f a new born. W hen I asked h o w this could be, I w as told that Zach sensed his m o th er’s anxiety w h en ev er she held him and as a result w as not grow ing normally. W hen I learned about failure to thrive, I began to realize th at w ith o u t satisfying hum an contact o u r bodies Sandi Kni^Jd(nglitJ, visits until O deD uring this visit Sandi w asaccom paniedbya CAP home repair crew member who assessed the work O de needed on her home. w ith er away. The m em ories of Zach and th e insights I gained children, few visitors, and h er biggest social activity is that sum m er stayed w ith m e through my life, but my grocery shopping once a m onth. learning w as far from over. Five years ago, I began w orking in the Christian Appalachian Project elderly visitation program . I was excited to have th e opportunity to w ork in the program because o f the deep, caring relationships I had had w ith m any elderly folks in th e past. As I started my job w ith CAP, I w as on th e verge of discoveries that triggered m em ories o f Zach. As I w en t about th e business of hom e visitation and getting to know th e participants in my program , I began to notice p atterns of behavior. W hen I left hom es w h ere m ore than one person lived o r w here visitors w ere frequent, I w as w ished well and told to com e back w h en I could; in hom es w h ere there w as a solitary occupant and few visitors I frequently heard th e question ,“Can’t you stay?” My friends w h o are able to attend social functions at local senior centers o r attend church regularly have a good sense o f self-worth and security; my friends w h o are isolated because o f illness o r geography have tendencies tow ard self-doubt and paranoia. My friend, Ocie, is one o f th e m ost geographically and socially isolated people I have ever encountered. Ocie lives up a hollow , a mile after th e pavem ent ends. There isn’t another house w ithin a quarter of a mile. Ocie is seventy-five and a w idow . She has no

January - February 1995

Visits w ith Ocie are bittersw eet. I am always greeted w ith the eagerness of som eone needing to share h er life w ith another living soul. O ur conversa tions are always filled w ith h er search for approval and affirmation. Ocie fills m e in on all h er activities since the last tim e I saw her, followed by th e ques tion, “Honey, ain’t it good I did that?” A visit never passes w ithout a tale of som e injustice she feels she has suffered because som eone is trying to take her hom e from her. At the end of our first visit I realized that leaving w ould always be difficult. She w alked to th e car w ith me and held on as if she w ould never let go. W hen I assured h er I w ould return, she reluctantly stepped away so I could leave. W hen I started my car, I heard the w ords I w as to hear at the end of each visit, “D on’t you forget Ocie, now , d o n ’t you forget O cie.” W hen I looked into O cie’s pleading eyes I thought of Zach and w ondered if these w ould have been his w ords, had he been able to speak. Ocie and Zach vividly illustrate the need for sufficient, satisfying hum an contact, w ithout w hich w e fail to thrive spiritually and physically. S a n d i K n ig h t m a nages the elderly p ro g ra m in Floyd, M agoffin a n d K n o tt counties.

etw orks, C o n ta c ts , and “Going to Get the M ail” A lth o u gh elderly people w h o live in rural areas are more lik e ly to live in p o v e rty than th eir urban counterparts, often th e y ’ve established the n e tw o rk s th e y need to com bat isolation and loneliness.

♦ b y Linda P iw ow arski + 4

I t ’s the land: the hollers, the m oun tains, th e tw isting roads, the swollen creeks, th e postcard-perfect stands of m ountain laurels, m aples, pines and pin oak, th e slash of bare rock, coal, the small acreages cleared and planted by genera tions o f hands, the small tow ns set be tw een hillsides. It’s rural land. Country people. It’s th e land that defines city and country folk, th e great-grandma living in a city high-rise and the great-grandma living in the holler. The old w om an in the city, surrounded by thousands and thousands of o ther urban elderly, may often feel lonely; the w izened hill w om an w ith h er nearest neighbor five o r six miles dow n the pike may seldom feel alone. Loneliness is a far different m atter from isolation. It is isolation —physical and geographic separation of th e elderly from services and suppo rt systems —that shapes the lives of senior citizens in th e mountains. The rural elderly are m ore likely than the city elderly to live in poverty, to have p o o r access to health and care services, to be w ithout a telephone o r transportation. In Appalachia, in counties in Eastern Ken tucky, W est Virginia and Tennessee, isolation can be a brutal com ponent of the lives of th e old. Ruth Davis is the outreach services m anager for Berea Hospital. “In Appala chia,” said Ruth, “historically th e older people had strong family ties. But that is beginning to change. The young m igrate out of th e area to find jobs, moving the support the elderly had away. “The rural elderly have m uch low er rates of incom e,” said Ruth. “They had low er paying jobs, they w ere farm ers o r ow ned small businesses, did odd jobs, so they paid less into Social Security and now draw low er incom es from Social Security. The elderly in rural areas, in Appalachia, d o n ’t have th e incom es that even the urban elderly have.” Rural areas do not have th e resources that the cities offer. The resources that the city senior citizen takes for granted are often absent in the country —o r so far

March-April 1995

“W hat w e a r e se e in g to d a y f o r th e e ld e r ly is g o in g to be o u r s w h en w e a r e o l d . . . ” away that the agrarian p o o r can not reach them . “The rural areas just d o n ’t have the same resources, they d o n ’t have the same diversity or the econom ic grow th to support the services,” said Ruth. Those living in rem ote counties can ’t get to senior citizen centers, clinics, or stores. W hat senior citizen centers there are, said Ruth, are often located at the county seat w here only the elderly living in tow n can reach. “It’s a m ajor problem . T here are few er people w ith cars. A larger p ercen t age of older rural w om en didn’t learn to drive, never got a license. There are few er usable cars and little public transportation. Seniors are m ore dependent on family or neighbors. A neighbor w ith a car may charge a small fee to take them into tow n; informal netw orks may haul tw o or three people around to the doctor, the grocery, on errands that spring u p .” There are also few er nursing hom es for the elderly w ho may need them desper ately. “Though Medicare funds the cost of long-term care facilities, there are not enough nursing hom e beds. There is a m oratorium on m ore beds as a m easure to conserve Medicare money. As the elderly population has grow n and continues to grow , the beds haven’t kept pace. Nation w ide the percentage of the elderly is grow ing.” The Kentucky Aging Research and Inform ation Service (KARIS) noted that Carlisle, Elliott, Martin, Menifee and Robertson counties have no institutional long-term care beds at all. Of the 120 counties of the Com m onwealth, only 32 counties, not quite 28 percent, provide convalescent care beds. In 69 counties there are no interm ediate care beds and 34 counties have no nursing facility beds. According to a Reuter report released on January 9, 1994, the new House Republi-

can majority leaders anticipate cutting Medicare and Medicaid by nearly half-atrillion dollars to m eet prom ises of tax cuts and a balanced budget. Expected spending on federal health program s for the elderly and the p o o r will have to be cut back by another 20 p ercen t over the next seven years to m eet those prom ises, said senior congressional staff m em bers. The pro posed cuts are m uch m ore than Medicaid and Medicare have ever been trimmed. Ruth said th e p oorest segm ent of the rural elderly are w om en living alone. Her financial resources are minimal. She may not be able to afford a telephone, making h e r neighbors not only distant but inacces sible. Graham Rowles is an associate director of social and behavioral sciences at the Sanders-Brown C enter on Aging in Lexing ton and a professor of geography and behavioral science at the University of Kentucky. “Some people w ho are isolated have extensive netw orks, lots of co ntact,” said Rowles. “They are connected by tele phone. W hat is interesting is that the telephone netw orks apply to w om en — m en are reluctant to use the phone. T hey’re m ore likely to sit on a bench outside a store to socialize.” The p h o n e can be the only way people isolated by distance from tow n or one another can socialize or reach som eone w ho can help in an em ergency. Rowles provided data from th e 1980 United States

Census com piled by the K entucky Atlas for the Elderly. Only five percen t of elderly households w ithin the United States do not have a telephone. Yet 105 counties in Kentucky, the majority of w hich are in the Appalachian region, have extrem ely high percentages of elderly householders w ithout telephones. Leslie, Breathitt, and Clay record m ore than 30 p ercen t of the elderly w ithout telephones; in Rockcastle, Martin, Knox, Jackson, Lewis and Wolfe counties, m ore than 20 p ercen t of the people over 65 do not have phones. Ruth said she does not know of any outreach organization or su p p o rt that provides aid for ph o n e service for indigent elderly. Rowles added, “One person in poverty is too many; one person w ithout a p hone is too many. ” As Ruth noted, transportation in rural areas is an acute problem . In city areas the elderly often have well-established public transportation or income-based transport vans or buses. In the country, the aged and po o r do not have th e incom e to afford a car or to keep it w orking. There is no public transportation and few transport services. The Appalachian counties of eastern K entucky have rugged roads, som etim es poorly m aintained, w ith travel distance to tow ns long and difficult. The eastern cluster of counties, w ith Breathitt and Perry counties in their center, have the largest percentage of aging households w ithout transportation —27 of those counties have m ore than a third of their elderly w ithout access to a vehicle. A significant proportion of K entucky’s elderly live in rural areas of the state, in com m unities of few er than 2,500 people. Slightly m ore than 46 percen t of those 65 and older live in the rural areas of K entucky (109,338 persons) and 45 of the C om m onw ealth’s counties w ere 100 percen t rural, m ost of them in Appalachia. According to the K entucky’s 1980 atlas, many people in the eastern part of the state have low incom es, sub standard housing and limited access to social program s. Nine counties of Appalachian Kentucky count nearly one-third (30 percen t) of its elderly hom eow ners living in sub standard hous ing: Estill, Leslie, Rockcastle, Letcher, Jackson, Breathitt, Harlan, Bell and Clay. The elderly renters are even w orse off in

The Mountain Spirit

Appalachia; more than 60 percent of those 60 years old or older live in substandard housing. Of great concern to some elderly is the possibility of not being able to afford their own death. “Some elderly people faithfully carry burial insurance with small premi ums, doing without other things so they know that their burial will be taken care of,” said Ruth. Otherwise they are buried in a public cemetery in a plot for the indigent. Sometimes a funeral home will donate a casket or a church might assist with the funeral. “It’s a sad situation. I do know of times it has happened. I don’t like to think about it,” said Ruth. The Appalachian elderly are not without their own informal resources and net works.

areas to live in poverty.

Those with phones often set up tele phone trees: four or five women who call each other daily, to just “check in,” said Ruth. For three years Professor Rowles lived in a small Appalachian community. He calls those informal networks of support the “society of the old.” People who have grown up and aged in the community maintain networks, he said. Middle-aged people often step in to help their older neighbors, giving a home-perm, a meal, help with minor repairs, a ride to the store.

problems and emergencies. They try to persuade aging family members to move to them but the tug of the only life their parents and grandparents have known — the mountains, the farm, the house, the friends —is a strong one. They don’t want to move, to give up the lives they built and know.

The television and the phone in the small community Rowles studied are important to the isolated elderly. The older women had a set routine, he learned. They’d get on the phone for hours with their friends and talk about “Days of Our Lives,” a soap opera faithfully followed by the women he knew. Their spouses, however, instead of using the phone would go to “get the mail.” They’d walk in the morning down to the store next door to the post office and sit on the benches outside and watch the street and talk. Around lunchtime they’d walk back home. One of the changes in Appalachia and in other rural areas in the last few decades is the migration of the young. The family network that the rural aged depended on is in grave danger. Their stay-at-home parents become older and more vulnerable. The children live too far away to help with daily

March-April 1995

As the elderly population grows — thirteen percent in 1990 compared to only four percent in 1900, growing toward a project 21.8 percent in 2030 —the entire nation must anticipate that growth, “The population as a whole doesn’t understand how fast the elderly population is growing; it’s higher than the rate the young are growing. It’s the inverse of the old pyramid (with a broad youthful base and a small, elderly apex). It’s changing, it’s happening, and suddenly we are forced to confront the fact that we are not prepared,” Ruth said. “We are decreasing the funding for elderly programs or putting them on hold —the adult day-care development program was going to be allocated and it’s now on hold. Home meals have not increased for the elderly, they’ve actually dropped. Housing and nursing facilities are not being built. Transportation has not grown but been cut. What we are seeing today for the elderly is going to be ours when we are old —it’ll be worse when we get there. Elderly funding is not seen as an important a priority as another bomber,” said Ruth.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the pow erful lobby for senior retirees, is m ostly unknow n to the elderly poor, said Ruth. “Many d o n ’t even know w hat AARP is. They d o n ’t have a voice, they aren ’t heard. They lived through the Depression, learned to get by, but never to raise their voices, to be heard. AARP is, by and large, a lobby for th e upper- and m iddle-income elderly. The p o o r and old do not have a voice.”

Quilting bees at seniors’groups bring back memories o f “the old days”fo r many participants.

The resources often available in cities but inaccessible to th e rural old include homedelivered meals, public or non-profit transportation, senior citizens’ centers, respite care, Alzheim er’s support groups, health clinics, nursing hom es and support for caregivers.

“Elderlyfunding is not seen as important a priority as another bomber.

The rural caregiver o f a sick or hom ebound elderly relative do esn ’t have help, said Ruth; they can ’t afford a sitter, at the $5-an-hour going rate, to run to the store or have som e tim e off. Ruth is consoled by the rural elderly p o o r she m eets. “Most elderly are w onderful to w ork w ith. They have w isdom ; th ey ’ve seen things over the years that m ade an impact. There are m any w ho are not isolated, w ho volunteer at the hospital, at senior citizens’ centers. They teach reading, they tutor. They share their w ealth w ith others. They need to be needed and to be used in appropriate ways. So often w e overlook the elderly w h o d o n ’t w ant to be isolated or to sit at hom e. They p hone others to check on them or to listen. They help their neighbors. We are w rong or deficient in not channeling their energies in beneficial, useful and positive w ays,’’Ruth said. “Most of the elderly w ant to w ork. If they can find part-tim e jobs they take them and show up for w ork w ith less absenteeism than younger w o rkers,” said Ruth. The healthy elderly of both urban and rural America desire fellow ship, conversa tion, th e touch of o th er hum an beings. The virtue of age is experience and, often, com passion; attributes that should not be w asted.

The healthy elderly o f both urban and rural America desire fellowship, conversation, the touch o f other human beings.

Or lost in the geography of isolation.

The Mountain Spirit

Letters to the Editor It’s hard to believe another year has escaped. I know it has added another smile and a flint of renewed hope to many more people of Appalachia. God is blessing you and your efforts, which makes my modest contribu tions seem smaller yet. For we know, no one gives over our Heavenly Father.

I was raised in the southeastern mountains of Kentucky and though we were poor, I loved Kentucky and still do. I loved the mountains and spent much time climbing the mountains that surround the town in the valley. If I was younger I would be down there helping you.

Leo P yatt C olum bus, Ohio

K atherine E. Loree Cape May, N.J.

Thank you for giving our family the opportunity to share in the CAP Christmas Basket program. We are getting our packages together and can only imagine what a tremendous effort goes into distributing them among the families. Thanks for the wonderful job and God love all of you! M arie Shore San Diego, Calif. I, too, am a p ro d u ct o f the Appalachian m ountains in Dante, Virginia. W hen I graduated from high school in 1940, my dad was a coal m iner. God bless you all for your w onderful w ork. Billie South H ansen Naples, Fla.

We appreciate all the articles, the personal stories and informa tion in The M o u n ta in Spirit so very much. We would like to be able to visit in person sometime, but in the meantime, The M o u n ta in Spirit and Rev. Beiting’s books have made the area and the people very real and very dear to us. We pray for CAP, the staff, the volunteers, Rev. Beiting (especially for his continued good health) and for the people of Appalachia every day. M ae a n d B ill W alton M inneapolis, M inn.

March-April 1995

Thank you for an interesting and informative look at the people of Appalachia. Some of the profiles remind me of life in the 1930s, as my family lived it, but not in the hills.

I find the stories of The M o u n ta in Spirit transcending despair into hope, pain into compassion, bitterness into love, and desperation into opportunity, purpose and life. That is mountain empowerment! D ennis Berling Ypsilanti, Mich.

Thanks so much for your wonderful book. It will be passed around. Also thank you for the stickers of all sorts —that are beautiful! They are so uplifting and cheerful!

My heart is touched —at least once —each time I read The M o u n ta in Spirit ! The true story of CAP’S work in Kentucky should be told in every church, every town and city in the U.S.! The M o u n ta in Spirit surely helps to do this.

I had a suffering year. In March I broke my upper arm. It meant lots of therapy after the sling was removed. Now in October I missed a ladder step —result, broken ribs. It’s been an ordeal. Now I’m wearing a back brace off and on. Please pray for me. I’m a senior and will celebrate my 74th in January. God lifted me above my agony and now he is healing my injury.

R obert L. D avis Charlotte, N.C.

Mrs. M illie B a rtha E lm ont, N. Y.

B arbara Jo h n so n A lexandria, Va.

Thank you for the book —it is so interesting. I was bom in Sullivan, Kentucky, which is between Sturgis and Marion, Kentucky, so I feel close to that part of Kentucky. I wish we had more to send for the help of the people in Kentucky. Virginia a n d H o w a rd Sprengel Torrance, Calif.

I will be praying for you. I wish I could help you more. It would be wonderful if I were able to help with your everyday work. You are a wonderful example of serving Christ. M arjorie Corley M artinez, Ga.

Only God can give an account of what Father Ralph Beiting has done for the poor and all of Appalachia. It would take ten persons at least to replace him, I thank God for all the volunteers he could handle for all his projects. He is a living miracle. I pray for him every day so he can continue. Sister J e a n n e Vadeboncoeur, C.S.C West Franklin, N.H. le tte rs to the editor are welcome. They sh o u ld n o t exceed 150 w ords in length, a n d w e reserve the right to ed it them f o r space. Address letters to The Mountain Spirit, Christian A ppalachian Project, 3 2 2 Crab O rchard Road, Lancaster, K Y 40446.

— Around the Project---VIPS R eceives Letter from D u stin ’s M om

bad. I thank God for people like the VIPS staff w ho are out there to help children like my son.

Recently CAP received a letter from a family w h o participated in the Christian Appalachian Project’s program for visually im paired pre-schoolers. Based in Floyd County, th e program w orks in conjunction w ith the Kentucky School for the Blind in Louisville, and serves 28 children in thirteen counties. This letter from D ustin’s mom, though, really tells the story:

attention.She always included Jerom e (D ustin’s big brother) in special things, too.

Dear VIPS,

Tester Comes to Lincoln County Jail

I am th e m other o f Dustin Adams w h o has recently gradu ated from the VIPS program . I w anted to send a note o f thanks and encouragem ent to Joyce Williams o f the VIPS staff, w ho w orked very hard w ith my son. She’s just the greatest, she has taught me a lot and sh e ’s been a friend w h en I needed one. She started seeing Dustin at a very young age (I d o n ’t think she knew w hat to do w ith him at first, but she always pushed the right buttons to get D ustin’s

For several years w orkers in the Christian Appalachian Project adult education program have conducted classes in the Lincoln County jail. Volunteer Robert Uschold reached an im portant m ilestone at the jail recently w hen he w as able to bring in a tester to adm inister the GED test to six inmates.

Dustin has very p o o r vision and cerebral palsy. Dustin is very special to everyone w ho knows him. Our lives w ere com pletely changed w hen Dustin came; I think som etim es I just couldn’t make it if I didn’t have the Lord. Some days are good, others are

“The state contracts w ith groups in the area to give the test, but th e re’s no provision for testing in the jails,” said Lisa Bosley, m anager

I know that man can ’t change Dustin, but God holds him in his hand and the im possible is possible to God. We really miss Joyce and w ish h er the best in life, and w hen she feels she hasn’t accom plished anything she can rem em ber w e ’re here in Perry County on top of Christine’s Mountain, cheering h er on, because she has accom plished som ething. Dustin is living proof!

of CAP’S adult education program . “It’s usually because y o u ’re talking about small num bers. They like to have at least ten people, but Robert w as able to convince a tester to com e from the Somerset Vocational School for only six.” One of the six students received his GED as a result of the test, and the o th er five will continue to study to achieve high school equivalency, Lisa said. “One student has gotten out of jail, and now is com ing to night classes in Mount Vernon. O thers started studying som ew here else, and are able to continue during the tim e that th ey ’re in jail.”

Hey, N eighbor!

Joyce Williams works with visually impaired pre-schoolers in eastern Kentucky with a goal ojeasing their transition into public school.

Have you read anything in this issue of The M o u n ta in Spirit that you’d like to share w ith a friend? Maybe your m other or grand m other w ould enjoy reading our stories about seniors in the m ountain area, and the involve m ent of CAP volunteers. W ould the story about Dr. Mary Fox interest your doctor? If y o u ’ve answ ered “Yes” to any of these questions, drop us a note, and w e ’d be happy to send a copy of The M o u n ta in Spirit to your friend.

The Mountain Spirit

around the project. . . continued W hat Can I D o to H elp CAP? donated to the Christian Appala chian Project in helping the people of Appalachia help them selves. If you w ould like to volunteer three w eeks or more, contact The M o u n ta in Spirit and w e ’ll pass the inform ation to the volunteer office.

CAP supporters often ask w hat m ore they can do to help elimi nate suffering in Appalachia. First, you can tell others o f th e p ro b lems in Appalachia w hich you learn about in The M o u n ta in Spirit and o th er CAP publications. Please share this magazine w ith a friend and w e ’ll send a replace m ent. Ask us about any o f the problem s in Appalachia and w e ’ll be happy to share any know ledge w e have o r to refer you to another organization that can help you.

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

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Finally, our m ost pow erful form of assistance is prayer. We believe that if our supporters spend at least one m inute a day praying for p o o r people everyw here, m oun tains can be moved, the course of rivers changed. The CAP family forms a pow erful prayer netw ork reaching into Appalachia and across the nation.

Secondly, you can give us a m ost valuable com m odity —time. Since volunteers first arrived in 1950, millions o f hours have been

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A sg ro w In c re a se s S eed D o n a tio n For several years, Asgrow, Inc. has m ade generous donations of seed to O peration Sharing, the Christian Appalachian Project inkind donation distribution program . O peration Sharing has distributed seed to thousands of people through CAP’S garden program , and through churches and com m unity action agencies in all thirteen A ppalachian states. The massive distribution has enabled families to produce food and stretch th eir resources through the w inter.

for their gardens or to give to m em bers of their congregations,” Johnny said. “W e’ve been able to give seed to groups of migrant w orkers for the first time this year. They spend a lot of time in Kentucky, helping w ith the tobacco crop, and a lot of them have pretty rough living condi tions. If they can p ut out a garden they w o n ’t have to scrap as hard for food for their kids.”

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

O peration Sharing has also received a donation of cleaning supplies in commercial-sized containers, Charlie said. “They’re broken dow n into smaller sizes and given out. T hat’s been a really good donation because people can ’t buy cleaning supplies w ith their food stam ps.”

In 1995 Asgrow m ade its largest donation, nearly $1.8 million dollars w o rth o f seed for com , beans, peas, m elons —over fifteen different fruits and vegetables, according to Charlie D eaton, O peration Sharing manager. Because th e donation w as so m uch larger this year, CAP has been able to share seed w ith many m ore churches and com m unity action groups, said Johnny Thom pson, an O peration Sharing procu rem en t specialist. “W e’ve been able to give churches seed

March-April 1995

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Many o f the seeds that Asgrow donates are used by the participants in CAP’S garden program. People are able to raise food fo r use during the entire year.

---------------------around the project. . . continued ---------------

In fa n t a n d T o d d le r: P a r e n t C o n n e c tio n s

The M om s in B erea Take O w n ersh ip In July of 1994 Christian Appalachian Project volunteer Shannon Bristow arrived in Berea to w ork in th e CAP Child Develop m ent C enter w ith Infant and Toddler: Parent C onnections. She had barely unpacked h er supplies w h en “the m om s asked m e w hen w e w ould start w orking on the Christmas bazaar. They had had bazaars before and w ere really excited to do it again,” Shannon said. Her m aster’s degree in educa tion, em phasizing developm ental psychology in early childhood m ade Shannon feel pretty secure about h e r w ork w ith young children and th eir families, “But I’m totally uncreative w h en it com es to doing crafts! I gave them a little organizational fram ework, and they did an unbelievably good job.” The m others involved w ith th e program raised over $1600, Shannon said, w hich will be used

Shannon w orks w ith fifteen to eighteen families that have small children. Four w om en in h er group recently graduated from CAP’S GED program , and one has started classes at Berea College. “It’s a great group, and seeing w hat Amanda is doing has really m otivated them . They’re all each o th er’s best friends. T hey’re about the same age and th ey ’ve all got the one to three kids.”

for trips, outings and toys for the program . “At first I w ondered if doing so m uch w ork on the bazaar w as w orth it. I felt like I w asn’t doing anything developm ental w ith the kids, but by w orking to gether to make m oney for the program the moms took ow ner ship, and it gave them some good interaction w ith CAP,” Shannon said. Four of CAP’S six child develop m ent centers include Infant and Toddler: Parent Connections w hich w orks w ith families to enhance the parenting skills of the parents, as prim ary caregivers of infants and toddlers. Information on the stages of early childhood developm ent is provided to m eet individual needs. The child developm ent center in Berea has in-center as well as hom ebound activities. Activities are designed to involve infants, toddlers, and parents, as well as older siblings.

Although Shannon w ould encourage all th e m om s in h er program to achieve high school equivalency, and several are taking som e college classes, she doesn’t believe that college should be the goal for everyone. “Some of them w ant to get the GED and get a job, and th a t’s okay. I’ve just tried to encourage all of them to do som ething away from their children. Some are w riting poetry, som e have expressed an interest in the N ew O pportunity School for W omen. C)

“In my hom e visits I try to give attention to the m om s and dads, as well as the children. I try to find out w hat kinds of things w ould interest them and help them make the opportunities to do those things.” A nother volunteer will join Shannon soon, enabling the program in Berea to double the num ber of families involved.

Amanda and her daughter, Sarah, participate in programs at the CAP Child Development Center in Berea. Although Amanda has not been accepted as a Berea College student yet, she is taking classes as a “special student. ”

C hristian A ppalachian Project is a p a rticip a tin g agency in the C om bined Federal C am paign. Federal a n d m ilita ry em ployees can co ntribute to CAP by designating # 0 8 9 8 on the CFCpledge card.

The Mountain Spirit

---------- around the project. . . continued

C A P R IC E M o v e s to L a u re l C o u n t y A little over a year ago several Christian A ppalachian Project w orkers m et for tw o days to com pletely review all aspects of CAPRICE: its service area, the dem and for and basic make-up of services. Through the review it becam e apparent that th e services o f CAPRICE, CAP’S training program for adults w ith disabili ties, needed to be restructured. D em ographics alone indicated that CAPRICE could serve an area of greater need. The original service area (Pulaski, Lincoln and Garrard counties) has a disabled population of a little over 15%, w hile Knox, Laurel, W hitley, McCreary, and Clay have a significantly higher num ber at over 23%, and limited o r nonexist ent services for p eople w ith disabilities. On consultation w ith CAP m anagem ent, the hom e base

Can You Use a Payroll Deduction? If your employer has a payroll deduction giving program, you may donate to any tax exempt [501 (c) 3] charity of your choice including CAP! If you would like to use this easy way to make your gifts to CAP, please designate: Christian Appalachian Project 322 Crab Orchard Road Lancaster, KY 40446 Please be sure to include CAP'S address when you make your request. If you would like more information about ways to become involved in corporate giving, contact Teresa McAnly at CAP'S address.

location. The program will be entirely home-based.

of CAPRICE recently moved from Somerset to London, Kentucky, to serve an area w ithin a 35-mile radius.

contributing m em bers of the com m unity, too. Skill develop m ent for em ploym ent will also begin during this phase.

The new CAPRICE will offer services in three phases.

W ith basic skills in place and w ith family support, the partici pant enters the third phase: supported em ploym ent, or volunteer placem ent w ith a com m unity agency or service. Participants will be coached for successful skill developm ent and natural w ork supports will be developed, as well.

Phase one will focus services on the person and his or h er family, beginning w ith an initial visit and evaluation. D epending on the evaluation results and the goals of the family, CAPRICE will offer services involving self-help skills, life skills, and limited educational assistance. All services will be home-based, and one of the goals will be to help the family view the participant as a contributing m em ber of the household. During phase tw o, services will continue to be home-based and will include outings into the com m unity to use new skills. At tim es participants will be paired so they can help each other. CAPRICE hopes to have partici pants assist elderly folks w ith shopping and errands, in order to help others in the com m unity view people w ith disabilities as

Future issues of The M o u n ta in Spirit will include m ore about CAPRICE’S move to London, including inform ation about the program ’s new participants.

F.Y.I . . . • Over 78% of the people living in Kentucky in 1990 were born in the state. • Poverty rates in Kentucky rose from 17.6% in 1980 to 19% in 1990. • In 1980 only 53% of adults in Kentucky were high school graduates. In 1990 the number rose to over 64%.

The Mountain Spirit

------ around the project. . . continued______ S tu d en ts S u cceedin g in M agoffin C ou n ty In th e few short years that CAP has been involved in Magoffin County, progress in th e adult education program has been fast and steady, according to Brenda W ireman, m anager of the Commu nity Health Advocates program . CHAP com bined resources w ith CAP outreach to cover the cost of em ergency m edical technician training for a GED graduate and h er husband. “Pete started the training in June, finished in N ovem ber and no w is w orking for the G & B Ambulance Service in Salyersville. W anda has passed the w ritten part o f th e test and still has to pass th e skills p a rt,” Brenda said.

“As I was going through the drive-through at McDonald’s I saw Rose, another one of our gradu ates, working. She told me she w as leaving McDonald’s and going to w ork at the bank.” One of Brenda’s favorite GED graduates is Ruby Laney. “You know sh e’s com pleted a sem ester at Prestonsburg Community College?” W hen they first met Ruby used a w heelchair, but now walks every day from the new apartm ent that she rents near cam pus to h er classes. Ruby is taking a full load of classes, and probably will major in art, Brenda said. After she gets h er degree from PCC the next step w ould be

to finish h er bachelor’s degree, “And she says she may do it!” Brenda said. “And sh e’ll do just fine, if she does. She’s so gregarious, every one loves her. I’m sure everyone in Lexington w ould love her, to o ,” Brenda said. The “Little Red Schoolbus” is the classroom for many of the adult education students in Magoffin County. In an effort to achieve a similar success rate, a bus has been outfitted in Knott County through the generosity of the Keith Miller Foundation. The K nott County adult education program is progressing well.

Looking for an Adventure? Volunteer w ith the Christian Appalachian Project CAP volunteers assist the people of Appalachia through such programs as child development, elderly outreach, adult education, home repair, and emergency assistance, while focusing on a life of prayer, community and service. Volunteer Opportunities: 21 years of age or older; one year (renewable); room and board; health insurance; monthly stipend. College loan deferment information available. Short term volunteers: 18 years of age or older. Three weeks to three months. Room and board. Applications accepted year-round. Contact CAP Volunteer Program, 235 Lexington Street, Lancaster, KY 40444, (606) 792-2219, (800) 755-5322, Fax (606) 792-6625. March-April 1995

around the project. . . continued CAP P r o g r a m s to “E x p lo d e ” in to M cC rea ry C ou n ty In 1988 th e Christian Appala chian Project opened a child developm ent cen ter in McCreary County. In th e years that program m anager Jean Barnes and th e staff and volunteers have been w orking at Eagle Child D evelopm ent C enter they have created a strong presence in th e com m unity. In 1995, though, McCreary will see and “explosion o f program s,” according to Lisa Bosley, m anager of CAP’S adult education program . “W e’ve had GED classes at the Honeybee Learning Center, but that w as really isolated and out of th e w ay,” Lisa said. “N ow the board o f education is letting us share space in th e McCreary County Education C enter w ith an alternative school, a drug preven tion program and a Family Resource Center. ” In addition to an increase of involvem ent o f the adult educa tion program , CAP will in the com ing m onths begin outreach, elderly and hom e repair program s in the county. U pon its relocation

Gift Annuities

in London, CAPRICE will begin a hom e-bound independent living skills program for adults w ith disabilities. Home repair will begin in the late w inter m onths, w ith the fifth annual Spring Break A ppalachian W ork Fest, during w hich CAP will host hundreds of students from dozens of colleges. For tw o w eeks the students will w ork on construction and weatherization project for Appalachian families in McCreary and Floyd counties. As part of a recent meeting, program m anagers and volunteers w ho will begin w orking in McCreary County attended an inter-agency council meeting, and gave an update of the CAP activities in the county. “W e’re really keyed in to the rest of the county,” Lisa said. “You see lots of cooperation and collaboration. W e’re taking referrals from the Family Resource Center and the D epartm ent of Social Insurance. In fact, w e ’re going to have a joint graduation w ith the board of education’s GED students.”

A gift annuity to the Christian Appalachian Project will help us continue to provide employ ment opportunities to Appala chian people. This activity is an essential part of our mission to help people help themselves. But, what is a gift annuity? It's a legal agreement by which you make a gift to CAP and receive a guaranteed life income in re turn. For a more complete expla nation, write today for your free copy of "Giving Through Gift Annuities" by filling out the cou pon below and enclosing it in the envelope provided. Christian Appalachian Project 322 Crab Orchard Road Lancaster, Kentucky 40446 Clip and send

N am e_____________________ Address______________________ _ City ___________________________ State, ZIP______________________ Date of Birth __________________ Telephone _____________________ m e tagie Child Development Center has morning and afternoon sessions, and is able to enroll thirty children in each session.________________

The CAP Closeup 7 w a n te d so

m uch to be a p a r t o f the CAP fa m ily . ”

If you hear anyone say “Go, Cats” around th e CAP offices, start looking for Richard Ginn. Richard’s enthusiasm for basket ball, and particularly the Univer sity o f K entucky Wildcats, began w h en he w as grow ing up in Vanceburg, Kentucky. “Everyone in th e com m unity follow ed the games and knew w hat w as going on.

the ministry. “On my nineteenth birthday, I m arried my high school sw eetheart. W ithin six years w e had three daughters and had bought a hom e, but I felt som e thing was missing from my life.

“I played basketball in high school, a below average player, really. I got kicked off the team for sm oking and never played again.”

“I attended a church revival and all during the w eek I knew that I w as not doing all I could w ith and for the ch u rch ,” Richard said. He enrolled in the seminary at K entucky Christian College at Grayson, Kentucky. “Before I even started school, I got a call and was asked to preach at a little church.

A m ore im portant part of Richard’s life has been spent in

W hen he started school, Richard and his family moved to a

trailer near K entucky Christian College, and drove to Quincy, Kentucky, every w eekend to serve his congregation. “The church paid me $30.00 a w eek. This arrangem ent continued for four years, until I graduated,” Richard said. W hen Richard and his family w ere serving a small church in Trenton, Ohio, they learned that their oldest daughter Lisa, then 13 years old, had scoliosis —an extrem e curvature of h er spine. “It w as the happiest day of my life w hen th e doctor turned to me and told me they could fix h e r,” Richard said.

♦ b y Katie N ew som e ♦ 16

The Mountain Spirit

Richard Ginn The abnormality was genetic, they learned, and although Lisa’s spine required surgical treatment, Richard’s other daughters, Lori and Krista, were treated with physical therapy. “Lisa has a steel rod in her back, but she’s in great health, teaches school here in Kentucky and is the mother of my two grandchildren,” Richard said. Richard’s life came to a turning point when he and his wife divorced. “I spent just about all of my time working at the church and keeping up with world events, while my wife kept everything going at home. She got tired of being alone and try ing to keep it all to gether. We had been married 27 years,” he said softly.

know anyone in the area, except the people who had interviewed me for the job, but I got a call at my office from A1 Gunter, then director of Camp Shawnee, a summer camp operated by CAP. I didn’t know A1 —had never laid eyes on him —but he extended an invitation to use his apartment. It was my introduction to the hospitality and friendliness of the Martin staff. “Everyone accepted me as part of the ever-growing CAP family. I settled in and spent my days

where I could go to see all the Kentucky basketball games. Everything was right for a move back, but I didn’t apply for the job. I hadn’t anticipated the strong attachment to the friends and relationships that had evolved in Martin. I had developed a bond with these people who were there for me when I needed a connec tion. They took me in, accepted me and nurtured me and gave me a touchstone of human kindness when I needed it most. I decided to stay in Martin,” Richard said. Now, though, Richard is the assistant director of the Louisa Opera tions in Lawrence County. The only thing that could lure Richard from the Martin area was “the opportunity to work with Father Beiting [CAP’S founder]. He’s the greatest humanitarian I’ve ever met. I was hired to help relieve some of the work load of Father Beiting, but I learned that you don’t relieve Father Beiting. He’ll take the opportunity to change gears and picks up other work!”

“I h a d d e v e lo p e d a b o n d w ith th ese p e o p le w h o w e r e th e re f o r m e w h en I n e e d e d a con n ection . ”

While obtaining a master’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University, Richard did his practicum with CAP’S Fam ily Life Counseling Service. “I was impressed with the work they were doing; I wanted to work for CAP. I inquired about job openings, but none were available.” “I kept calling back and finally there was an opening, but the position was in Martin,” about 150 miles east. Richard’s heart sank. He didn’t want to go, but applied for, and took, the job anyway. “I wanted so much to be a part of the CAP family, but I emphasized that when a counseling position opened in the Mount Vernon area, I wanted to be considered. “When I arrived at Martin I didn’t have a place to stay. I didn’t

March-April 1995

seeing people in the office and the spouse abuse shelter. Sometimes I would be at the office until seven or eight at night,” he said. After the upheaval of the divorce, going through a grieving process, returning to school and job hunting, Richard was bringing his life into focus. Then a job with Family Life Counseling Service came open at Mount Vernon: just what Richard had been waiting for —or was it? “This was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. I thought I wanted to go back to Mount Vernon. The people were great, the job was challenging, and it was closer to Lexington,

Richard is looking forward to attending the Southeastern Conference basketball tournament games in Atlanta, in March, as a “rite of passage” for his six-yearold grandson, Caleb, also a Wildcat fan. “We’re taking him with us this year. Me, his dad, uncle and another friend, for four days. I don’t know how this is going to go; being in a hotel room with a six-year-old and living basketball for four days, but w e’re going to have a ball —literally!” Richard laughed. ft

of a num ber o f organizations. T hroughout h er career in public health, she built a trem endous m ental library o f know ledge and stories about eastern K entucky from w hich anyone interested in Appalachia can learn.

L o cal, state and national organizations have recognized Dr. Mary Pauline Fox w ith aw ards for h e r contribution to health care in eastern Kentucky. But the aw ard that brings a special smile to h er face is th e one she received last year from the Christian Appala chian Project —The M ountain Spirit Award. The reason is simple. “I am a m ountain gal. I think to be recognized for w orking in your ow n area, and using that term (m ountain), really m eant a lot,” Dr. Fox says. Dr. Fox smiles w h en she talks about the m ountains and th e p eople she has know n during h e r 30 years as a physician. People w ho have m et h e r o r heard h er speak also smile, praising Dr. Fox’s m ix o f w arm th and know ledge. Since h er retirem ent in July, 1993, Dr. Fox has continued to w ork in health care by lecturing, training, and serving on the boards

“The changes that occurred in eastern Kentucky in the last 25 years have been m ore than the changes that have occurred in the United States over th e past 100 years,” Dr. Fox states. Although she is well aw are of the problem s that exist in Appalachia, she is equally aw are of the progress, in w hich she takes great pride. Her w ork in public health has contributed to that progress. Dr. Fox, b om and raised in Artemus, Kentucky, graduated from Union College in Barbourville in 1951. She w ent to m edical school at the University of Louisville, after hearing a neighbor say she shouldn’t get too disappointed w hen she d idn’t succeed there.

Dr. Mary Fox contributes to health care improvement in eastern Kentucky ♦ by Beth D otson ♦ March-April 1995

Dr. Mary Fox took the picture on the facing page. Dr. Fox causm ture photography one o f her “stressbusters. ”

Those nice people w ere often male doctors w ho m ade sure she w as treated as a professional. Dr. Fox recalls one tim e w hen she w as on em ergency room duty and a man cam e in w ith a sim ple ailment. He w ouldn’t let h er treat him; he w anted his family doctor. The doctor cam e and told his patient that Dr. Fox was as good as him and if he w anted to be treated he w ould have to go to her. He did, and he w as happy w ith the care he received.

Helping Disadvantaged Children Dr. Fox did her undergraduate work at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky, and attended the University o f Louisville School o f Medicine.

During h er years as one of five female students in a class of 100, she rem em bered that statem ent w hen tim es w ere tough, using it as h er m otivation. Dr. Fox graduated in 1956 and w ent into private practice w ith Dr. Edward S. Wilson in Pineville. It w asn ’t long before she found her w ay into public health. “Public health was considered the low est thing you could go into. I found out differ ently once I got involved. It’s one of the most rew arding, not financially, but rew arding because you no longer have an individual as your p atient, but the w hole population.” That required Dr. Fox to look beyond the exam ining room for causes of health prob lems, into th e com m unity and environm ent. In the com m unity, Dr. Fox encountered people w h o assum ed that she was a nurse. If she w as a doctor, she should be at least old and fat, if not a man. But 25-year-old Dr. Fox earned a respectable reputation and strong following of patients by being a good doctor. “Dr. Q uinn has nothing on m e,” Dr. Fox says w ith a laugh, referring to the television character. “She m ight have been out w est, but I had eastern Kentucky. ” There w ere people w ho w e re n ’t enthusias tic about having a female doctor, but that rarely caused a problem . “I didn’t really know w h en I w as being discrim inated against. Every now and then it w ould daw n on me, but I had so m any nice people taking care of m e.”

Some of Dr. Fox’s favorite patients w ere the Head Start students to w hom she gave physical exam inations before they began school. Dr. Fox w as w ith the program from the beginning, taking a special interest in children w ho w ere looked dow n upon, m ade fun of, and didn’t have the same advantages as o th er children. She found their physical ailments and treated them so they could start school on equal footing w ith the o ther students. In Pike County, w here she began practic ing in 1970, Dr. Fox had m ore than 500 Head Start students to exam ine. “They teased me

about it. W hen I retired they had to set up contracts w ith eight physicians,” she says.

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Dr. Fox misses those children now . She has seen them graduate and m ove onto successful lives and credits Head Start. “They have been given th e ability to w ork w ith o th er children. Before you had a lot o f isolation. This w ay they learn to m ix and mingle w ith o th er children.”

p a r k e d th e car, w a lk e d a c r o s s a sw in g in g b r id g e u p to th e f a m i l y ’s h o m e . . . ”

Head Start m otivated Dr. Fox to bring specialists into th e area. “O nce you found the problem you had to have a solution. T hat’s w h en I started getting people to help m e w ith referrals. And th en Head Start began to see th at w as a necessary part o f th e program also.”

parked the car, w alked across a swinging bridge up to the family’s hom e and kindly explained to h er this w as the family she had called us about at 3:30 one afternoon. They had no telephone and w e had to drive out almost at the close of our day and tell them they had to be in Danville at eight th e next morning. We got later appointm ents after th at.”

Access to clinics and specialists was especially difficult for p eople in eastern K entucky w h en Dr. Fox began practicing. Tliere w ere no four-lane roads and few w ith pavem ent. People in rural areas had to travel to Lexington o r Louisville for special appoint m ents. That m eant spending a day on a bus, a night in a motel, then facing th e confusion of the city to find th e appointm ent. “That could be devastating,” Dr. Fox says.

One tim e Dr. Fox tried a n ew strategy to help people get afternoon appointm ents. W hen she w as w orking „ in Leslie County, o x som eone from a m ental health clinic in Danville called to say one of Dr. Fox’s patients had an ap pointm ent for eight o ’clock the next m orning.

The story still tickles Dr. Fox, and it points to the im proved roads in the region. The trip from Pikeville, w here Dr. Fox has lived for m ore than 20 years, to Lexington used to take all day. N ow it takes two-and-a-half hours. The im proved roads m ade it easier for specialists to get into the rural counties. Dr. Fox offered space in the health departm ents for clinics that deal w ith such things as hearing, neurology, diabetes and o ther problem s. Dr. Fox built the health departm ents in Knott, Leslie and Pike counties, directed health program s in 20 eastern Kentucky counties and served as assistant medical director for Frontier Nursing Service. Her w ork helped to im prove health care through out eastern Kentucky.

Addressing Aging Issues “W e very graciously invited h e r to com e and visit us and to see our area and visit som e of th e families. W e p u t h er in th e car —this was before Leslie County got as m uch blacktop as it has today —and drove h e r out to w h ere the black top ended. Then w e drove on a dirt road, Through her photography one can see Dr. Fox’s love o f the mountains.

March-April 1995

Because of increased access to medical care, the m ortality rate began to drop. Dr. Fox has seen that attention to environm ental hazards (like p o o r drinking w ater), nutrition and im m unizations have w orked w ith medical technology to increase the life span. The fastest grow ing segm ent o f the popula tion in the United States used to be w om en over the age of 80, Dr. Fox says. N ow it is w om en over the age of 100. The United States has m ore people over the age of 65 than the entire population of Canada. This is one of the reasons Dr. Fox is in dem and to give talks on aging. She talks w ith

Dr. Fox attributes the change in the family structure to three things: th e high cost of living that requires both parents to w ork; a desire to have m ore than they can pay for; and a breakdow n of morality. Some children, she says, have a hard tim e keeping track of their siblings and stepsiblings, parents and stepparents because there are so m any m arriages and th e aged, as well as those w ho provide care and services for them . “I think the m ost im portant thing is ho w to live healthy and happy as you age.” Dr. Fox says she often uses Ecclesiastes, C hapter 12, w hich is about depression and aging, w h en talking about aging. “I think one o f the best ways to deal w ith aging is to stay active. As long as you’re active and producing and getting involved w ith o th er things th en you d o n ’t dwell on it. D epression, Dr. Fox says, is the num ber one m ental health disease in both young and old. “Part o f th e depression com es from loneliness.” Changing family structure has caused some of th e crisis in care of the elderly, says Dr. Fox, relating to the smaller size of families and new opportunities for w om en. “In the old days th e only thing an old maid could do w as teach school o r stay hom e and take care of th e family. Today, the old maid can be a firem an, a policem an, a doctor, an attorney, w hatever she w ants to be. She’s not there like she w as in my grandm other’s generation. As a m atter of fact, th e role reversal I have seen is the kids com ing back and dum ping a baby on grandm a.”

divorce rate in Pike County exceeds the marriage rate. “There are excellent families, to o ,” Dr. Fox says, clarifying that everything isn’t pessim is tic. She has been disappointed by interview ers in th e past w h o portrayed h er as only saying negative things about th e region. But Dr. Fox is realistic: she sees the problem s and the progress to gether and she takes great pride in the goodness of her region. “We have the third largest banking system ,” Dr. Fox says about Pikeville. She lists the county’s assets like a loyal m em ber of the Cham ber of Com m erce, w hich she is. She extolls the educational opportunities and tourist attractions. “I’m not saying w e d o n ’t have problem s, but I’m saying com pared w ith 30 years ago you see a m ajor change in our structures, in our hom es, in our school system, in our churches. I think th e re ’s a lot m ore pride. We had a lot of that pride then, but w e just show it off a little m ore now . The sad thing is w e still have one of th e highest d ropout rates in school, and you w o n d er why. And you have a high divorce rate, and you w onder why. And you have a fairly high child neglect rate as well as spouse abuse. But I d o n ’t think

The Mountain Spirit

that it’s any higher h ere than anyw here else in th e nation.” Some o f Dr. Fox’s pride is evident in her nature photography. She keeps prints of h er w ork on hand to give to friends and guests and supplies th e C ham ber o f C om m erce and tourism office w ith p hotographs for brochures and postcards. Photography has relieved stress for Dr. Fox during h er busy career and she uses h er p hotographs in talks about stress. “Jesus periodically w ith d rew ,” Dr. Fox rem inds people. She advises young doctors: “You m ust take tim e for yourself and your family, you m ust take tim e for vacations. You m ust take tim e for your o w n church, w hat ever. You have to learn to balance this w ith your patients. It is not an easy thing to do, but a lot o f us did.”

Medicine is an Art Dr. Fox practiced m edicine differently from w hat she sees today. “People w ere always so gracious, and I had feeling for my patients so lots of tim es it w as like I was one o f the family. I m ourned w ith them and I rejoiced w ith th em ,” she says. “The n ew er generation w as taught that you d o n ’t get involved and you d o n ’t take it hom e. T hat’s fine to a point, but m edicine is not a business, it is an art. And you have to have this tie, this relationship. Part of th e healing process is th e trust and love and concern you have in your family p hysician.” Dr. Fox w orries about group practices w here patients are n ’t assured o f seeing the same doctor. “I think a lot of healing depends on that strong tie. I d o n ’t think th e govern m ent and th e insurance com panies realize this bonding b etw een physician and patient. And that it is a part o f healing.” Dr. Fox finds m o d em doctors im personal, looking at a chart and asking h o w a patient is, often w ith o u t even touching that patient. That is m uch different, she said, than w h en h er uncle and great-uncle practiced m edicine. They w ould take the p a tie n t’s hand and tell them ho w m uch they m eant to them . It always made th e p atient feel better, Dr. Fox says. “I think y o u ’re seeing a return to nontraditional m edicine w h ere th e acupuncturists

March-April 1995

and all of these others, even the chiroprac tors, do w hat w e d o n ’t do today —lay on hands, the actual touching. You d o n ’t see m uch of that anym ore.” Dr. Fox thinks that nurses are com ing back to that kind of m edicine, and perhaps doctors. She w ants to see the hum an touch p ut into the technological m edicine that is practiced today. Dr. Fox is as well-acquainted w ith som e of m odem health’s problem s as younger doctors. One of the topics on w hich she lectures is AIDS. Although the aw areness of it is there, she believes, the understanding is not. People d o n ’t understand ho w it is spread and they fear those w ho have it. “It is not looked upon w ith the com passion that is needed and the understanding. It started out that w ay and it’s going to take a long tim e to reverse the m isunderstandings about the disease. It’s a sad thing that people will dehum anize and stigmatize it.” There is ignorance, she says, am ong the old w ho d o n ’t understand it and ignorance among the young w ho think it will never affect them . Dr. Fox lectured on im portant health topics before they becam e popular, like drug abuse. She rem em bers talking w ith a group of middle school students, then hearing from a student in that class w hen he graduated from high school. He told h er that after she spoke w ith his class, they had less drug involvem ent than any o th er graduating class. In times like those Dr. Fox know s she chose the right career. She recalls another time w hen she m et a m other w ho rem em bered that years before, Dr. Fox sat all night w ith h er daughter w ho w as in a coma. Recently, the m other clipped an article about Dr. Fox out of the new spaper and sent it to h er daughter, telling h er this w as the w om an to w hom she ow ed h er life. Dr. Fox doesn’t count the num ber of lives she has touched or aw ards she has w on. She rem em bers w hat the Good Book says, that even if you share just one cup of w ater you did som ething for Jesus. She has shared that w ater and she is proud that she w as able to share it in her hom e —the m ountains of eastern Kentucky. ft

1995

CAP Peace Award Recipient:

Kelva N elson F i r s t giving h o n o r and glory to God in all things, I w ant to say I am very grateful for receiving this a w a rd .” As a young teach er from Ashland, Kentucky, stepped up to the podium to becom e the third receipient of CAP’S Peace Award, given in h onor of the mission o f Dr. Martin Luther King, she began h er acceptance rem arks no differently than she approaches every aspect of her life: first, giving h onor and glory to God. She stood before h er husband, son, parents and over 150 well-wishers and hum bly assured them , “I d o n ’t deserve this aw ard any m ore than anyone here in this room .” The m em bers of CAP’S Peace Award com m ittee, how ever, w ould disagree. For m onths they review ed nom inations of individuals and groups throughout the Appalachian region w ho are considered exam ples o f Dr. King’s dream to teach non-violence and prom ote healing and understanding am ong all races. For them , Kelva stood out as a beacon o f light for others to follow and imitate. “We w ere looking for som eone w ho exem plifies a deep-rooted Christian message of love, hope, prom ise and spiritual em pow erm ent, even w hen

♦ by Kathleen Ford Leavell ♦ photos by Margaret Gabriel 24

T h e M o u n ta in S p ir it

Kelva’s efforts to uplift and support th e lives of those around h er go beyond the classroom. Kelva is an integral su p p o rter of th e “One Church, One Child” m ovem ent, w hich encourages families in African-American churches to adopt a black child. Several children in Kelva’s com m u nity, including h er ow n four-yearold son, have been adopted through this effort.

CAPpresident Mike McLaughlin presents Kelva Nelson with a stained glass plaque, the 1995 CAP Peace Award given in honor o f the mission o f Dr. Martin Luther

this called for risk and sacrifice,” explained CAP president Mike McLaughlin to the assembly, noting the similiarities b etw een th e m issions of Dr. King and th e Christian A ppalachian Project. Risks and sacrifices w ere cited several tim es as Geri Willis, director o f Ashland’s Family Resource C enter shared h e r observations of Kelva’s early experi ences o f resistance as th e first African-American teach er in Ashland. She described Kelva as a teach er first, using h er ow n different color to teach that w e are all different and that diversity is a strength.

“W e all w ant to conquer the w orld som etim es,” Kelva said in a segm ent o f K entucky Educational Television’s new s program “K entucky T onight,” w hich highlighted Kelva and th e Peace Award. “I felt that w ay w h en I started teaching sixteen years ago. N ow I feel called to have an im pact simply on those around me. I think th a t’s true of all of u s.”

Peace Award com m ittee m em ber Barb Delmonico sum m ed up the cerem ony w h en she said, “The Spirit w as truly present. We w ere filled w ith a beautiful sense of oneness as this diverse group prayed, shared and rejoiced together. I could only picture Dr. King smiling on us saying: ‘Yes, this is the unity that I stood for; that the w orld so badly needs. This is the unity that will create peace throughout th e w orld, one light at a tim e.’” ft

Kelva’s willingness to risk was applauded by keynote speaker Dr. William Turner, a noted historian and autho r o f “Blacks in A ppalachia.” He illustrated h e r courage and conviction w ith w ords from a poem by Howard Thurm an, rem inding th e assembly that is is b e tte r to drow n in th e ocean out w ith the big boats than to sleep to death in th e safety of th e harbor bay. Dr. T urner acknow ledged the Christian Appalachian Project for th e risks it took in establishing its Peace Award and expressed his desire to participate in the cerem ony in th e future. After the Peace Award ceremony Kelva and severalfriends gathered around the keyboard with CAP employee C.R. Payne, and entertained with gospel music.

March-April 1995

Seniors A ................ .................... .................. —----- 1&,.....

Great Commission

Seated on the floor is Vi Ellis, volunteer with th< CAP elderly program in Rockcastle County.

A t the age of 94, Cynthia Cox of Mount V ernon has seen Christian Appala chian Project volunteers com e and go. Mrs. Cox rem em bers and asks about David and David and Lorraine and Nancy, and says that she ow es Barbara a letter. Barbara w orked as a CAP volunteer in th e late 1970s. This kind of friendship has been the cornerstone of CAP’S elderly services program , w hich helps people in the m ountains confront the problem s of isolation and poverty. “Her family’s up in the Hazard area, and I d o n ’t really have to do anything for her, but I check on h er every day,” said Vi Ellis, the latest of Mrs. C ox’s CAP friends.

♦ by Margaret Gabriel ♦ 26

Vi has been a CAP volunteer for five years, and has spent four working w ith the elderly people in Rockcastle County. “It seems to m e that I p u t on my application that I w anted to w ork w ith the elderly. I never had grandparents, and I w as p u t in a

The Mountain Spirit

o a > Fn

Activity and socialization, Vi believes, are tw o of the m ost im portant ingredients of h er program , indeed for elderly people everyw here, urban or rural. “We need exercise program s, nutrition program s, and socialization. I have a lot of parties for my people, and I do all the cooking so all they have to do is sit dow n and talk and eat. They love it! And they love me for doing it. The m en sit together and the w om en sit together and they just talk and laugh and tease me and have th e tim e of their lives. “The isolation is so bad, and I d o n ’t know how in the w orld w e can fix that. The day care centers [for senior citizens] are good, but you’re dealing w ith a certain, small elem ent.” Transportation and socialization are critical elem ents of CAP’S services to seniors, said program manager, Zayda Hurd. “And w e do an awful lot of referrals to other program , like hom e health and cleaning services.”

foster hom e w h en I w as about four yearsold, and never spen t m uch tim e w ith my ow n m other. I think there w as a need on my part, and I’ve always loved old people. N ow that I’m old, I still love old p eo p le ,” said Vi, w h o says that she is older than som e o f the “elderly” in h e r program . Although she tries to limit enrollm ent in h e r program to fifty, Vi says, fifty-one people participate in the program in Rodkcastle County now , and she plans to add a m arried couple out o f necessity. “He is in the final stages of cancer, and sh e’s going to have a hard time. I have some people in my program w h o can com e and sit w ith him and let h er get out. I can do h er grocery shopping, things like that. She has hospice and o th er things, but it just isn’t enough. “I took one of my m en by yesterday, after church, to see if he w ould like him. They got along great.”

March-April 1995

Services are provided in seven counties in the Garrard County area and another five in the Floyd County area, Zayda said. Each has about fifty people involved, although she admits that m ost of the counties have a few m ore than that. “We let the volunteer in the county decide how often folks need to be visited,” she said. “Some people need a visit every w eek, others less or even m ore.” Zayda said that visiting is one of the greatest services CAP provides. “People from o ther agencies go in, do their job, and then have to move on in a hurry, but our volunteers can go into a hom e, and sit and visit, if th a t’s w hat people w ant. Most of our people love to have som eone com e and just sit and talk for a w hile.” Getting folks together to visit w ith each o ther has becom e m ore of a priority in CAP’S elderly services program s. Vi and the o th er volunteers frequently drive one person to the hom e of another. Larger gatherings are planned m onthly, bringing together people w ho participate in the program in all seven counties. Gatherings take a hiatus during the sum m er m onths, Zayda said. “Folks are busy in the sum m er time, w orking in their gardens.”

program are past the age of fifty, according to Kathy Kluesener, w h o manages CAP’S volunteer placem ent. Vi w as past sixty w h en she began investi gating volunteer w ork. Although she was b o m and raised in w estern Kentucky, and lived in Louisville for m any years, Vi learned of CAP w h en she w as living in Texas, and received a copy of the “Great Com m ission” handbook. “I’ve always had a heart for the Indians, and I felt I w anted to do mission w ork on a reservation. I w as excited w hen I saw that there w as a section in the book about Indians, but w h en I read it, I felt nothing.”

After traveling to Kentucky to work as a Christmas basket volunteer every year fo r eight years, Peggy Spitzer began working as a permanent volunteer in the CAP’S outreach program in January o f 1995■

Socials m ove from county to county, and are also held at the Emmaus Christian Life Center, CAP’S residence for elderly people in Berea. Although not all o f the Emmaus residents participate in the socials, those w ho do are happy to travel to adjoining counties, Zayda said. As a senior herself, Vi adds a dim ension to the program in Rockcastle County th at’s not usually seen w ith younger volunteers, Zayda said. “The participants really respect her, and they listen to her, maybe because sh e’s been through th e same things th ey’ve been through. We like to have younger people in the program , too, for variety and new ideas, but I tell people that Vi’s a lifer.” In the last few years seniors have been of great assistance to CAP, as m ore and m ore of them com e to w ork as volunteers. Over twenty-five p ercen t of th e volunteers currently w orking in CAP’S volunteer

A couple of days later Vi picked up the book to read the section again, and it fell open to an advertisem ent about CAP. “It gives me goose pim ples to think about it. W hen I read that ad my heart w en t crazy and I knew that w as it. I called my pastor, and asked him to com e. I told him I w anted him to pray w ith me, because I didn’t w ant to go off on som e wild goose chase, I w anted to know for sure that this w as the Lord. He said ‘I d o n ’t have to pray about that —it lays in my spirit so sw eet, I just know that it’s right.’” Vi said that the different facets of h er life — the friends sh e’s m ade and the experiences sh e’s had —have prepared her for h er service w ork today. “I’ve been in a training process, and th e re ’s no doubt that my service to Him has just started. H e’s given me a w hole new concept of w hat things are about. I was aimless, m ore or less, because my tw o children w ere grown. I w as just flounder-

Vi visits or phones Cynthia Cox every day. Mrs. Cox lives close to Vi’s office, and has been a participant in CAP’S elderly program fo r many years, still corresponding with several former volunteers.

The Mountain Spirit

ing around, emotionally. He got my attention and gave m e d irection.” In the years since she has been w ith CAP m ore and m ore p eo p le w ith years o f w isdom and experience are taking a direction similar to Vi’s. T hey’re investigating and joining CAP’S volunteer program , and becom ing involved in a variety o f activités outside of CAP’S elderly program . For eight years Peggy Spitzer took a w e e k ’s vacation from h e r position in m anagem ent and custom er service w ith a utility com pany in Indiana and traveled to K entucky to help distribute Christmas baskets. “The last few years som e of th e folks have been asking if I w ould com e back full tim e.” W hen Public Service Indiana m erged w ith Cincinnati Gas and Electric recently, Peggy w as offered an early retirem ent package that she says she couldn’t turn dow n, and im m ediately called CAP to ask about becom ing a perm anent CAP volunteer. “I d o n ’t choose to call it ‘retired ,’” Peggy said. “I changed positions, th a t’s all. I’m a lady in transition! Volunteering has always been in the back o f my m ind, but n ow the tim ing w as right.” Bom and raised in G reenbrier County, W est Virginia, Peggy felt like a m ountain girl com ing hom e as she began w orking in the outreach > program in p Jackson County in January of 1995. She says that th e roads in Jackson County are not as bad as the ones she learned to drive as a girl, and sh e’s only gotten lost once. Although her friends and family w ere surprised that Peggy decided to leave PSI, m ost adm ired her decision to leave th e job she had

Peggy records information on a home repair application fo r a Jackson Countyfamily.

w orked for nearly 24 years. “I really loved the job; it w as a tough decision to leave. I had a lot of good friends, but of course, leaving the job doesn’t m ean I w o n ’t have those friends.” Peggy felt confident that she w ould enjoy w orking in CAP’S outreach program because of the involvem ent that she has had in the past w ith Christmas baskets. “I could see that the need w as so overwhelm ing, and I knew that the mission that Father Beiting had w as som ething I could support. You w ant to be a part of an organization that you feel good about.” As a form er w orker w ith a utility com pany, Peggy feels com fortable helping folks deal w ith heating and lighting bills, as she is called to do as an outreach w orker. She is looking forw ard to helping people under stand the kinds of conservation that will help make bills m ore m anageable, and is anxious to m eet w ith local officials to leam of the kinds of education program s that are available to custom ers.

Vi smiled and said, “It’s usually young people w ho w ant to live w ith m e —I cook good!”

Cynthia’s neighbor and friend also stops to chat with her almost every day. She, too, partici pates in CAP’S elderly program.

Ask Peggy w hat sh e’s doing here, and she says, “I’m here to make a difference, and I think I am. The nice part about CAP’S m ission is that it’s helping others help themselves. W hen I explain the program , I tell people it’s a loan, it’s not a give-away. People can pay us back m onetarily or through volunteering tim e and effort. To m e th a t’s m uch m ore pleasant than handing out food stamps. T here’s always an opportunity to teach som ething that m ight m ake a difference in their light bill or ho w they buy th eir food or how they clean house or how they treat their kids.” Peggy says that living in com m unity figures to be h er biggest challenge after living alone for tw enty-three years. “Coming a w eek at a tim e at Christ mas introduced m e to the lifestyle, but it hasn’t been as big an adjust m ent as I thought it w ould be. On my first night leading prayer, I intro duced myself to my housem ates and helped them recognize that I had a challenge. I hoped that they w ould bear w ith m e because I do have some w eird w ays.”

Traditionally, CAP volunteer recruiting has taken place on college cam puses and church youth groups, but in the last few years, m ore and m ore recruiting is being targeted to older people. “It’s been a big frustration,” said Betsy Olsen, CAP’S volunteer recruiter. “It’s harder to identify places w here you can target large groups of people, but w e ’ve contacted churches, and clubs like Rotary and Knights of Columbus. They usually have th eir share of older m em bers, because they have m ore time. Every com m unity has a senior citizens’ center, and th a t’s a good place to get th e w ord o u t,” Betsy said. Barb Delmonico, m anager of CAP’S volunteer houses, praises the spirit that older volunteers bring to their com m uni ties. “They share a w isdom that m any of us d o n ’t have. Just the o th er day, som e younger people w ere telling m e ho w m uch they enjoyed having an older m arried couple in their com m unity. They had such a good relationship, and seem ed to be having such a good tim e grow ing old together. “O lder people add to our faith because often th ey ’ve been through so m uch, so many tough tim es, and they’ve relied on God to carry them through it.” ft

As a fifth-year volunteer, Vi has the option o f living in an apartm ent, away from the com m unity, but chooses to live in th e house w ith the other, m ostly younger, volunteers. “I’ve always enjoyed living w ith people, I never w ant to live alone. I lived alone a little bit, and I didn’t like it. Thank God, th e re ’s always som ebody that w ants to live w ith me, so th a t’s w orked o u t.” go to work on a master’s degree in social work.

The Mountain Spirit

CAP Helps Ruby Back Into Life Ruby began participating in CAP's elderly services program after her husband died in 1992. As difficult as it was for her, she sold the farm where she and her husband had lived for forty years, and moved to a smaller house nearby. When Ann, a CAP volunteer, met her, Ruby was living in the basement of her new home because, she said, she couldn't keep the house clean. Because she believed she couldn't clean the bathtub, she was taking only sponge baths. The basement was dark, dreary, cluttered and very depressing. Ruby's mood matched her surroundings. She didn't trust Ann at first, but after several visits Ruby confided that she needed help with her cleaning. Slowly, Ann helped Ruby out of her basement — both literally and figuratively! Now Ruby attends all the socials that CAP'S elderly program sponsors and even hosted a potluck lunch at her home. In the upstairs! "She's known a lot of the other folks for years, but for a long time she was so isolated that she never, saw anyone," said elderly program manager Zayda Hurd. To keep her active and social, Sue, a new volunteer, asked Ruby to keep in touch with seven other people, calling to check on them a couple of times a week. Because they're old friends, her calls are even more meaningful — and fun! "She is a special lady, with a positive attitude and she's a delight to visit," Sue said. "She's a different person now. She still has some health problems, but you'd never know it to look at her, and she doesn't talk about it. She's still got her aches, but she keeps going." Ruby thanks CAP for helping her get out of the basement and on with her life, but we all knows that Ruby has you to thank. Your support of the Christian Appalachian Project has given many people an introduction to a life they never knew was possible. Your gift of $20, $50, whatever you're able to send for use in our elderly program, or wherever it's needed most, will enable more volunteers like Sue and Ann to help more people like Ruby.

Elderly People in

Appalachia • Thirty-four of Kentucky's 120 counties have no nursing facility beds. •

In three counties served by CAP,

over 30% of the elderly people have no telephone service. •

In nine counties of Appalachian Kentucky nearly one-third of elderly home

owners live in poverty. •

In those same counties, 60% of the elderly people who rent live in sub

standard housing. Source: Kentucky Aging Research and Information Services, Kentucky Atlas for the Elderly

Shaded area indicates the boundaries of the Appalachian region

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

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

Address Correction Requested