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Innovations in Housing
CAP and the Federal Home Loan Bank
September - October 1997
The
September - October 1997 Vol. XV, No. 5
oumtain p irit
The Magazine of the Christian Appalachian Project
The First o f A Kind by Margaret Gabriel
Workfest: A Photo Essay Communities Converge From Across Cultures by Beth Dotson
Workfest, page eight.
Recyclable Materials, Restructured Finance, Real Solutions by Ike Adams
Departments 3 A Thought From the Editor
Cindy and Stephen Plymale, page sixteen.
10
Around the Project
23 29
Letters The CAP Closeup
Housing: One o f Appalachia’s Greatest Collaborations Groups that work to improve life in Appalachia are collaborating more and more, and nowhere is that collaboration more evident than in the arena of housing. And small wonder. Substandard housing isn’t just one problem, but frequently is the result of many problems. When we began working on this issue of The Mountain Spirit we knew that we wanted to introduce readers to CAP’S efforts to alleviate housing problems through its collaboration with Eagle Plastics Systems (see page twenty-four). But as our research continued we learned more and more about collaboration on many levels. On page four, you’ll learn about the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, its Affordable Housing Program, and the work of one its members, the Bank of McCreary County. And you’ll learn about the work it enabled one family to do to make its dream come true. On page sixteen, read Beth Dotson’s story about the collabora tion between people and groups in Appalachia, and throughout the United States, as Habitat for Humanity volunteers, including CAP president Mike Sanders, gathered in eastern Kentucky for a week of hard work and fellowship. On the cover, construction on the Plymales’ home in Phelps, Ky. (photo courtesy of John Fitzgerald)
Published by the Christian Appalachian Project. Editor: Margaret Gabriel. Graphic Design: Karen Frances Spivey. Circulation: Linda Grider East. Advisory Board: Father Ralph W. Beiting, Mike McLaughlin, Bill Begley, Carla Durand, Teresa McAnly. The Mountain Spirit is published six times a year. The annual subscription price is $8.00. Subscriptions and other correspondence should be sent to The Mountain Spirit, Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, KY 40446. Copyright, 1997, 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 of State, Office of Charities Registration, 162 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12231; in Maryland, for the cost of copies and postage, the Secretary of State, State Flouse, Annapolis, MD 21401; in NEW JERSEY, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, 202-626-4380; in NORTH CAROLINA, A COPY OF THE LICENSE TO SOLICIT CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS AS A CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION OR SPONSOR AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, SOLICITATION LICENSING BRANCH, BY CALLING (919) 733-4510; in Pennsylvania, residents may call the Pennsylvania Department of State at 1-800-732-0999; for West Virginia residents, the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305; in Virginia, the State Division of Consumer Affairs, PO 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 Michigan is MICS 9933. Registration with any of the above government agencies does not imply endorsement by the state.
The Mountain Spirit 2
A Thought from the Editor SPIVEY
e get calls periodically from people who want to borrow pictures from our photo files. “We need some pictures of poverty,” they’ll say. “Can you help us?” We don’t object to helping these folks. They’re people who, like us, are working to educate the American public about the problems that exist in the Appalachian area. But we always run into problems with “pictures of poverty.” We’re not sure what kinds of photos they expect us to have. We talk about low education levels, and how that contributes to poverty, but how do you take a picture of it? Can you tell from a picture whether a person has a job? Or knows where her next meal is coming from? It’s hard to take pictures of poverty, because poverty is something you have to feel. Most of our pictures focus more on people who are working themselves out of poverty, but as the picture-borrowers continue to look through the files, inevitably they stop and pull out pictures of substandard housing. Poverty housing, as Habitat for Humanity calls it. Poverty you can see. You can see real poverty in a picture of a school bus that has a chimney emitting smoke. To eliminate these very obvious symptoms of poverty should go a long way toward eliminating poverty altogether. If people no longer feel poor, how long can they actually be poor? Surely that is the reason that an abundance of people and groups — in the mountains, across the United States and throughout the world — are working to eliminate substandard housing. We learned as we assembled this issue on housing that there’s a high degree of excitement surrounding people involved in efforts to eradicate substandard housing. People who are investing efforts of their own in homes of their own are understandably excited about the opportunities that safe, dry, comfortable housing will afford them. The excitement levels always skyrocket during the “Spring Break Appalachian Workfest,” which CAP hosts annually. Part of the excitement is due to the natural exuberance of college students, but they use words like “awesome,” “incredible,” and “powerful” to describe the experience they have helping Appalachian families improve their homes. A big media event is always exciting in eastern
Kentucky, and Pike County was no exception when it hosted the press conference for Habitat for Humanity’s 1997 Jimmy Carter Work Project. In the middle of it all was former CAP volunteer Ed Bolles, who had coordinated the 2,000 volunteers who descended to construct 52 houses the week of June 16. “Excitement” isn’t really the right word to describe Ed’s work in housing construction and rehabilitation. The word “passion” might come closer to describing it. One can see a new level of excitement in CAP founder Father Ralph Beiting when he talks about Eagle Plastics Systems, a company which manufactures prefabricated homes from recyclable plastic. The company, which will employ an estimated 75 to 100 employees, has committed to relocating in eastern Kentucky, which Father Beiting says is one of the most exciting prospects he’s seen in his 47 years in Appalachia. “It’s a great concept and it has fantastic growth potential,” Father Beiting said. “This will help solve two problems at once. It will provide good, affordable housing and it will employ people,” he told the Floyd County Times. CAP has purchased and assembled several of these houses, and Larry Cranfill, CAP’S director of physical support services, said “Volunteers love to see how fast they go up. If they’re here for a week, they know they’ve really accomplished something if they’ve finished putting up a house.” And so it goes. We hope that some day we’ll be able to put all of our pictures of poverty homes in the file marked “Archive,” and if the current excitement level stays high, we might just see that day come around. —Margaret Gabriel
September - October 1997
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O f A K ind Story and photos by Margaret Gabriel The Mountain Spirit
he Coffey family had a clear-cut deadline for moving into their new home. “We wanted to be out of the old place before the copperheads came out,” explained Debbie.
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Debbie, her husband, Farrell, and their two children reached that deadline because of their own hard work, and a wonderful collaboration between the Bank of McCreary County, which is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, and the Christian Appalachian Project volunteer and home repair programs.
With the help o f the Christian Appalachian Project and the Bank o f McCreary County, Farrell and Debbie Coffey are living in a new home.
In February of 1997, the Coffey family was living in a trailer on seven acres in McCreary County which had belonged to Farrell’s parents. One night when the family was out, a short in the electrical system caused the trailer to catch fire and destroyed everything. “First we stayed a couple of nights at my sister-in-law’s house,” said Farrell, “and then some people let us stay a couple of nights over their store, ’til we could move back to my mama’s house.” The house, which had been empty since the death of Farrell’s mother several years earlier, kept the family from complete homelessness — but just barely. Knowing that Debbie and Farrell would not ask for help despite their desperate loss, a neighbor placed a call to CAP’S outreach office. Volunteer Diann Brand visited the family, first bringing them the barest of necessities: food, clothing and hygiene items. Diann could see that the Coffeys would need a bigger boost to get back on their September - October 1997
feet, so she asked for assistance from Jim Lynn and CAP’S home repair program. “We were fully willing to do anything we were able to help them,” Jim said. As he began to determine the assistance that would be possible through home repair, Diann continued to gather materials and support to help the family. The Coffey’s income, always small, was interrupted after their burnout. Debbie had been working in a fiberglass factory, but had to quit because of the days she had to miss after the fire. Farrell, ironically, is disabled as the result of injuries suffered in a fire twenty years ago. “Joe, a volunteer, came with Diane one day,” Farrell said. “He saw the conditions we were living in, and went back to Minnesota and told his friends and neighbors, and they all volunteered to come and help us. Then Jim Lynn came up with this house.”
“This house” is a house constructed of panels of recyclable plastic that are manufactured by the Eagle Plastics Systems which has plants in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, and Pompano Beach, Florida (see “Recyclable Materials, Restructured Finance, Real Solutions,” page twenty-four). They were unsure what Jim was talking about when he explained about the new construction materials, but after touring a model house in Berea, they were convinced an “Eagle House” would suit their needs better than the trailer they had lost, or their current house, even with repairs. “That old trailer was in bad shape,” Farrell said. “And the house only had one bedroom.” Debbie and Farrell have two children: Angela, 10, and Adam, 8, so the family was truly in need of more living space.
When CAP began talking about the possibility of constructing the house, “I didn’t believe they would,” Farrell said. “I thought we’d just start over and go back to 5
the old place, and eventually get us another trailer. I never got help from nobody. I just figured if I prayed hard enough, the good Lord would help me.” And it seems that the good Lord heard Farrell and Debbie’s prayer and came through with help from several different directions. Upon meeting the Coffeys and reviewing their application for home repair, Jim realized that they were eligible for assistance from the Affordable Housing Program of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati. The bank is one of twelve governmentsponsored enterprises funded by participating financial institutions like the Bank of McCreary County.
Each year the Federal Home Loan Bank sets aside ten percent of its net earnings to be awarded for the housing needs of low income people. “The program is very flexible,” said Melissa Dallas, Federal Home Loan Bank’s assistant vice president for communications. “We look at income eligibility and the fact that it will provide decent housing for people who need it.” In 1996, the FHLB’s Affordable Housing Program awarded $7.8 million to fund over 1500 housing units. In 1997, funding through the Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises was also directed at Hammering in the Hills, Habitat for Humanity’s 1997 Jimmy Carter Work Project.
Farrell, Debbie, and their children, Angela and Adam, on the porch o f their new home in McCreary County.
The Bank of McCreary County has been a member of Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati for about four years, said Sam Strunk, the bank’s senior vice president. When he learned recently of its Affordable Housing Program, Strunk was immediately interested in participating, and in sponsoring CAP to help provide better housing for low income people. “In the grant program, helping the community was our first desire. We knew that by
going into it, it would benefit the people of McCreary County.” Strunk learned of the alternative materials being used for construction when he met with the Coffeys and with Jim Lynn. The “Eagle House” is the first of its kind in the county, and Strunk believes that other homes like it can be an answer to alleviating the housing crunch in the county. “It looks like it will be “They’re required good for the people,” by Federal Home he said.
Loan Bank to have With a certain amount of funding from the "sweat equity.’ We Federal Home Loan tracked their Bank through the volunteer hours,” Bank of and they did a lot McCreary County and more than they a gift from an were required . . anonymous donor, CAP home repair and a dedicated group of volunteers partnered with Debbie and Farrell to construct their new home, which has three bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and large living area. One of its most gracious features is a large porch that provides a beautiful view of McCreary County’s Daniel Boone National Forest, and the family vegetable garden. Despite too much rain in the spring and not enough in the summer, Debbie’s com, tomatoes and beans thrived through the summer of ’97. Debbie and Farrell say that they can’t believe their good fortune in being able to live in a new house on the family property. It’s obvious that the pride of their home ownership has rubbed on Angela and Adam. Whenever Angela goes into her new The Mountain Spirit
6
bedroom, she removes her shoes in order to preserve the newness of the carpet, and demands that visitors do the same. She selected a delicate shade of pink for her room; Adam’s room is a vibrant “Kentucky Wildcat” blue. “One of the neatest things is that they did so much of the work themselves,” said Teresa McAnly, a CAP worker who stays on top of the paperwork needed for Federal Home Loan Bank. “They’re required by Federal Home Loan Bank to have a certain amount of ‘sweat equity.’ We tracked their volunteer hours,” and they did a lot more than they were required, Teresa said. Although Farrell and Debbie shared the work, Farrell took a larger role after they moved into their new house, when Debbie was able to find a job in a sewing factory. The Coffeys saw the work as just something that needed to be done. After all, they figured, it’s their house. They did all of the finishing work, including installing and painting drywall, and texturing the ceiling. “I have to say, it’s been a good experience, doing this house,” Farrell said. “Kim and Kevin [CAP’s McCreary
Farrell has acquired home improvement skills.
September - October 1997
County home repair team] just showed me what to do and I did it.” “I love to do it,” Debbie added. Because of the skill they acquired, and the pride they take in their work, Jim Lynn anticipates inviting Farrell and Debbie to work on homes for other Federal Home Loan Bank families in McCreary County. They said they’d sure be happy to pitch in, “If I ever get this place finished,” Farrell said. They were so anxious to take occupancy (remember those sewing factory. copperheads?), there were finishing details that still needed said. “It enables CAP to do more attention three weeks after they work for more people. I know of had moved in. three or four circumstances when CAP was able to put in a septic “We have a grant of $62,500 tank for a family because of the dollars in the county, and we hope Federal Home Loan Bank match.” to use it in about a year,” Jim said. But, because Federal Home Loan The money, which matches CAP’s Bank is made of up member material expenses, enables Jim to financial institutions, it would be double the amount of money that impossible for CAP to access he is able to spend on any home those funds without the repair job that qualifies. While cooperation of a local bank. The CAP’s usual limit on a repair job good citizenship of the Bank of is $2500, Federal Home Loan McCreary County, and its desire Bank grants increase that figure to to improve the living conditions of $5000. CAP the citizens of the county makes has another the program possible, Teresa said. $62,500 grant As a sponsor organization, which it is working in partnership with a drawing down member, CAP is able to increase for homes in the amount of home repair work Jackson that is done in McCreary County. County. A bank that is willing to participate is the most important element in accessing money from the Federal Home Loan Bank, Teresa
It’s a willingness to work together on the part of many people that has made this project work. But integral to its success has been the effort of the Coffey family. “It’s wonderful to see how much Debbie and Farrell have done for themselves, and how much they’ve already put in,” Diann said. “They’ve been so grateful for everything, and took over anywhere they could.”
Wowt Fi/t.
Annually since 1992 the Christian Appalachian Project has sponsored a “Spring Break Appalachian Workfest” for college students. Hundreds of young people live and play together as they work to repair homes of people in the mountains. Selected here are some of their answers to the question “What did the week in Appalachia mean to you?” ..R .g^ ^ five pages?” “I ’ve never felt more at peace in life and with God. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything the world. Thank you CAP!” “This week has been my opportunity to step back and not entirely focus on myselffor a week (which I feel like I often do) and put things in perspective. I can see what is important and what matters while experiencing a wonderful community and meeting awesome people. ”
“I found out what God needs me to do. I will be coming back. ”
“It was the most moving, incredible week o f my life. I will never forget it. I have learned more in the one week than I ever thought I would know. This was the best decision o f my life. ”
“It was a feeling o f accomplishment and satisfaction to make David and Teresa Colin’s house more habitable. I ’m glad we finished! ” The Mountain Spirit 8
A SPRING BREAK THAT BREAKS WITH TRADITION “The whole week was absolutely a blast! I met a bunch o f great people, ate a bunch o f great meals and most importantly, I did a lot o f work to help people who really needed it. I have never spent my time in a better way!”
“I had a wonderful time and many wonderful experiences. There is not enough room in this small space to explain all that I hold in my heart from this week. This is my best spring break ever. ”
“Wonderful, insightful, powerful, challenging and one more step in my journey towards meeting God. “ I started out feeling very unsure o f my choice to come here and about myself. As I made closer friends with people from my school, work group and living mates, that uncertainty diminished. Soon it became a wonderful exchange o f ideas that gave me a sense o f personal growth. The work helped me not to just give up.
“The light behind each person’s eyes can spark a fire. I enjoyed the safe and caring atmosphere which allowed so many to be more naturally themselves. ” September - October 1997
“I was thrilled to be a part o f a large vision that serves those in need, to be able to jump in with my minimal building skills and know that I played my small part. The experience o f community and the ecumenical experience were very rich. Thank you.
Around the Project Volunteer Says “Job Start” Is A Life-Changer GABRIEL
A dozen women listened attentively to Sister of Saint Joseph Ann Regina Lannon in a converted storage room behind the Christian Appalachian Project Berea Attic. “It doesn’t matter what faith you are or what church you go to — God is God!” Sr. Ann said. “Poster time!” responded instructor Sandy Spaulding as she leapt from her stool and wrote Sr. Ann’s wise observation on the display board. “We have books of sayings that we’d like to see on posters,” Sandy, a CAP volunteer, explained to Sr. Ann, as her students took out their loose-leaf binders of construction paper and wrote the latest entry. “Poster time” started with the comment “You earn your own self-esteem. Nobody can give it to you.” Several students declare that self-esteem is the greatest lesson they have taken away from “Job Start,” a collaboration of CAP outreach, child development and adult education programs which is helping people make the transition from welfare to work. “Having better self-esteem will help you deal with your bosses,” said Sylvia, a mother of four. As Sandy and the class began to structure the agenda of their ten-week class, they began by listing the skills that they would need to prepare themselves for a variety of jobs. “Most jobs are made up of lots of little jobs — like a house is made up of a lot of bricks,” Sandy said. “So they’re working at learning as many of them as they can, like using bricks. We’re teaching
Volunteer Sandy Spaulding conducts the classroom portion o f “Job Start, ” a job readiness program fo r people who are preparing to enter the work force.
them the bricks, and we’ve told them the more they know, the more money they’ll be worth in the job market.” There are no required tasks involved in the program, Sandy said. “There are no grades, and no tests. It’s all self-discipline. We want to eliminate the fear of learning,” she said. “The I’m-toodumb-to-leam feeling.” Most of the students are young mothers who receive welfare and will be required to begin working in less than two years. They have little job experience. “Job Start” is designed to equip them with the skills they need to successfully
enter the work force. Sister Ann gave the students insight into the spiritual preparation that they will need for success. “When bad things happen to good people, we need God,” was her message, which also became another page in everyone’s poster book. A ladder in the middle of the room was covered with various conditions which the students considered barriers. As they climb past and eliminate each barrier, Sandy said they will gain more and more of the skills they need, “but this program isn’t a school, really, it’s a lifechanger.”
Visit CAP on the Internet Former volunteer Jeff Healander, on break from his studies in occupational therapy at Eastern Kentucky University, spent his summer constructing a web site for the Christian Appalachian Project. “Jeff has done a super job,” said CAP marketing director Ike Adams. “He’s done all of the
initial work, and has helped to teach us how to keep it up to date.” CAP’s web site includes information about all of CAP’s human development programs, planned giving and major gifts and the volunteer program. Please visit the site at www.chrisapp.org. The Mountain Spirit
around the project. . . continued
CAP Founder Addresses Christian Laymen Corps Greensburg, Pa. Group To Increase Support Father Ralph Beiting, founder of the Christian Appalachian Project, recently gave a talk in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, on the invitation of the Christian Laymen Corps of Greensburg. His comments centered on his new book, “A Time of Crisis . . . A Time for Christ.” “A Time of Crisis . . . A Time for Christ,” is Father Beiting’s ninth book. In it he shares his thoughts about the ways that men and women of faith can transcend the materialism and cynicism so prevalent in today’s society. He says, “I believe the only solution to the crisis of our time is Christ. . . He can feed the poor again, but not by multiplying loaves and fishes. He will feed them through the jobs He expects us to create. We can
do this. We can accomplish this — but we need Christ. . . We need to take Him into places where He has been long forgotten.” Noting that CAP has always had a great deal of support in the western Pennsylvania area, Father Beiting recognized Jerry Wright, the mother of former volunteer Mary Kay Gilbertson, who was in the audience. Mary Kay lives in Berea, Kentucky, with her husband, Keith, a former volunteer who works in CAP’S adult education program. “It was a good gathering,” said Ben Prewitt, director of CAP’S planned giving and major gift efforts. “People who have been hearing from and about Father Beiting were really happy to meet him. One lady told him he
was taller than he looks in his pictures.” As a result of the visit to the area, the Christian Laymen Corps has increased its commitment to and involvement with CAP, Ben said. “They’re going to be actively involved in furnishing a new camp, and plan to double their contribution to Operation Sharing.” During his talk Father Beiting told the group, “This is just what we need: groups like yours to take charge and create interest and support in their areas.” Ben reports that Charlie Cunningham, a founder of the Christian Laymen Corps and a retired furniture manufacturer, is planning to conduct a study that will determine the feasibility of opening a furniture factory in eastern Kentucky.
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CAP founder Father Ralph Beiting meets and mingles with people attending his talk, sponsored by the Christian Laymen Corps o f Greensburg, Pa.
September - October 1997
Mail to: The Mountain Spirit 322 Crab Orchard Road Lancaster, Kentucky 40446
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around the project. . . continued
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Adult Students Participate in Highway Cleaning Project The Families Growing Together students at the Eagle Child Development Center in McCreary County found a new source of pride when they began to participate in the Kentucky Transportation Department’s “Adopt-A-Highway” program. Families Growing Together is the literacy program which enables children to acquire a love for learning as parents increase their literacy skills. The mothers and fathers who participate in the program say that one of its most important elements, however, is the support that they draw from one another. Participating in projects like “Adopt-A-Highway” is one of the things that sustains that bonding. Participation in the project was the idea of staffer Selena McEnroe. “I thought it would be a good idea for us when I first started working at Eagle,” Selena said. “I thought it would a project
that we could take pride in.” The program is very simple. The Department of Transportation provides the group with trash bags and safety vests. The workers then police both sides of the road, clearing trash and other debris. On their first detail, the group, which consisted of the Families Growing Together students and the staff of
Eagle Child Development Center, gathered 18 bags of trash. They plan to clean the area about once a month, as a contribution to the evironmental quality of the area, and as a boost to tourism. “We got pretty dirty, but everybody was really proud,” Selena said.
As a group project, Families Growing Together students participate in the ‘‘Adopt-A-Highway ” program, cleaning a one-mile section o f Highway 90.
Kelly says ‘ Thanks a Lot!” The staff at CAP’S office in Johnson County recently received this note from a “Partners Project” mother: To the staff at the CAP office: I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the help you have given me in the past few months. With your help, I received my GED, I was able to enroll in college. Having the financial support to go to college, I would also like to thank Richard, Ken, Bill and Judy for showing me that there are a lot of people in this world that really do care about their people. They are all like friends to me. They not only treated me like a friend, but also like
family, and I would like for them to know that if they ever need any help from me, please let me know. I would be more than happy to help them in any way possible. I cannot say enough about them, and it has really been a pleasure to get to know all of you. I hope this friendship does not come to an end when I am out of this program. I hope to have you all for a friend from here on out. Well, I had better close for now. If you need anything, please let me know. From someone that feels like I am on top of the world. Thanks to you all. Kelly Dawn Murphy P.S. Thanks a lot!!
I Respecting the wishes of deceased loved ones, or in honor o f them, families often request that memorials he sent to us. Memorial gifts live on to benefit others. Many also specify memorial gifts in their wills. Any size gift is welcome. Contact us for more information.
The Mountain Spirit 12
around the project. . . continued What You Don't Know About Wills Can Hurt Your H e ir s .. ^ Find Out Why. j Request j . (§ Your j* •, j Free Copy. ,
Hundreds o f Appalachian children participated in camping programs during the summer o f 1997. CAP sponsors residential programs in Jackson and Floyd counties, and day camps in Rockcastle and Lawrence counties.
What Can I Do to Help the Christian Appalachian Project? Christian Appalachian Project supporters often ask what more they can do to help eliminate suffering in Appalachia. First, we tell them, you can tell others of the problems in Appalachia which you learn about in The Mountain Spirit and other CAP publications. You might want to share this magazine with a friend, for example. If you’d like, drop us a line and we’ll send you a replacement copy. Ask us about any of the problems in Appalachia and we’ll be happy to share any knowledge we have or to refer you to another organization that can Christian Appalachian Project is a participating agency in the Combined Federal Campaign. Federal and military employees can contribute to CAP by designating #0898 on the CFC pledge card.
September - October 1997
help you. Secondly, you can give us a most valuable commodity — time. Since 1950, thousands of people have worked millions of hours, donating time to helping the people of Appalachia help themselves and their families out of poverty. If you would like to volunteer a year or a summer to working in Appalachia, please contact: The Mountain Spirit, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, KY, 40446. We will see that you receive information about CAP’S volunteer program. Finally, our most powerful form of assistance is prayer. We believe that if our supporters spend at least one minute a day praying for poor people every where, mountains can be moved, the course of rivers can be changed. The CAP family forms a powerful prayer network reaching into Appalachia and across the nation.
Much of what you know about wills may be misinformation that has been floating around for years. If you think, for example, that wills are primarily for rich people, or elderly people, you may be the victim of a common misconception. The helpful book let offered here will explain how your will can save your heirs from costly delays and confu sion. Send for your copy today. Clip and Mail
Christian Appalachian Project 322 Crab Orchard Road Lancaster, Kentucky 40446 Please send without obligation your booklet, “37 Things People ‘Know’ About Wills That Aren't Really So.” Name Address. C ity____ State.ZIP
13
around the project. . . continued
Over 100 People Receive GEDs Christian Appalachian Project adult education programs recognized the accomplishments of 119 people who completed high school equivalency in the last year at four spring graduation ceremonies. One graduate came from Michigan to attend the ceremony in Rockcastle County, according to adult education program manager Paula Woodman. “She drove all day in a van with her family to come to the graduation. That’s how important it was to her,” Paula said. Speakers at the ceremonies emphasized that earning a GED is a beginning, not an end, and encouraged the graduates to pursue higher education. “We see a lot more people go on to vocational schools these days,” Paula said, “but three of our graduates are going to
college in the fall — two to Eastern [Kentucky University] and one to Somerset Community College. They’ve all got tremendous potential.” Several of the graduates are employees of a local sewing factory, which has given extra support to employees who are pursuing their educations. “They give their people thirty minutes of ‘clock time,’ then with thirty minutes on their own, they can go to class an hour a week,” Paula said. “Managers from the factory come to the graduation ceremony to wish people well and support them.” In addition to awarding diplomas, the ceremonies give the opportunity to recognize students who are not yet graduating. CAP’s adult education program applauds outstanding attendance, the
greatest gain in literacy skill (one student achieved a four-year gain in just one year of study) and other achievements. “It becomes kind of an award night,” Paula said. Welfare reform has led to an increase in the enrollment in adult education, with a greater emphasis on work skills than has been seen in the past. “Some people are really going to be hurt by this time limit [that has been established with reform],” Paula said. “They have six months, and for some literacy students, there’s really noway.” In addition to the increased pace that the program has adopted for literacy students, curriculum is changing also for GED students. “We’re teaching more work skills, even for students that already have jobs, and are trying to get ahead,” Paula said.
Come Move Mountains... r p aeh an adult how to read a food label in a grocery store for the first time. Repair a home for a family th at’s truly in need. Show a child the marvel of nature. Come and share the experience of service and prayer for a year with many other volunteers.
Christian Appalachian Project Volunteer Program 322 Crab Orchard Street • Lancaster, KY 40446 (606) 792-2219 • (800) 755-5322 • FAX: (606) 792-6625
around the project. . . continued C an Y ou U se
» fid
Payroll D e d u c tio n ?
CAP adult education programs conducted graduation ceremonies in Rockcastle, Lincoln, McCreary and Magoffin counties. One hundred and nine students were recognized fo r receiving a high school equivalency diploma.
Operation Sharing Completes Move to Corbin
September - October 1997
As the move neared, the Operation Sharing staff sent notices to its more than 1100 participants giving them the new telephone number and directions to the new warehouse. Operation Sharing is working to increase its distribution to $50 million by the year 2000.
TRAMMEL
It seems like it’s been a long time coming, but Operation Sharing, the Christian Appalachian Project in-kind distribution program, was able to move into its new headquarters in Corbin, Kentucky, in early August. Although manager Charlie Deaton expects that it will be the first of October before they’re up to speed, Operation Sharing has had no interruption in services during the months that they have been making the transition from the warehouse in Lancaster to the new home in Corbin. “We have 15 to 20 trailers of materials that we need to distribute in August,” Charlie said. The program will increase in size from about 8,000 square feet to a little over 64.000. The greater size will enable the Operation Sharing staff to maintain a larger inventory, and they won’t be as rushed to move materials in and out of the warehouse, Charlie said.
If your employer offers donor designation as a write-in for payroll deducation campaigns, please rememberthe Christian Appalachian Project. CAP is a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt agency, and payroll deduction is the easiest way to help the families of Appalachia. To ensure that we receive your payroll deduction gifts, please give your payroll officer CAP’S full address and send to the attention of: Teresa McAnly Campaign Coordinator CAP 322 Crab Orchard Road Lancaster, KY. 40446
-A~ .' 4j. f1 1
•
Operation Sharing distributes in-kind donation received from dozens o f organizations and corporations to over 1100 churches, schools and grass roots organizations throughout the Appalachian region.
15
Hammering In The Hills
c
immunities i Converge From Across Cultures by Beth Dotson
Stephen and Cindy Plymale likened the building of their new home to a barn raising. Instead of a family event, however, it was a project that attracted new friends from across the United States to make sure the family of four didn’t have to live in a cramped, onebedroom house anymore.
The Mountain Spirit 16
“You can feel the love,” Stephen Plymale said as he looked around at the volunteers who were putting the finishing touches on the house. “Every time we walk through this house, we’ll still see these people.” “The walls are wrapped up in them,” Cindy Plymale said. The Plymale family was one of four families in the Phelps area who completed their home the week of June 16 with volunteers from Habitat for Humanity. The effort was part of the larger 1997 Jimmy Carter Work Project, Hammering in the Hills, which built 52 homes in eastern Kentucky and northern Tennessee in one week. A wide spectrum of individuals and organizations formed partnerships that created community as they built houses in
the region that is speckled with buildings that do not provide adequate shelter for their residents. “This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to build,” former President Jimmy Carter said more than once during his
“It binds us together in the spirit of Christian faith by emulating what Jesus Christ did and taught.” Jimmy Carter Habitat for Humanity week in eastern Kentucky. Carter and his wife, Rosalyn, have been working with Habitat for Humanity for 15 years.
At the Plymale building site, pictured left to right, Steve Rose, The Plymales— Cindy, Steve, Ethan and Conner, Roy Freels, and John Rose
September - October 1997
“We want to go where the need is great,” Carter said about choosing Appalachia for this year’s project. He continued, saying that 52 percent of the population in some areas of the region lives below the poverty line. The average value of a home is one-third that of homes in the rest of the country. Nationally, 1.1 percent of households do not have plumbing facilities; in the Appalachian communities targeted for this project the rate is 16.8 percent. Besides that, Carter noted that everyone who is concerned about housing is getting less help from the federal government. For every dollar allocated for housing during his administration, “and during the Nixon administatration, to make it bipartisan,” he said, there is only seven cents appropriated today. Habitat reported that only 36 percent of households eligible by law for housing assistance ever receive it. Hammering in the Hills is a year-long partnership between Habitat and the Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, which is based in Berea. This effort is providing new homes to a total of 150 families this year. Carter and Habitat founder Millard Fuller both emphasized the Christian foundation of Habitat for Humanity throughout the week. Fuller talked about his “theology of the hammer” that says true religion asks Christians to put thenfaith and love into action. As people come together to build houses, he
17
m one room where the wood or P coal stove will give them heat. When Sister Anna and Sister Grace called a town meeting to find out what the people were concerned about and how they might help, 40 people showed up. They said their biggest need was housing. Sister Anna saw a notice about a meeting in Washington, D.C., related to housing, so she went. When she returned to Phelps, she suggested they become a Habitat for Humanity affiliate.
noted, they also bridge their differences for the common good. “It’s very difficult for us to find ways to break down the barriers between rich people that have good homes and good jobs and good education and good health care, between us and those who don’t have all those things,” Carter said. Through Habitat, these barriers dissolve and volunteers pound nails side by side. “It binds us together in the spirit of Christian faith by emulating what Jesus Christ did and taught,” Carter said.
Sister Eleanor McNichol, who joined the other two sisters in 1991, recalls that there was much doubt surrounding the establishment in their homes to offer tutoring of the Phelps Area Habitat. services, they found difficult living Because of their lack of physical, conditions — overcrowding, financial and human resources, dangerous wiring, faulty plumbing, Habitat International didn’t think leaking roofs and sinking floors. In the group could make it on their many homes, the insulation is own. They made them an nonexistent or so poor that in “Assisted Affiliate,” similar to winter everyone has to sleep in the international affiliates that need
Catholic nuns found Habitat in Phelps In Phelps, Habitat has Christian roots in Sisters of Saint Joseph Anna Louise Schuck and Grace Pasquarello, who moved to the area in 1989. They were looking for a place to provide a Catholic presence and found Phelps, a small community nearly an hour and several mountains away from the county seat, Pikeville, and the nearest Catholic church. As the sisters visited families
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Sister Eleanor McNichol displays pictures o f volunteers who have worked with the Phelps Area Habitat fo r Humanity.
The Mountain Spirit
more resource support than regular affiliates. Today, the group has built 11 houses. They have also completed 59 rehabilitations, more than any other Habitat chapter. For five years, they have hosted a special one-week building blitz that they call Hammering in the Hills. Habitat International borrowed the name for this year’s event. They have also been true to the tradition of the region. They have succeeded against great odds by making things work in unique and non-traditional ways. They have only once accepted money from Habitat International: seed money to renovate a building into a volunteer center with overnight accommodations. Sister Eleanor believes that Phelps’ success has inspired other small communities to form Habitat affiliates. “It was like if Phelps can do it, then maybe we can,” she said. Phelps has done it with the help of a multi-denominational board of directors, VISTA volunteers, AmeriCorps volunteers, college work groups and elder hostel work groups. Sister Grace has been working with Phelps Area Habitat from its birth and she said that rather than providing a temporary bandage, it gets to the root of a poverty problem. In working with families before, during and after the building of their homes, she hopes they get a better sense of self-esteem and caring for their dwelling. She has seen that sometimes this is the piece of encouragement people need to improve other aspects of their life. Families who work with Habitat must have a steady source of income to make their monthly mortgage payments. These payments are interest-free and average $200 a month.
Phelps to break ground fo r four more houses.
As for the volunteers, Sister Grace said, “I hope they go home with a greater sense of community . . . none of this is possible without it.” Hosting work groups helped the staff prepare for the week of June 16 when they were anticipating 200 volunteers. They turned the local school gymnasium into a dormitory and the grounds into a tent city. “I felt like the whole place came alive,” Sister Eleanor said with a smile. She said people were asking, “Is a former President coming to Phelps? Is something like that really going to happen?” Part of the reason it was able to happen was the positive attitude
and prayer the board, staff and volunteers put into their work. When Phelps Area Habitat purchased 112 acres of land from a coal company, they didn’t envision the mud slide. It missed one of the houses they built by only a few feet. Sister Eleanor recalled standing at the site with Phelps Habitat board chairman J.T. Charles, a retired coal miner and a man of deep faith, who suggested they not bemoan the problem but count their blessings. The group had already built four houses on the property and they were not damaged. “You just had to say God has taken care of us,” Sister Eleanor said. On Friday of “Blitz Week,” Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter and Millard Fuller visited
September - October 1997 19
o the money o within their 2 6,000 member church. When they saw they couldn’t collect the full amount, Rose called his brother, Steve, to see if his church, St. Agnes Catholic Church in Louisville, Ky., would also like to be a part of the project. He agreed and the brothers met in Phelps with their groups to build a house for the Plymale family.
Hammering in the Hills.
that site for a ground breaking for four houses that will be built in the upcoming year. Volunteers descend from across the country While the Phelps staff was preparing, volunteers from across the country were packing their bags and loading planes, vans and cars for the trip to Appalachia. One of these groups was the Menlo Park, California, Presbyterian Church, headed by John Rose. Rose and his wife have worked with Habitat before and they decided in 1995 to be a part of the blitz build in Appalachia. To sponsor a house costs $39,000 and they set about trying to raise
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“It is a dignified way of helping people who aren’t any different than you or I but don’t have the resources they need,” Rose said about Habitat. He keeps participating, he said, because “It works.” Rose also saw the project as a learning experience. “I saw this as an opportunity for our church to get out of Silicon Valley and into a rural area where we could see we’re not that different,” he said. To do that, they had to be dedicated to the cause. It cost each worker $225 to participate. That includes three meals a day, a cot or a tent, and a week filled with hard work. They also had to pay their own airfare. Rose said that because people came of their own free will, they
got a lot out of the experience and enjoyed it so much that they were talking about doing it again next year. “They’ve fallen in love with it,” he said. They also fell in love with the family and the way they became speechless as the week progressed and their house neared reality. Seven-year-old Ethan Plymale crawled under the house with the plumber and into every nook and cranny he could reach. He said he was looking forward to having his own room that he could decorate with posters. Ethan’s father, Stephen, is a former coal miner who has been unemployed for a year and a half. His mother, Cindy, has been working full-time as a cashier for four years. She’s happy that she’ll be able to provide a better place for her son to grow up. “He’s looking forward to having space of his own,” Cindy said. Cindy’s looking forward to not worrying about leaks from the ceiling and high heating bills in the winter. Cindy, Stephen and Stephen’s 20-year-old son, Connor, have put in more than 300 hours of work on Habitat homes in Phelps, including their own. They hope the building blitz will help raise awareness about Habitat in the Phelps area so more people will get involved. They also hope it will negate the stereotypes some people carry about Appalachia. “There are hardworking people in this area,” Cindy said. CAP participates CAP’s president, Mike Sanders, knows about those stereotypes. Mike is a native of Pike County and a graduate of Phelps High School. He served as an ex-officio member of the Jimmy Carter Work Project The Mountain Spirit
Mike’s schoolmate and Magistrate Hilman Dotson, Jr. said Mike has done a lot for the area. He describes Phelps as an isolated place that no one wants to claim. Not so with Mike and CAP. “CAP is probably one of the best organizations in the country,” Dotson said.
DOTSON
Steering Committee to add CAP’s expertise in the housing area. Volunteering with Habitat in his home community allowed Mike to contribute to the area and to learn new skills. He worked on the home of a woman with whom he had gone to school.
CAP President Mike Sanders was a member o f a crew that constructed a home fo r a form er classmate at Phelps High School.
Mike said he hoped the blitz build would help break stereotypes about the region by showing the volunteers from across the country what it’s really like to live in Appalachia. Although people expect the area to be 30 or 40 years behind, he said, it’s not. It is an area of diversity, warmth and friendliness, Mike said. That seemed to have gotten through to the volunteers. John Rose said, “The people of Phelps are great. They’re open heartedness and generosity is nothing like we’ve seen before.” Shelly Ward of Louisville agreed. “I feel like I have friends in eastern Kentucky now,” she said. Paul Smith reassures everyone whom he speaks with about Habitat that anyone associated with the organization is welcome in his home. Paul, his wife, Carol, and their daughter, Carol Sue, live in the second home the Phelps September - October 1997
Area Habitat built. A work group helped them out again last year when they needed a retaining wall behind the house to stabilize the mountain that put the home in danger of a mud or dirt slide. The Smiths have a scrapbook of photos and newspaper clippings that help tell the story of their house. Paul said they didn’t have electricity on the land when they built it, so they used hand tools. He remembers a 71-year-old volunteer working with a handsaw. It’s a place where the proud parents have put certificates of seven-year-old Carol Sue’s honors on the walls. Trophies for cheerleading and T-ball decorate the tables. Paul recently finished painting part of the house that they tend with loving care. Ask him about Habitat volunteers and Paul doesn’t hesitate. “I think they’re the greatest people in the world . . . I thank God for them,” he said. Stored away for their daughter is
a quilt the Smiths won in a Habitat raffle. It was made and donated by Cindy Plymale’s mother. Cindy and Stephen Plymale are looking forward to opening their new home to family members at Thanksgiving and Christmas. In this place, they’ll have plenty of space for family and friends. They also celebrated their new home by presenting gifts to the Carters and Fuller when they visited Phelps on Friday of Blitz Week. Fuller told the gathered crowd that if they didn’t arrive as carpenters, they obviously learned some of those skills, and more. “I hope you’ve learned something about love and you’ve learned something about meeting new people and seeing in them a bit of Jesus,” he said. “You’ve said ‘I love you’ with your life.”
B
Beth Dotson is a form er CAP volunteer, a freelance writer, and a regular contributor to The Mountain Spirit. She lives in Lancaster, Ky.
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&wt CT^yeep in rough hewn mountains of Pike County, Kentucky, first ladies from around the nation contributed sweat, skill and sincere volunteerism to The First Ladies’ House, built entirely by a female crew. Among the wellmanicured hands that hammered the house were those of Kentucky’s first lady - Judi Patton. Mrs. Patton, a Pikeville native, was back in her old stomping ground, standing on a ladder, swinging a hammer beneath a hardhat, providing “sweat equity” for a family only a few miles from where she raised her own brood. “These homes do more than just provide
The First Ladies Building Site, all female crew, Pikeville, Ky.
' Build
Governo Patton, a
habitat j Humanity Hammeri, 1he H illsPikeville s
housing and a suitable roof over thenheads. It allows self-esteem, dignity and respect. It’s good for the community and for Kentucky,” Mrs. Patton said. When asked how it felt to be back in her hometown, she replied jovially, “I’m here every other weekend — my grandbabies are here.” Spoken like a true Kentucky grandmother. Her husband, Gov. Paul Patton, sauntered up the hill to observe progress made on the home his wife was helping to construct, sporting the mining hat from his days in coal, complete with nicks, scrapes and coal dust. Throughout the week, the house, sponsored by Church’s Chicken, also received hands-on treatment by former first lady Rosalyn Carter, President Bill Clinton’s wife and daughter Hillary Rodham and Chelsea, and Vice President Al Gore’s wife,Tipper._____ The Mountain Spirit
L etters to the E d itor The Mountain Spirit is food for my soul. It is so heartwarming to see God’s work being done by your faithful volunteers. I am proud to count my daughter among them. Norma Schnizler Sausalito, Calif.
In September 1996, we brought a truck load of clothing, appliances etc., to CAP in Berea, Kentucky, and were extremely impressed with the complex and personnel. At this time, our three small parishes in western New York are collecting, and Tom and I are planning another trip to Berea in eary June. God bless you all! Lois Polzin Lawtons, N.Y.
The Mountain Spirit helps us to remember the importance of God’s values and not the world’s values. As your work ushers in the Kingdom of God day after day, it helps us to focus on our own lives to do what we can for others, when we can. Craig & Donna Kleman Abilene, Texas
It is great to hear about all of the projects you have going on at CAP. However, I would like to hear more in depth stories about the people you help, and the volunteers themselves. Especially, stories about why the volunteers decided to come to CAP, and what they experienced. Natalie Golden Chattanooga, Tenn.
I think that the articles on the children are perhaps the best, for they are our future and as such they are perhaps the most deserving of our attention. Richard C. Barnhart Arlington, Va.
I enjoy The Mountain Spirit immensely and can best describe it as Christianity in action. As you well know, this is no longer the time to talk the faith, but to walk the faith, and put our belief into fruitful action. Congratulations to you, Father Beiting, and all your people for being God’s hands and feet. God’s richest blessings on you all. Marjorie Dare Cottonwood, Ariz.
Although I am not a particulary religious person, I feel that your efforts are indeed superb and I deeply respect all persons involved in the projects. S. Ward Tiernan Baltimore, Md.
The Mountain Spirit makes us feel like we are part of the Appalachian family. It is of prime importance to support with prayer and contributions the CAP workers, volunteers and people of Appalachia. My daily prayers for the people of Appalachia are for continued improved housing and more educational opportunities for them. It is very important that we sacrifice for our brothers and sisters who might be a little less fortunate than we. This is the command of our Lord Jesus. Janet E. Moll Paden City, W. Va.
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 Street Lancaster, K Y 40446
ISI September - October 1997
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¡^Ydij^Llh Llly^li^ LLl^LL'LLLwILLLUIL L:[LLlLLLLlL^
QM blUUULUlE 0 In June, when he joined hundreds of volunteers from all over the country to participate in Habitat for Humanity’s Hammering in the Hills, former President Jimmy Carter laid down his tools long enough to hold an impromptu press conference in Beattyville, Kentucky. The Mountain Spirit 24
He noted that Habitat for Humanity would be responsible for constructing 150 new homes in parts of Appalachian Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia over a two week period. But he also noted, “That’s only a small drop in the bucket when you look at what’s needed.” President Carter pointed out that the work being completed in this short period of time was important, but more so was the national attention being called to the desperate need for safe, secure housing in the mountains.
From CAP’S perspective, innovation and creativity are necessities. For two decades CAP home repair has focused on assisting desperate housing situations: a new roof to turn the elements here, a new floor or door to keep the snakes out there or a new porch and steps to enable an elderly or disabled person to get in and out safely.
CAP keeps about a dozen staff and volunteers concentrating on these most desperate cases year round. Every year CAP hosts hundreds of college students who spend their spring breaks repairing homes. Still, as President Carter pointed out, what CAP does is but a drop in the bucket when the total need is considered. Nor can CAP even begin to address that total need. CAP is, however, exploring and experimenting and it is certainly practicing creativity and innovation. At this writing, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Appalachian Development
Corporation (ADC), CAP has enabled the completion or has under construction 36 homes that are largely constructed of thick, pre-molded, plastic panels mounted in steel frames supplied by Florida-based Eagle Plastics Systems, Inc. As the accompanying photographs show, the finished product looks pretty much like a typical wood structure. However it is far more thermally efficient, which should save residents significant utility costs. It is also much stronger than most more conventional structures. Construction of these plasticbased homes requires only a fraction of the labor that a masonry or wooden house requires, hence they can be constructed in less time for less money. The end result is an economical, durable, permanent HAWKINS
“In a country as great as America, I believe that’s a basic human right,” he insisted, “and as Americans we are going to have to be more creative and innovative in the ways that we go about making sure that everybody has housing for which they can feel some dignity. The work we are doing is important, but the work that dozens of other non-profits have done and will continue to do is far more important.”
CAP has constructed new homes because the existing structure was so deplorable that there was no place to start repairing it. Nothing fancy. Just the basics.
Vicella Adams on the front lawn o f her new home in Isom, Ky. The Adams ’ home was constructed by HOMES, Inc., a FAHE member group that provided the financing.
In many cases September - October 1997
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technical assistance in such areas as construction, home design and financial management. FAHE also serves as an > effective advocate for lowX m income housing efforts throughout the region. The Hammering in the Hills project, for example, was conceived and carried out as a result of FAHE initiatives and persistence.
Annie Patterson, Associate Director o f Appalachia Habitat fo r Humanity, one o f FÄHE ’s 26 member groups, in front o f her office in Robbins, Tennessee.
dwelling. ADC, working with CAP, plans to have more than 60 of them completed by the end of the year.
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and West Virginia. FAHE member groups are now producing over 170 new homes, over 170 complete home rehabilitations, and over 900 major repairs and weatherizations every year.
Strong partnerships are the foundation of the federation’s work. Only through partnerships, its officials insist, can FAHE sustain high-quality housing production, provide leadership in program design and housing finance, and also be of real assistance to families and communities in need of affordable housing. FAHE partners include the Appalachian Regional Commission, HUD, several state housing development authorities, CAP and several other ministries, as well several major corporations and private foundations.
This innovation in home construction has been approved for rental by the Department for Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Families eligible for HUD rental subsidies will occupy fifteen of the homes in a newly built subdivision in Berea, Kentucky. CAP is also exploring financing alternatives to enable low-income families to purchase several of the homes that are in various stages of completion in Louisa, Kentucky.
Over the years, federation member groups have constructed “Oh Lord, that house over 1400 new homes and was, I guess, 75 years rehabilitated or old and it was really made major repairs on run down . . .had to more than
Ownership is the critical issue when it comes to innovation, according to officials at the Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises (FAHE), an organization of 26 communitybased non-profits who make decent, affordable housing available to low- and very-lowincome families in the Appalachian counties of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia
had twelve layers of FAHE maintains a HOMES, Inc., roofing on it. ” home loan fund (an acronym for through which Housing it can Oriented Ministries Established provide loans to low-income for Service), for example, is folks at very low (one to three based in the small Letcher percent) interest rates. It also County, Kentucky, town of Neon raises funds to provide and depends on more than 1000 construction loans to its member volunteers each year. They come groups and provides them with individually and in groups;
10,000
existing homes.
patch the roof every two or three months. .
Like CAP, many FAHE member groups depend on generosity and volunteer labor to accomplish their goals of getting folks into decent housing.
The Mountain Spirit
married couples, single folks, and entire families from schools and churches all over the country. They come for a week, for a month, for a season or sometimes for a year or longer. Incorporated in 1975 by the Mennonite Central Committee, HOMES is now locally governed and has a permanent staff of 14 (ten of whom are carpenters), in addition to its volunteers. Numerous other denominations, including local churches, now work hand-in-hand with the Mennonite community. In 1996 HOMES had an operating budget of just under $ 1 million and in 1997 it is on track to complete $1.8 million in construction. HOMES staff members assist potential owners in applying for financial assistance, managing family budgets, and even makes available no-interest loans to some families. In addition, it has completed several rental units
including multi-family structures that can accommodate up to four families each. Since its inception, HOMES has built more than 100 new homes, mostly in Letcher County, and provided major rehabilitation and renovation to several hundred others. Vicella and William Adams are typical of the families that HOMES has assisted. They had lived in a dilapidated coal camp house for 21 years before purchasing their new place from HOMES. “Oh Lord, that house was, I guess, 75 years old and it was really run down,” said Vicella. “We did a lot of work to it because it had to be done, plus we had to pay our rent. They wouldn’t
take anything we did out of the rent. It was really bad, but we kept it nice inside, you know, as much as we could. Had to patch the roof every two or three months. It had twelve layers of roofing on it. Our floors would fall through and we’d have to go buy wood to fix our floors . . . We had it hard but I really loved that place because it was a house that set in a holler all by itself.” The Adamses had hoped to purchase the old house, but the coal company refused to sell the property. In the meantime William entered a construction training program at HOMES and began helping to build new houses. He also learned that home ownership was not an impossible dream and applied for a loan through FAHE. “We decided to go ahead and have the house built down here,
A duplex under construction by HOMES, Inc., in Neon, Ky. The group has constructed several multi-family dwellings.
September - October 1997
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i5 building a home p if it doesn’t have a clean water supply.” The biggest problem, however, with Vppaiacman enabling lowf t Development income families m Corporation to gain home M'tonl.ihlc Hidf.il Ih'dii's ownership is Building Kentucky ’s Future unemployment, which runs as high as 40 to 50 percent in some counties served by CAP and the FAHE groups. Without a gainfully Appalachian Development Corporation has constructed fifteen houses on land adjacent employed person Attic and CAP Child Development Center in Madison County. in the household Thousands of families in the ‘cause we saw they weren’t going there’s not much chance of the mountains live on lots so small to sell to us. Not a month later family ever owning a home. and mountain sides so steep that they (the coal company and CAP and most of the housing their raw sewage flows directly property owner) told us we had to organizations spend a lot of thenmove. I told them we were already through straight pipes that empty time training people like William into the North Fork of the getting a place built and Adams to become carpenters and Kentucky River or one of its everything but they wanted us out actually putting them to work. If tributaries. right then. They kept calling and its plastic-based housing venture harassing me, wanting us to get succeeds, CAP hopes to As a result, one of the most out. I told them there wasn’t eventually bring in a company that beautiful waterways in all of anything we could do ’til the will process and recycle plastic house was built. You can’t put up a Appalachia is unfit for recreation into the panels it uses for and has become a major health house overnight. We really had a construction and create many new hazard because of the fecal hard time there for about two jobs. bacteria it contains. months until we got the house built and finally got out. So I think But despite all that the various HOMES is helping to raise it (buying the house) was the housing groups are accomp money and secure technical help Lord’s will. Right there He lishing, thousands of homes in the for home owners to install proper mountains are substandard and intervened again. That’s the way septic tanks and explore I’m looking at it now. That’s the thousands of families dare not alternative sewage treatment. way I feel.” even dream about ever owning a home. Major efforts are being “It’s not just a matter of Today William Adams is a made but as President Carter building new homes or doing construction crew leader for noted, it’s still just “a drop in the renovation anymore,” said Donnie bucket.“ HOMES, which has not only Profitt, executive director of prevented him from becoming HOMES. “We also have to be homeless but provided him with a concerned about a safe, clean career opportunity as well. environment in which to build them. If we don’t stop the raw In addition to its construction sewage from getting into the river and rehabilitation programs, and clean up the mess it’s already HOMES has also been Ike Adams is director o f CAP in, we’re in danger of losing our instrumental in forming the North Marketing and Public Relations. water supply. There’s no sense in Fork Clean Water Project. The Mountain Spirit 28
EU1>:
THE
Melissa Vance
“People are living longer, and it’s harder fo r families to care fo r elderly people because they have to move away. ” After meeting Bob and Hester Carpenter and visiting occasionally for several months, Melissa Vance sensed a seriousness in Bob’s hoarseness. “I kept telling him that he needed to go the doctor, but he doesn’t like to go into town, he doesn’t get out much,” she said. By February, Bob was deteriorating and allowed Melissa to place a call to the doctor. They traveled with her from the Carpenter’s secluded country home in Lawrence County to the doctor’s office in Louisa. After a hospital admission, Bob was transported to the medical center in Lexington and treated for throat cancer.
Elderly services manager Melissa Vance.
As Melissa approached the house on a sunny summer day months later, Bob struck up an animated conversation with CAP’S elderly services manager. Animated, but muted because Bob lost his voicebox to his cancer, and has trouble charging the batteries for his voice amplification device. Between Melissa’s patience, Bob’s determination to make himself understood and a little interpretation from Hester, the message got across.
“He said I still owe him the steel brush I told him I’d get him if he’d go to the doctor.” Obviously, Bob won’t let Melissa forget that brush. Knowing that she wanted to serve people through her life’s work, Melissa Vance became a licensed practical nurse after she finished high school in Paintsville. But something was missing. “I had a friend who worked for CAP, and she was
♦ Story and photos by Margaret Gabriel ♦ September - October 1997
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always telling me how great her job was. At that time in my life, I dreaded going to work. I had worked in a hospital, and I was working for a family practitioner. I was envious of someone who had a job that she really loved and was doing something that helped. When people came into the doctor’s office, you herded them in and you herded them out — you didn’t have time to talk to them about their illness and what they could be doing to prevent it.” Her friend was working with the Christian Appalachian Project’s Community Health Advocates and when an opening became available, Melissa considered herself fortunate to be hired for a position with CHAP. She worked in CHAP for nearly five years before taking a position as manager of CAP’S elderly services in Louisa. “I loved CHAP. They were my family, and it’s a great program. But I wanted to be challenged in different areas, and working with the elderly does that. I love elderly people, and I can grow and learn from them.” Melissa relishes the wisdom she finds in the elderly people she serves and loves to reflect on ways that she can help bridge the gaps between the old ways and the new. “One component of our program that I’m very proud of is the work we do with the youth from the Youth Services Center,” Melissa said. “They have a volunteer program, and we use their volunteers to help with our dinners, with our garden seed distribution, at Christmas — they’re wonderful!” A Thanksgiving dinner for nearly 100 people was the first time that youth services center volunteers participated in CAP’S
Hester Carpenter shares the bounty o f her potato crop with Melissa.
elderly program, and “I was little concerned,” Melissa said. “I was afraid that nobody would mingle. But that was a worry I never should have had. Now, a lot of the same kids volunteer. We’ll have an average of 20 to 30 kids volunteer for every event.” The teens and the elderly folks are forming special friendships, “an unbelievable bond,” Melissa said. Although Melissa tries to visit about 50 people each month, she knows over 100 in the county who could use the services of CAP’s elderly program. “I’d like to be able to add more counties, and I’d like to be able to see more people. That means getting more volunteers involved, ” Melissa said. “I’d like to see other school systems involved, like we have in Lawrence County, and more intergenerational activities. I didn’t realize how much that meant until we did it, and it went over so well.” As baby boomers age, especially in the Appalachian region, programs like the ones CAP operates to assist elderly people will become more in demand. “People are living
longer, and it’s harder for families to care for elderly people because they have to move away. I’m concerned about where our elders will be. Where will my parents be?” Melissa said. Melissa is frank about the gifts she receives from her elderly friends, and says that she hopes to be able to give as much to them as they give to her. “They have knowledge of all the years. I enjoy home visiting and talking to people. They’ve taught me so much. Since I’ve begun working with the elderly, we’ve planted a garden at my house. My people might be seventy or eighty years old, but they still plant a garden, because they worry about food for the winter. That doesn’t happen, commonly, with young people. They don’t worry about tomorrow. I even see that in myself. I hope that I’ve been able to give back to them in return.” If nothing else, Melissa’s concern about the hoarseness in Bob’s voice has given two elderly people to opportunity to revel in each other’s company for a few more years.
The Mountain Spirit 30
“Job Start” Provides Smart Start As the end of the ten-week “Job Start” class was nearing, volunteer Sandy Spaulding distributed gift certificates for “The Attic,” CAP’S used clothing store, to the students with perfect attendance. Every one of the fifteen students received one. “There were a couple o f people who had to miss for reasons that were beyond their control, like they were called to court, but other than that, everyone was here every day. W hen their cars broke down, they walked,” Sandy said. With a lilt in her voice, Sandy introduced Regina, “my teaching assistant.” Regina is a poised, professionally-dressed woman who has made an extraordinary effort to participate in the “Job Start” program, driving an hour and a half from home each way in a borrowed car, as she prepared to begin a full time schedule o f college classes. A single mother o f three children, Regina knows how important it is to prepare herself for the work force. “She always spoke up first in class and noticed spelling errors,” Sandy said. “In small group discussion she was a really dynamic leader.” Regina left Kentucky as a young woman, and moved back to McCreary County. She didn’t realize how difficult it would be to find work in one o f Kentucky’s most distressed counties, “because this is where my best memories were,” she said. Today she is working to create good memories for her children. After college she hopes to work for a service organization like CAP in order “to help people in my same situation.” “Job Start” is one of several ways that CAP is working to help people like Regina to improve their lives and the lives of their children. Your gift o f $25, $30, $50 for “Job Start” — or wherever it is needed most — will provide people with the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty.
Being
Nomdesi In Kentucky
• Economic instability is the leading cause o f rural homelessness in Kentucky. • 17% of the homeless report domestic violence as the cause o f homelessness and 13.2% report family rejection. 22.7% list inability to pay rent. • The most common reasons for homelessness among families with children are inability to pay rent or mortgage (25.2%) and domestic violence (22.6%). Source: Kentucky Housing Corporation Homeless Survey, 1993
Shaded area indicates the boundaries o f the Appalachian region
THE MOUNTAIN SPIRIT CHRISTIAN APPALACHIAN PROJECT 322 CRAB ORCHARD ROAD LANCASTER, KY 40446
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID Christian Appalachian Project
Address Correction Requested CAROLYN SUE MARKS 4430
KY.
HWY 6 4 3
WAYNESBURG KY 4 0 4 8 9