The Mountain Spirit - Jan./Feb. 1999

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1999

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Hazel Green Academy

A Volunteer’s Journey

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M o u n t a in S p ir it The Magazine of the C H R IS T IA N A P P A L A C H IA N P R O JE C T JANUARY

4 14 16 24

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1999

VOL.

XVIII,

NO.

A Volunteer’s Journey by Beth Dotson

Marie & Pharian by Margaret Gabriel

Historical Glance at Hazel Green Academy by Ike Adams

Preserving the Tradition by Margaret Gabriel______

A pictorial book review, pg. 22

Page 24, Preserving the Tradition. Published by the Christian Appalachian Project

A historical glance, pg. 16

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A round the P roject

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Letters to the Editor

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E d it o r M a rg a r e t G a b r ie l G r a p h ic D e s ig n K a r e n F r a n c e s S p iv e y C i r c u la t i o n L in d a G r i d e r E a s t A d v is o r y B o a r d : F a t h e r R a lp h W . B e itin g , M ike Sanders, Bill Begley, Ike A dam s,B ecky K ana

Cover photograph by Father Edwin Dashbach, SVD, from the review o f the photo essay on page 22.

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 Street, Lancaster, KY 40446. Copyright, 1999, 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.

It’s already evident that 1999 will be an exciting year for CAP. As is often the case, we have our founder, Father Ralph Beiting, to thank for that excitement. Never one to let a challenge go unmet, Father Beiting is working in cooperation with Hazel Green Christian Church to renovate and refurbish Hazel Green Academy. Hazel Green, one of the first institutions of higher education in the mountains, closed its doors in 1983. In cooperation with Mike Sanders, CAP President the area resi­ dents, and those in the surrounding counties, CAP hopes to see the property restored to its function as a center of activity for the small Wolfe County community. On page 16, Ike Adams gives an overview of the rich history of the academy and the influence that it has had on students and the community alike. On page 24, Margaret Gabriel introduces you to some of the people and programs that are bringing new vitality to the Hazel Green campus. On page eight, you’ll meet Marie and Pharian Winfree and their three children. They’ve moved from Martin County to the Hazel Green campus and have been warmly welcomed by the community. Father Beiting has a real love of history. I suspect that his love of history is one the things that has made Hazel Green so exciting for him. An even greater motivation for him, though, is that in Hazel Green he sees yet another opportunity to help people help themselves.

A summary of the registration and financial documents filed by this organization can be obtained by contacting: in Maryland, for the cost of copies and postage, the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401; in Virginia, State Division of Consumer Affairs, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23209; in Washington, residents can call the Secretary of State toll-free within the state at 800332-4483; IN NEW YORK, OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, CHARITIES BUREAU, 120 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10271; IN NEW JERSEY, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BY CALLING 201-504-6215; IN PENNSYLVANIA, DEPARTMENT OF STATE BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE, 800-732-0999; IN WEST VIRGINIA, SECRETARY OF STATE, STATE CAPITOL, CHARLESTON, WV 25305; IN FLORIDA, THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALL TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE AT 800-435-7352; IN NORTH CAROLINA, FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND A COPY OF THE LICENSE ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE STATE SOLICITATION LICENSING BRANCH AT 919-733-4510; or by writing to Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Street, 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.

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had just graced a parade or a basketball game. “Hazel Green” meant little As she was cleaning the top of a bookshelf, Rose more to me than another exit Price, director of CAP human services in Hagerhill, on the Mountain Parkway. pulled down an edition of the school newsletter from When I was driving east, the 1983, the last year Hazel Green operated as an Hazel Green exit meant that I academy. The valdictorian and salutatorian featured was almost to Salyersville, in that newsletter still live in Hazel Green and also — ------——_—---- —J sometimes my destination, happened to be working with us that day. You could sometimes just a pit stop for coffee. When I was driving tell that the pride they had in Hazel Green in 1983 was west, Hazel Green meant that I still had a long way to go. still alive in 1998. I had never heard much about the community. I knew From those graduates, and others I have met since that there was a school called Hazel Green Academy and then, I have learned to appreciate the work they have that it had been closed for a number of years, and that done over the last 15 years to keep at least a portion was about of the history of all. the school alive. Then, last CAP’s role as summer, I facilitator in the heard that restoration of CAP was Hazel Green going to be makes me proud involved to be part of an with some organization that renovation sets such a at the Hazel premium on Green preserving the campus, and history of this that Father region. But as Beiting and Rose said to me his assis­ when we were tant, Richard talking about the Ginn, had school and the invited all of value of the CAP hosts an Open House at Hazel Green Academy fo r residents o f the small us to a work project: “It’s not Wolfe County community. day in Wolfe a stuffy kind of County. historic preser­ Richard circulated directions and told everyone to wear vation — it’s preservation of family, of things that old clothes and bring a brown bag lunch. we value.” The directions originated from east of Hazel Green As people hear about the plans for Hazel Green — and I was driving from the west, but I know this area and they’re not just CAP’s plans, they’ve become pretty well, and I figured I’d just reverse it — famous much broader than that — the excitement grows for last words. I’m not sure where I went wrong, but I drove the “Mother School of the Mountains.” It’s almost around Wolfe County in the rain for well over an hour like the community, with the help of the Christian before I came to Hazel Green. Prayer must have led me to Appalachian Project, has dropped a pebble in a pool the campus — it surely wasn’t Richard’s directions. of clear, still water in the middle of Wolfe County. The CAP work days are usually a lot of fun, and this one ripples from the pebble are becoming wider and wider was no exception. There was an unbelievable amount of and wider, as the planning takes in the county, the cleaning, scraping and painting to be done, but we were region and even the state. all pitching in. Despite the condition of the rooms, I was As for me, I might not stop every time I pass Hazel amazed at the books and trophies and other heirlooms Green on the Mountain Parkway, but now I’ve got that were still in place in the administration building, in friends at Exit 53. need only of a good dusting. A large green and gold banner reading “Hazel Green Academy” looked like it Margaret Gabriel is the editor o f The Mountain Spirit. •

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1999

75 Volunteer’s Joomeq Something uncomfortable mas tugging at Diana Bond, telling her she wasn't where she w as supposed to be. She had a job she liked and w as Uuing in a place she could easily call home, but it wasn't right “It w as drwing me crazq," Diana remembers. “There would be daqs when I would just want to scream and saq ‘So awaq, leaue me alone.’” The unnamed urge w as pushing her to do some­ thing and she w asn’t sure what it w as.

Storq and photos bq Beth Dotson T h e

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Diana grew up in Hicksville, a town in northwestern Ohio. During

the summers, she vaca­ tioned with relatives in Rockcastle County, Ky., where her parents were from. She remembers eating the fresh food — like green beans and new potatoes — from her grandparents’ garden. She and her cousins played at Salt Peter Cave and she went to church with her grandparents. After college, she and her brother, Dan, decided to move from Ohio to the family farm in Rockcastle County. “I don’t really even know what I intended. It was just kind of like, maybe I thought it was a temporary thing. I didn’t have a real set Diana chats with housemate Flo Lykins. plan,” Diana said. with the program, their wonder and Through some relatives, she passion for life kept her going, as heard about a job opening at CAP’s did the enthusiasm and energy that child development center in Renfro volunteers brought to the program. Valley. When she looks back at “The biggest thing that helped was being hired by CAP, she believes having new volunteers come in that God led her there, although she every year. It was a new lifeblood,” might not have admitted at the time Diana said. that it was God who was guiding After a few years with the center, her. “I was at the very beginning of Diana moved into a new position — my road to Christianity. I was very working as the infant-toddler much in control,” Diana said. program coordinator and Head Start So she went to work, loving the caseworker. That put her in her kids but feeling uneasy with their students’ homes for visits. “I liked parents. “I was very shy, and child the fact that we could go into their development and CAP helped me to (parents) territory and build a overcome that and become more relationship before the children confident. It gave me a lot of people came into pre-school,” Diana said. skills, a lot of ways to overcome my When she worked with the shyness,” she said. infants and toddlers, Diana would Part of her personal development go into the homes once a week or so came from working with the parents, and visit with the parent, then make who were often shy themselves. toys and play with the child. She After having negative experiences would ask the parent, and the child during their own school years, they if he or she was old enough, what were uneasy about coming into the kind of toys they would like to make. center where they were asked to put Sometimes she would bring books in some volunteer hours. As Diana that they could look through for worked to draw them out, it helped ideas. her become more outgoing. By encouraging parent participa­ She loved working with the tion, rather than simply telling them children — little people who loved what to do, “It gave them a sense of her after she had proven herself to ownership that they were a part of them. During her 11-year tenure

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1999

She tried to pin it down by making lists, starting with her career. After studying early childhood education in college, Diana had gone to work for Family Life Child Development, CAP’s child development center in Renfro Valley. She had been there for 11 years, but she couldn’t see that as a problem. Next, Diana started looking at personal issues. She would identify a problem, then try to solve it. That was a good step, but still didn’t name the urge for her. Then work became frustrating, even though nothing different was happening on the outside. Amy Vescovo, a volunteer with whom Diana worked, mentioned something about volunteering. Maybe that was what Diana needed. The idea struck a chord with her, so Diana started to think about it. Through her years with CAP, she had worked with a number of volunteers who had showed her the positive side of volunteering. At the time, she was even sharing a house with two former CAP volunteers — Mary McNamara and Dawn Quigley. So Diana did some research and looked into going to another state to volunteer. But after searching, she ended up thinking about staying in Kentucky, and maybe volunteering with CAP. She still wasn’t certain. That’s when Diana decided to put the decision in God’s hands. “I spent a whole weekend in prayer and reading and being very demand­ ing of God, saying ‘You have to tell me now, loud and clear, that this is what I’m supposed to do,”’ she said. When she went to church on Sunday morning, she said to God, “Give me peace if this is the right decision.” The peace came and remains with her today. Diana announced her decision. She would leave her job with CAP to become a CAP volun­ teer. Encountering CAP

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the program with CAP,” Diana said. As she showed them how games and toys helped their children develop a variety of skills and abilities, she also helped the parents see the importance of their position. “It validated their roles as parents, in that what they were doing with their kids, playing with them, was very important.” So they would make toys from items they could easily find around the house. They created blocks from cereal boxes or balls from pantyhose and wadded up paper. Diana used her creativity to encourage the same in the parents. As she taught them, they also taught her. Being in their homes helped her to better understand their living conditions and why some of the homes were so inadequate, sometimes unsafe. For example, she remembers one boy she worked with who lived in a home with a buckled wooden floor in the kitchen and threadbare carpet. The father worked as a self-employed carpen­ ter, but the family didn’t have the money to repair their own home. “That brought home that people will make do with whatever they have available,” she said. She also saw that it wasn’t lack of pride or desire that caused some people to live in unsafe conditions. Diana has also seen how family situations can change. She said that family now has saved enough money to build a new home for themselves. Her work outside of the center with families gave Diana a reason to learn more about CAP’s other programs. She became familiar with them so that she would be able to make referrals if her families needed assistance with something beyond the scope of the child development center. There were also opportunities to learn from the volunteers around her, people who lived in community with other CAP volunteers and fulfilled various roles in carrying out CAP’s mission of helping people learn to help themselves.

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Diana credits three former volunteers as some of the strongest influences in her decision to volunteer. One was Lisa Randerson, with whom she worked in child Amy Vescovo, one o f Diana’s housemates, leads an after-dinner development. game o f Hangman. Lisa now for some to understand why she works with children in Milwaukee; would go from earning a paycheck she and Diana have stayed in touch to working for free with the same throughout the years. organization. That was something The other two are her former that worried her mother, who had housemates — Mary McNamara financial concerns for her daughter. and Dawn Quigley. Diana recalls “I just told her, ‘If it’s okay with being impressed with Dawn’s God, will it be okay with you?’ " teaching abilities when they teamDiana said. “She said ‘Well, when taught one of the parents with you put it to me that way . . . . ’ " whom Diana worked. With Mary, it is her “passion about God and A new volunteer job respect for all people,” that has fascinated and amazed Diana. In August, Diana moved into the Although Diana was living with volunteer house in Jackson County two former volunteers, when she considered volunteering her biggest and started her work in CAP’s prescription drug assistance concern was how well she would program. Begun in CAP'S Hagerhill function as a member of a commu­ office, the program serves as a nity. From her friends, Diana said, “I bridge between low-income people had a little bit of understanding, but who need medicines and the it’s kind of like looking in a picture window. You don’t get to touch it or pharmaceutical companies who can provide them. Many pharmaceutical feel it so you don’t have a true companies have programs through understanding of community life. which they provide medications at But I saw different things that I no charge to the patient. really liked.” Diana’s first task was another One aspect of the volunteer challenge to the shyness she had program that especially appealed to made strides to overcome in her Diana was its Christian basis, the initial job with CAP. She had to same thing that draws many people spread the word to agencies and to work for CAP. doctors in Jackson County that she When Diana announced that she was available to complete the would leave her job to volunteer, paperwork for people who couldn’t some of her co-workers were happy afford their medicines. She put for her because they knew she had together information packets and been struggling. “My whole being made visits and phone calls. She still changed and they could just sense finds it difficult sometimes to make the peace about me,” she recalled. office calls, but, “If I don’t do it, it Others looked at her as if she had made a strange decision. It was hard doesn’t get done, so I suck it up and

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do it.” When Diana receives a referral to someone who needs assistance, many of whom are elderly, she talks with them to get the information she needs for the application, which varies for each pharmaceutical company. She forwards the form to the medical office where the doctor reviews it and prescribes the drugs that are needed. Diana then sends it to the pharmaceutical company and waits to hear from them. One of the first people she worked with was an elderly woman with diabetes and congestive heart failure. Her income was about $600 a month and the seven or eight medicines she had been prescribed cost $514.28 a month. Like many in that position, the woman could not take the full doses of the drugs because she couldn’t pay for it. In early November, Diana got the news about that patient. One company had agreed to supply three of the medicines for three months. When Diana called to the tell the woman about it, “She said if she never got any more help, it would all be worth it. This is wonderful for her.” Diana was able to go home that night to share her success with the seven other people in her volunteer community — people whom she has come to cherish in the short time they have been together. So far, the

Diana and her housemates, (bottom left) A m y Vescovo, Sandy Spaulding, Heidi Metrakoudes. Back row (left) Steven Laudenslager, Diana Bond, Flo Lykins, L iz Fritz.

most wonderful part of volunteer life for Diana has been getting to know her housemates. “We’re all very different people and yet we all come from a Christian heart and we have that commonality, and so the respect is there in the basic Christness,” Diana said. Nightly, the group that ranges in age from 23 to 61 eats dinner together and prays, then ends their session with lots of hugs. They share news about their families back home, sometimes joyous and sometimes heart-breaking. They talk about their struggles on the job and their successes. Sometimes they volunteer for duties outside the realm of their regularjobs, like making T-shirts for a weekend teen camp and volun­ teering as counselors. And together, they all grow in their spirituality and under­ standing of life in Appalachia.

Shared house chores accompany the volunteer experience.

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And like many other CAP volunteers, Diana has turned herself over to God to see where He wants her. “I’m excited to see where this ride’s gonna take me. I have no agenda. It’s all up to God. I’ve given up control. I’m just excited to see what direction I’m going to go.” Evolving from that shy girl to a more confident woman who can speak about God in her life hasn’t been easy for Diana. “It came from making decisions about my life that were wrong and very painful and coming to grips with the fact that I don’t necessarily know what’s best for me. I didn’t like the direction that my life was going and I decided that if I was gonna have peace and just a good life, I had to quit and just let Him have it. It was not an easy thing to do but He was very naggy,” she says with a smile. “It feels really good to finally have gotten to that point. I don’t have to worry about tomorrow. It’s taken care of. I don’t even really have to worry about today. I just have to do the best I can do with this day that He has given me and listen to Him.” •

Beth Dotson worked in McCreary County as a CAP volunteer. Now she works as a free lance writer and editor.

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CAP CDC in Berea Begins Extended Program The Christian Appalachian Project Child Development Center in Berea has come “full circle,” said manager Kim DelRe, to the earliest days of the program in the late 1970s when the center provided day care as well as child development. The center participated in a county-wide survey that was planned by Head Start and learned of a number of needs that they are prepared to address. Parents surveyed expressed a desire for extended care for pre­ schoolers, to eliminate the need for additional child care both before and after pre-school programs. To meet this need, CAP is providing care from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for children who are enrolled in its Berea center, and whose parents work or attend job or educational training during the extended care hours. “We also target children with special needs, and foster children,” Kim said. “They qualify, regardless of the parents’ schedule.” Kim said that 12 of the 24 children enrolled in the center participate in the extended care program, although not all of them are there all day. “It depends on the parents’ hours and what their needs are,” she said. Staff is targeting families that have the need for pre-school education and extended care, so Kim expects that the numbers enrolled in the program will grow as time goes on. There are few changes to the curriculum in the morning, Kim said, but in the afternoon, the kids have a rest period: “Typically, most of them fall asleep.” Transportation is also offering new challenges, but they are challenges that Kim enjoys. “I feel good that the kids are well cared for while their parents are working,” Kim said. “Before, we had kids at day care centers before and after they came here. Some went to

The center in Berea is one o f six CAP child development centers. They ser\>e pre-schoolers and theirfamilies.

public school for part of the day, then to a babysitter. Now they can come here all day. We’ve seen positive behavior happen because of this consistency and their ability to have a good day at school. We feel good, too, when parents tell us they might not be able to work or go to school if not for us.” The extended day program has added challenges for parental involvement, as well, Kim said. Because of the work requirements that are attached to welfare reform,

parents are often not able to work in the center, as they have in the past. “We have to be more creative than we were in the past. Some parents send supplies to school, others take work home and help with teacher preparation. It varies with the individual.” Kim said that she hopes to see this part of their program grow, even to a second shift, “because not everybody works from nine to five, and we want to meet family needs.”

Laura Atkinson and Gladys Gay are two o f a number o f volunteers who come to CAP every year in October to help prepare and distribute Christmas baskets. Over a thousand baskets were distributed fo r Christmas 1998.

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CAP to Open Child Development Center in Lawrence County When the Christian Appalachian Project began to focus attention on the needs in West Virginia, it also became clear that there were needs to be met in CAP’s newest service area of Lawrence and Martin counties. The need for more day care and child development in the county prompted the beginning of Genesis Child Development Center, which will open in Louisa, the county seat of Lawrence County. “We’re in the planning stages now, and preparing the building,” said human services director Rose Price. “We hope to start hiring staff after the first of the year, and to open by spring.” Like CAP’s other child develop­ ment centers, Genesis will have a family focus, Rose said. A house adjacent to the building where the center will operate will be used for

adult education, similar to the arrangement that worked quite well at the Magoffin Child Development Center in nearby Salyersville. The kitchen in the house will be used for meal preparation for the child development center, the bedrooms will be converted to classrooms, and the common areas will be used for meetings of women’s group and teen groups. The center will serve infants as well as pre-schoolers and toddlers, Rose said, with fees adjusted to the financial capability of the family. “We’ll concentrate on folks on welfare that are trying to get back to work,” she said. “We’re planning to teach parenting classes and we’ll give families access to job skills and address any need that a family might have.”

How Can I Help CAP? Christian Appalachian Project supporters often ask what more they can do to help eliminate suffering in Appalachia. First, we reply, 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 prob­ lems in Appalachia and we’ll be happy to share any knowledge we have or to refer you to another organization that can help you. Secondly, you can give us a most valuable commodity — time. Since 1950, thousands of people have worked millions of hours, JANUARY

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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 everywhere, 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.

1999

What You Don't Know About Wills Can Hurt Your H e i r s .. .

Find Out Why. Request j Your ^ Free Copy.

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 m isconception. The helpful booklet 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 Street Lancaster, Kentucky 40446 Please send without obliga­ tion your booklet, “37 Things People ‘Know’ About Wills That Aren’ t Really So.” Nam e______________________ Address _ C ity____ State,ZIP

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some of the talks. Beth said that both the teens and the counselors had a good time with the activities and the small group the group dispersed. discussions. “One boy said he Several of the counties served by The 46 teens who attended that always felt alone in his struggles. He Christian Appalachian Project camp were recruited and invited by said camp made him feel not so outreach programs are without outreach, teen center and teen camp alone,” Beth said. “He got to share activities for teens. In collaboration workers were chaperoned by 29 some things that were on his mind with the Rockcastle Teen Center, adults. Most were CAP volunteers, during some really neat conversa­ the volunteers and Camp Andrew but there were several community tions about God.” Jackson, CAP outreach hosted volunteers and program managers as Peggy and Beth said that the teen teens for a weekend of activities well, Peggy said. “That was one of made them promise to hold the and fun. the neatest things, really, that almost weekend again. “We learned a lot of “For some of these kids, this is every program in CAP was repre­ things to do differently and things their only opportunity to have sented by one of those volunteers. It to do again,” Peggy said, “but we wholesome activities, and it’s a really seemed to unite us.” want to have the weekend again.” chance for kids to get to know each The weekend was coordinated by other,” said outreach manager volunteer Beth Chauncy, a case­ Peggy Hancock. worker in the southern Madison The weekend included small outreach office with a background in group discussions, outdoor activities and games which enabled youth ministry. She chose the theme “You are Groovy and Loved,” the teens to earn points that they could “spend” at an auction before and used images from the 1970s in

CAP Programs Collaborate On Teen Leadership Camp

WORKPLACE

PAYROLL DEDUCTION If your employer offers donor designation as a write-in for payroll deduction campaign, please remember the Chris­ tian Appalachian Project. CAP is a 501 (c)(3) tax ex­ empt agency, and payroll de­ duction is the easiest way to Volunteers A m y Vescovo and Heidi Metrakoudes proudly display the T-shirts that the Jackson volunteer house tie-dyed for a recent teen camp at Camp Andrew Jackson.

chia. To ensure that we re­

How To Make A Good Gift Better More and more people are taking advantage of the many gift planning options available today, including bequests by will, revocable trusts, chariable gift annuities, pooled income funds, charitable trusts, gifts of securities and real estate, endow­ ment giving, and other possibilties. Some gifts can be made to benefit CAP now and others can be made now to benefit CAP later. Some gift arrangements are revocable (you

can change your mind); others are irrevocable. A planned gift usually requires more thought than a quick check written against monthly income, but the advantages are great. CAP wants to help you make a good gift better. Our planned giving officers can assist you in finding the best gift plan for your needs. For more information, call the planned giving office at (606) 792-3051. T

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help the families of Appala­

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ceive your payroll deduction gifts, please give your payroll officer CAP’S full address and send to the attention of:

Teresa M cAnly Campaign Coordinator

Christian Appalachian Project 322 Crab Orchard Street Lancaster, KY 40446

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Women ’sGroups Flourish Under Outreach Program in Hagerhill When the Christian Appalachian Project Community Health Advo­ cates in Floyd and Magoffin counties began to broaden their advocacy to education and job training in addition to health issues, the women’s groups that have long been a mainstay of the program began to align more naturally with outreach programs. “We’re glad to have them,” said outreach manager Judy Crum. “They really tie in with outreach.” The groups bring women together to discuss a broad range of topics that include health and family issues. For some women the groups have led to an increased interest in education. For others “group” is a chance just to enjoy the company of other women. Outreach caseworkers meet regularly with families that are in need, and “we can help women interested in making changes, if they’re needed.” Women’s groups

www.chrisapp.org

Is there a CAP program that you donVsee in this issue of The Mountain Spirit? 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 and be sure to sign our guest book!

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One o f the most popular activities o f women’s groups are Super Pantries that are hosted by CAP and God’s Pantry Food Bank.

have been the catalyst for change for many members. Currently CAP sponsors six groups, three in Magoffin County, and one each in Floyd, Johnson and Lawrence counties. In the years that the groups have operated, several have been started by CAP person­ nel, then turned over to the commu­ nity when a leader emerged who wanted to continue the group. Three or four of the groups that began as CAP-sponsored groups continue to operate independently, according to Trish Joseph, who plans and coordinates group meetings. “It’s a good fit for outreach,” said human services assistant director Sandi Knight. “We’d like to reach into more counties and into West Virginia, and pull all of those areas into the Women’s Leadership Conference.” CAP sponsors the conference annually at Camp Shawnee in Floyd County. Judy and Sandi both said that they would like to see CAP begin a men’s group that would center on topics of interest to men while encouraging them to take more 1999

active roles with their families. One of the most popular activities of the women’s groups in Floyd and Magoffin counties in the past have been Super Pantries, that are hosted by CAP and sponsored by God’s Pantry Food Bank. Super Pantry is a six-week program of hands-on cooking experience (including a meal’s worth of groceries) and guest speakers. A recent Super Pantry in Louisa, one of CAP’s newest service areas, resulted in the beginning of a new women’s group, Trish said. On the last day of the Super Pantry, the women expressed a desire to form a group and continue to learn about the cooking, nutrition, and self­ esteem issues that they had found so valuable. “They really like getting together,” Trish said. Christian Appalachian Project is a participating agency in the Combined Federal Campaign. Federal and military employ­ ees can contribute to CAP by designating #0898 on the CFC pledge card.

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Volunteers Win Lexington Women’s Soccer Championship Support for the Christian Appala­ chian Project Christmas basket program comes from many caring people that celebrate the birth of Christ by reaching out to those in need. One of the most spirited of CAP’s Christmas basket sponsors for 1998 was the championship team of the Lexington Women’s Soccer League. The team is made up of current volunteers Liz Fritz, Melany Burgos, Erin Eiselt and Anna Harken and former volunteers Janet Ryan, Bridget Cohee and Jean Kiernan. The team, called “The Misfits,” compiled a 7-2-1 record, won the league championship and used the $75 in prize money to sponsor a CAP Christmas basket.

(L-R) Melany Burgos, Janet Ryan, Liz Fritz, Anna Harken and Erin Eiselt, champi­ onship team o f the Lexington Women’s Soccer League. The team is made up o f current and form er CAP volunteers.

Short Term Experience

Long Term Im pact The CAP volunteer program needs summer camp counselors, nurses and life guards to staff three camps in Eastern Kentucky. We are seeking high-energy men and women, age 18 or older for the months of June, July and August. We would like a commitment of at least two months, but a 3-7 week stay can be arranged. Room and board is provided. For more information about volunteering for summer, or for a year or more, contact:

Christian Appalachian Project Volunteer Program 322 Crab Orchard S treetL anc aster, KY 40446

Call 800-755-5322

Email: volunteer@chrisapp.org

Visit our website: www.chrisapp.org

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that supplies the mill. A highlight was the Mountain Tradition Herb Cooperative in Leslie Eleven people packed into a van tenth anniversary of the passage of County, Ky. After traveling for on a foggy Monday morning, the broad-form deed amendment, a nearly an hour over nine miles of outfitted with notebooks, cameras revision to the Kentucky constitu­ “picturesque” Kentucky roads, the and a sense of curiosity about the tion that negated the sale of mineral group arrived at the home of Linda Appalachian region. The group had rights that took place years ago, Heller, where they were met by gathered on Sunday, November 8, to before the common use of surface members of the co-op and an open participate in the Appalachian Press mining. Executive director emeritus fire simmering mulled cider and Project, a study tour sponsored by Sr. Marie Gangwish explained that in coffee. the Appalachian Ministries Educa­ 1988, the amendment passed with 82 Mountain Tradition was started in tional Resource Center, the Christian percent of Kentucky voters casting 1997 when KFTC members were Appalachian Project, the Catholic “Yes” ballots. KLTC was instrumen­ looking for ways to use Kentucky Press Association and the dioceses tal in organizing a campaign that forest for jobs and economic of Lexington, Covington, Louisville, educated Kentuckians — especially development in a way that didn’t Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, those in urban areas, which had destroy the land. Columbus and Jackson. After talking never heard of strip mining — about The group met activist Eula Hall, about their images and expectations the destruction of the land and the founder of Mud Creek Clinic in of the week to come, the group saw need for reform. Grethel, Ky. [See The Mountain “Voices of Appalachia,” a fdm that The touring journalists were Spirit, July-August 1998.] Eula’s begins to explain the beauty of introduced to representatives of the stories ranged from wrenching, as Appalachia — both the land and the logging and coal industries, as well she talked about the lack of health people. as community groups like KFTC and care in the region, to alarming, when In London, Ky., the group met Save Our Cumberland Mountains, in she spoke of being the victim of representatives of Kentuckians for Lake City, Tenn. The tour continued machine-gun fire walking picket the Commonwealth, “a statewide to SOCM (pronounced “Sock ‘Em”) lines during coal wars. citizens’ organization working for a after visiting Champion Chip Mill in By Wednesday night, although new balance of power and a just Cameyville, Tenn. Every year the group was experiencing informa­ society,” according to promotional Champion produces tons of chips for tion overload, it had barely skimmed and educational materials. KLTC use in paper production. SOCM the surface of the issues and the members were in a festive mood. The advocates eliminating the clearpeople of Appalachia. night before they had celebrated the cutting of trees, a method of logging A Thursday morning panel discussion on regional religion featured Loyal Jones, an expert on the Baptist denomination (the predominant mountain religion), Father Charles Howell, and Ben Pogue, a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister and executive director of Kentucky Appalachian Ministries. The tour was organized by a committee of members of the Catholic Press Association, includ­ ing Margaret Gabriel, editor of The Mountain Spirit, Glenmary Father John Rausch of Appalachian Ministries Education Resource Center in Berea; and Tom Shaughnessy, editor of Cross Roads, the newspaper of the Journalists (L-R) Sister Fran Gangloff, Thomas J. Smith and Carol Ann Morrow Catholic Diocese of Lexington. enjoy refreshments at the Mountain Tradition Herb Cooperative in Leslie County.

Journalists Introduced to Appalachia

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Story and photos by Margaret Gabriel

A few years ago Marie Winfree had a dream that she remembers to this day. Most of us would remember the dream because of its frightening quality, but Marie remembers it more as a turning point. Her husband, Pharian, was in Ohio hunting ginseng when Marie dreamed that the house they were living in would catch fire, and “we’d all be caught inside. [Pharian] told me I was just having a bad day, that a lot of things could have brought that on. I said, ‘No, this house is going to catch fire,’ but the funny thing is that there was peace in it — there was no fear.” The next day, Marie’s sister and a friend were visiting, “and the house caught fire, and there was a house full of people, just like in the dream.

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A couple who Abb a whole new meAV»iv»$ to the befinitioM of cAretekers.

We were trapped, running for our lives, with our kids.” Thankfully, everyone escaped safely. There’s no good time for a burnout, of course, but Pharian was between jobs at the time, digging ginseng to make a living for their family, Marie said. Now their house had no electricity and the little well water they had wasn’t enough to even allow her to operate a washing machine. “I had to walk to my mother-in-law’s packing a baby on one hip and a basket of clothes on the other two or three times a week.” r h e

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Knowing that the family could get on its feet with just a little boost, Marie went to Inez, Ky., to find help. She had never heard of the Christian Appalachian Project, “but I ran across two volunteers named Sean and Stacy. I told them my situation, and I guess they helped me because I looked so sad. They must have told the story to Father Beiting [CAP’s founder], because he came to see us.” Father Beiting asked Pharian if their home could be fixed, and what would be needed to do the job.

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made new friends, and termed Hazel Green “pretty cool.” “And they got involved, too,” Marie said. “I think that had a whole lot to do with it. I have to say one thing for those kids — they have worked down here just as hard as we have.” As a resident caretaker since September 20, Pharian, with the help of his sons, has worked to clean and keep up with the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. “We’re restoring all the buildings. I just go around and whatever’s most important at the time is what I try to tackle.” Marie’s work in the store began after they moved to Hazel Green, and she got caught up in the excitement of the project, she said. A group of ladies from Hazel Green opened the store for a half day every Saturday, and Marie opened the store for them the first Saturday that the family lived on campus. “The following Monday, the store opened full time,” Marie said. The ladies who ran the store on Satur­ days have been a big help to her, Marie said, “and they’ve made me feel like part of the family.” Marie and several groups of volunteers have cleaned the store, installed new display racks and converted the back portion of the building from a storage and sorting room to a furniture display floor. Like other CAP used clothing stores, the Jot ’Em Down Store has a comfortable atmosphere, one where people can visit with friends, and in the case of Marie and Pharian, make new friends. “We’ve gotten to know a lot of the folks around the academy, and they’re real nice Marie said. “The first week, ‘I hate it’ folks,” Pharian said. Marie feels certain that the feeling was all I heard,” Marie said. “Pharian told us not to get discouraged. It’s a of peace she had after dreaming that her house had burned was because big thing — the whole family has to of the satisfaction the family feels get used to it. I knew it would be a with their move to Hazel Green. “It little rough on them. Pharian said brought us from poverty, and now give them a week.” we’re doing okay.” By the second week, Marie said, the boys liked their new school, had

When he was a boy Pharian liked to follow his father, asking ques­ tions and watching the work of a contractor. Pharian calls himself “Curious George,” and remembers that his father let him try his hand at a variety of tasks. “If I’m around somebody, and they’re doing something, I’ll watch and see what they’re doing until I can do it. You start out rough, but over a period of time you get better and better at it.” Pharian and Marie told Father Beiting what was needed for them to repair the house. Father Beiting supplied the materials, and the family made the repairs. “They helped us as much as they could,” Marie said, “and Pharian paid off that debt by working for CAP and for Father Beiting. And I went to Inez, and worked in the store they had there.” After the Winfrees repaid the debt they incurred to rebuild their house, Father Beiting called on Pharian over the years for a variety of building and repair tasks, “and that’s how we got to know Father Beiting,” Marie recalls. Although Father Beiting was able to provide Pharian with day work that used his construction and finishing skills, the family used welfare to make ends meet. “We didn’t want welfare,” Marie said. “If you’ve ever been on welfare you know that once you’re on it, it feels like a trap. It takes something out of you, like you can’t provide. It makes you feel bad to be on that program.” Marie and Pharian had a plan, though. They worked toward the day that Pharian would be a full-time CAP employee. Marie and Pharian had never seen Hazel Green when Father Beiting first mentioned the property to them and told them of his plans to help the Hazel Green Christian Church refurbish the property. The Winfrees told him they would look at it and consider moving from Martin County to Wolfe County to become caretakers. “There wasn’t much question,

though,” Pharian said. “If Father Beiting wanted us to come down here we would have made a way. Father has done so much for us and other folks that we know that if he needed something, I wanted to get out there and help him, regardless of what I had to do.” Today, Pharian is a full-time CAP employee, and Marie is a volunteer working in the Jot ‘Em Down Store, the used clothing store on the Hazel Green campus. They live in an apartment in the former girls’ dormitory with their three sons: Joshua, 15; Dwayne, 11 and Cody, 4. While Pharian and Marie felt called to make the move to Hazel Green, the three boys were a little less enthusi­ astic. “They had to leave the school where they’d been all their lives,”

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“If you’ve ever been on welfare you know that once you’re on it, it feels like a trap. I t . takes something out of you, like you can’t provide.”

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91 historical (Stance a t hazel (green academy

Hazel Green Academy’s dedication ceremony o f the Ford Building, September 1908.

bg 9ke adams uring the spring o f 1880, J. ‘Taylor *Day, W illiam O. M ize a n d Qreen ‘B erry Szvango, three community leaders in Jdazel Cjreen, ‘K entucky,

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each contributed $500 to start an educational institution L ater in the year the K en tu cfy Senate passed a hill chartering STazel fre e n Stcademy to provide elementary a n d secondary education to children throughout

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the mountain region o f the sta te St building zvas constructed during the summer, teachers zvere recruited a n d classes began in the f a l l

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Hazel Green is located in the geographic center of the mountain region. The founders’ original idea was that, with seed capital, a building could be constructed and teachers hired to staff the school. High school students from the more distant communities could board with local families and all students would pay enough tuition to cover operating costs of the school as well as build a nest egg for future expansion. Prior to the Civil War, education in eastern Kentucky was happen­ stance at best and often non­ existent. Taught by their parents or a relative around the home fireplace, some children learned to read, write and perform basic math. A few larger communities might have had a building that doubled as a church and an elementary school, but formal school sessions were generally held for just a few months each year and focused only on very basic skills. Between the Civil War and the turn of the 20th century, most children, if they and their parents were really determined, could either walk or ride a mule to a one-room school where a single teacher taught the eight elementary grades. Education beyond eighth grade, however, meant leaving home and boarding at high schools often more than a hundred miles away. Rugged terrain limited travel of any great distance to horseback, so few eastern Kentucky children received secondary education before 1900. From 1880 until 1886 Hazel Green Academy was financed largely by its founders. Tuition fees were not nearly keeping up with operating expenses. While $500 may not sound like a lot of money in the 1998 economy, it represented a consider­ able investment in 1880. Land, for example, could then be purchased for less than a dollar an acre. Five hundred dollars in 1880 had about the same purchasing power as $25,000 in 1998. In the fall of 1886, the founders decided that they could no longer JANUARY

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One o f Hazel Green Academy’s founding fathers, Mr. J. Taylor Day, pictured here in 1880.

afford to keep the school going themselves and that if it was going to succeed, they would have to find financial assistance from other sources. The founders reached an agreement with the Kentucky Board of the Christian Women’s Board of Missions (CWBM) who offered financial and professional assis­ tance. Under CWBM leadership the academy met with such success that, in June of 1888, the founders deeded the school property to them. The CWBM agreement called for a curriculum that not only de­ manded high academic standards but a commitment to moral, ethical 1999

and spiritual development as well. Students were required to attend regular church services and strictly adhere to the Golden Rule. In the original contract with the founders, it was mutually agreed that the Scriptures and daily recitations would be mandatory for all students in grades one through twelve. In the fall of 1888, the academy announced the opening of a “Normal School” that would train teachers to go back into the remote communities. So began the first real trickle of formal education into the hills and hollows of eastern Ken­ tucky. Hazel Green was soon

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The 1905 student body o f Hazel Green Academy, pictured here in front ofPearre Hall.

thereafter called the “Mother School of the Mountains,” a reputation that it carried until the 1930s. In 1891 the first dormitory, called the Academy Home, was completed. It burned in 1892 and was immedi­ ately rebuilt. In 1894 an annex was built onto the original school building to house the primary grades. The school’s first music teacher was hired in 1892 and the first series of business management courses were offered. Domestic science and Latin were also empha­ sized. The majority of students in the early years did not set a goal of completing all the courses for a diploma, but came, instead to learn a few basic skills that would qualify them for employment. By 1893 Hazel Green Academy had achieved a national reputation and The National Board of the Christian Women’s Board of Missions assumed full control of the school at its National Convention in Chicago of that year. At that time there was no other high school within a 60-mile radius of Hazel Green and to the east it was more than 100 miles to the nearest school in Virginia. Fire, which was to be a major

plague for the Academy in its first fifty years, struck again in 1899 completely destroying the second Academy building, and the CWBM began serious discussions about the propriety of rebuilding. A new academy was being started in Morehead, some 25 miles away, and the CWBM suggested to the community that Hazel Green merge with that school. Hazel Green residents, however, were adamant that they not lose their school. They promptly purchased a forty-acre farm known as Harrison Heights and presented it to the CWBM. Cottages to house students were hastily constructed and classes continued. Plans for a new brick structure were begun. The new property allowed for expansion and for a farming opera­ tion that would be student-operated to produce vegetables, dairy products and meat to feed the students and to be sold within the local and surrounding communities. The farm also enabled the creation of vocational agriculture instruction where students could learn new production practices previously unheard of in the mountains. The dairy operation at its inception was, by far, the most T

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modern in eastern Kentucky; most local folks hadn’t even seen a photograph of a silo until one was built on the farm. Without the farm the school might have failed during the Great Depression. On Thanksgiving Day in 1902 the new brick classroom building was dedicated and named Pearre Hall. Still standing and in use today, it is the oldest building on the campus and is an example of the best in turnof-the-century architecture any­ where in Kentucky. On Arbor Day in 1903, most of the boys enrolled at in the high school purchased a variety of hardwood saplings which their sweethearts helped them to plant. These are the towering oak, maple and poplar which grace and shade the campus today. Major contributors from Michigan and the east coast began pouring considerable sums of money into the “little school on the hill” as it became known locally. In 1905 the Sarah K. Yancey Home, a girls’ dormitory and housing for women teachers, was completed. In 1908 the Helen E. Moses Memorial Boys’ Dormitory was opened along with The Ford Industrial Building which contained a central heating system

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for the entire campus and classroom and workshop facilities for industrial vocational education. The Ford Industrial Building and the Boys’ Dormitory stand today and both are currently undergoing major renovations so that they can again be used by the community, but that’s another story (see page 24). In 1915, just ten years after it opened, the Sarah K. Yancey Home burned to the ground. It was rebuilt and re-opened in 1917. Enrollment at the academy in the first three decades of the century ranged from forty to a few classes with more than 100 students. In 1927, when the state began providing some financing for elementary education, Hazel Green discontinued grades one through six so it could concentrate its resources on secondary education. Tragedy struck again in 1929 when the second Sarah K. Yancey Home was destroyed by fire. The day after the fire is the only day on record when classes were canceled at Hazel Green Academy for any reason, and only then because most of the women teachers lost their eye­ glasses in the fire. Within a year, however, a new administration building was constructed and Pearre Hall was converted into a girls’ and women’s dormitory. As with previous construction projects on the campus, the adminis­ tration building was one of the most modem facilities, educational or otherwise, in the mountains. Students provided a great deal of labor in its construction. Because transportation was so difficult, staff and students constructed a kiln and fired the bricks that went into the building which contains more than

and for several homes in the Hazel Green community. What was very likely the first electrically-powered commercial clothes washer was also installed in a complete laundry used both by students and faculty. A printing press was installed in the early ’30s and high school students were required to work at least nine hours a week, so both the press and the laundry provided jobs and saved expenses for the school. Other jobs included custodial work, grounds maintenance, farm and dairy chores, food service and a variety of craft production including everything from weaving and

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14,000 square feet of floor space on two stories as well as a 240-seat auditorium and a large theatrical production stage. A steam generator was built and produced electricity for the academy

quilting to building small items of furniture. Due to the resourcefulness of the Academy, Hazel Green residents were the first people in the area to enjoy many modem conveniences such as electricity, mnning water, telephones, automo­ biles and modem farm machinery. In 1933 the second floor of the boys’ dormitory was converted into a hospital. Headed by Dr. H. I. Blood, the hospital performed routine surgery and provided medical service to Hazel Green and surround­ ing communities until it closed in 1955. For decades, it was routine for boys to arise an hour before breakfast during the winter months to practice basketball while the outdoor dirt court was still frozen enough for them to dribble the ball. Both basketball and baseball were introduced as varsity sports in the 1890s. In 1934 the entire student body agreed to do without dessert at mealtimes and the savings were used to begin a fund to build a gymnasium. Brick left over from the administration building, old railroad ties, bridge pilings, well-casings, donated lumber and volunteer labor were utilized to constmct the Lewis Ferrell Gymnasium, another facility currently under renovation, but still used for community recreation today. By the 1930s, Hazel Green Academy had built a reputation as one of the best schools of its size anywhere in the country. Young people, for the most part affiliated with the Christian Church, from all over the south, midwest and east coast were accepted as students every year. Roads had been built throughout the mountains and

The day after the fire is the only day on record when classes were canceled at Hazel Green Academy for any reason, and only then because most of the women teachers lost their eyeglasses in the fire.

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Hazel Green Academy student body and teachers, circa late 1890s.

students began traveling into other communities to assist elementary school teachers, perform musical and theatrical productions and assist in other outreach programs. In 1940, letters were mailed to all former students who could be tracked down announcing a general reunion. More than 300 former students from 39 states attended the gathering on June 22, to form the Former Students Association (FSA). Until the school closed in 1983, the FSA provided funds to purchase needed furniture replace­ ment, bedding, renovation projects and scholarship funds. Alumni have made substantial cash contributions to the renovation project currently in progress. From 1940 to 1960 Hazel Green Academy continued to modernize, grow and prosper. A new Industrial Arts building was completed and The Tutt House was constructed as a residence for the school principal’s family. A brass band was organized in 1957. A modern sewage treatment plant was installed and greenhouse technol­ ogy was introduced to the Voca­ tional Agriculture curriculum so that

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the farm could grow better and newer varieties of transplants. The first tennis court in Wolfe County was built on campus. A new science lab was constructed and finally, in 1978, the academy was named to the National Register of Historic Places. By the late 1970s, however, most communities in the mountains had access to nearby, publicly funded high schools. State and private colleges had long since taken over teacher training, and coal mining jobs were being rapidly eliminated by mechanization. Students who might have wanted schooling at a private institution could no longer afford rising tuition and boarding costs, and the academy could no longer raise enough supplemental funds to keep the academy afloat. The CWBM reluctantly decided to close the school in 1983 after more than a century of operation. The Hazel Green Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) purchased the campus the next year when the CWBM had offered it to them at a very favorable price. By selling the farm land and one residence on the property, the church was able to raise enough money to buy the main T

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campus, all its buildings and educational equipment. The campus has been used sporadically since the school closed to allow a community college to conduct some classes and as a home for the Wolfe County Arts Association. To restore it to its former glory, however, will require additional funding and the participation and commitment of numerous civic and other community groups as well as individuals. But don’t ask Father Ralph Beiting if he thinks it can be done. It’s not a matter of “i f ’ to Father Beiting, but “how soon?” “This school, this place, are far too historically significant to be allowed to deteriorate and fall into any further decay,” Father Beiting insists. “This place can be as vitally important to the community and the mountains as it ever was and maybe even moreso. And it will be.” Ike Adams, a graduate of Pikeville College and a native of Letcher County, Ky., is in charge of fund raising for special CAP projects.

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L etters to the E d itor We thank you for doing God’s work in Appalachia. Mrs. Nancy T. Wilson St. Mary’s City, Md.

I very much admire CAP’s humanitarian work in Appala­ chia. For many years our church group has joined the Appala­ chian Service Project in similar work. God bless you for all that you do! Charles H. Zierdt, Ph.D. Rockville, Md.

I enjoy reading The Mountain Spirit. It is very uplifting! Bertie Lynn Franklin, Pa. So far away....and yet brought so close to us here in the Pacific Northwest through your articles and stories. Thank you for sharing your inspira­ tional stories with us. Toni Eaton Vashon, Wash. Your work does more good for people than these wellknown charities. You show people how to help themselves instead of depending on others. I know the good Lord realizes your efforts. Charles O ’Neill Cape May, N.J. My wife and I have long admired Father Beiting and his efforts to help the Appalachian people learn to help themselves, always with love and compas­ sion, never with condescension. God bless you all. Samuel Cotten Winchester, Va.

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Father Beiting, keep up the good work. I enjoy your magazine, but please have more stories on the everyday people in the hills as they are very good people. Mrs. Peggy I. Weise Harrison, Ohio

As a former CAP volunteer, The Mountain Spirit really captures the spirit of Appalachia. I would love to see a reprint of the Ike Adams story on Vince Turner from the March/ April 1993 issue of The Mountain Spirit, “I Called CAP and Here I Am.” To me it was one of the best articles written on the issues women of Appalachia face. Thank you! Kathy Kirk-Malters Brainerd, Minn.

I find it very well put together, and truly one can see the poverty of Appalachia, and the tragedy of its people. I am not wealthy, but compared to the devastation of the poor, I feel it is my duty to share with them what I can. Times are hard everywhere these days, but I still feel I should do my best to ease their living conditions. We are our brothers’ keepers. James R. Davis Minneapolis, Kan.

My wife and I really appreciate reading The Mountain Spirit, and we read each issue from cover to cover. Thank you to everyone who helps to create it, especially those who are written about, the authors/ writers, and the publishers. We will keep you and the work that CAP does in our prayers. Edward & Amy Harley Ithaca, N. Y.

1999

I am extremely proud to be a sponsor for such a caring and positive, community building organization like CAP. My church (church universal and triumphant) are very avid and active supporters of the two most important issues facing America today: 1. Proper health and education for the youth of the world, and 2. community building: working together to creating positive chances and opportunities resulting in personal responsi­ bilities and accountability for our future endeavors and less dependence on welfare and other federal assistance programs. I recently took The Moun­ tain Spirit to church and proudly spoke of your recent issue on community building. God truly helps those who help themselves and others with an unconditional loving heart. Life is precious and truly goes beyond labels as a healthy and loving spirit can move mountains and posi­ tively change an entire planet! I am proud to sponsor such an organization as CAP and also share tears of joy in your continuous victories and efforts! Keep up the good work! Mr. Donald Wahl Carmichael, Calif.

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, KY 40446

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Book Review

This Land Is Home To Me Photography by Edwin Daschbach SVD Artwork/Layout by Anna Jean Maddix Rogucki Fairmont Printing Company Fairmont, WV 26554 Reviewed by Ike Adams This Land is Home to Me, a pastoral letter presented to people of all faiths and originally written by the twentyfive Catholic Bishops of the Appala­ chian region, is actually more a poem than a work of prose. Since its first publication in 1975, the letter has been affirmed by every succeeding bishop in the mountains. As true today as it was when penned, the letter is a poignant and loving tribute to the people of our hills. “—before we turn to this message from God we must first hear the cry of Appalachia’s poor. Their cry is a strong message, not because we have made it that way, but because the truth of Appalachia is harsh.” Just ready for release, Edwin Dashbach and Anna Jean Maddix have put together more than 200 color photographs and a dozen or so pen

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and ink graphic illustrations of the region and its people that very nearly set the letter to music. At least I found myself humming Home, Sweet Home as I browsed through it. Daschbach began photographing Appalachia when he was assigned to West Virginia by his Divine Word Missionaries in 1973. He is pastor of Good Shepherd Church

and they are sharply focused on rural Appalachia. Not only do they illustrate the pastoral letter, they show vividly who and where we are. For anyone native to or caring for Appalachia, this is a work worth having. Ike Adams, a frequent contributor to The Mountain Spirit, has worked as a professional photographer. He now considers himself a talented amateur. To purchase, contact: Divine World Missionaries Appalachian Book Order P. O. Box 6099 Techny, 111. 60082-6099 $13.00 + $3.95 shipping/handling Catholic in Glenville, W. Va., and teaches Latin at Gilmer County High School. Rogucki graduated from West Virginia’s Glenville State College in 1970 with a major in art education. She is presently an art teacher at Gilmer County High School in Glenville, where she resides with her husband and two children. As you might expect then, the photographs were mostly made in West Virginia. While the Appalachian region stretches across portions of 12 other states, it includes all of West Virginia. West Virginia is very near the center of the region, and many of the photographs could have been taken anywhere in the other states. The photography and the artwork flow with the text of the letter. They picture the old and young and middleaged among us; the destitute as well as the comfort­ able; our critters and flowers; our trees and homes; our seasons and our work. The photographs, like so many of the people they portray, are honest and straightfor­ ward. Dashbach used no special lighting or tricky lenses and filters. His pictures are in sharp focus technically, JANUARY

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Preserving the Tradition

It might be easy to pass Highway 191 as you’re traveling through Wolfe County, Ky., with hardly a glance. The little town of Hazel Green, with its few stores, homes and churches seems tranquil, almost sleepy, hardly a spot that has been bustling with activity over the last several months. Story and photos by Margaret Gabriel T 24

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But keep your eye on Hazel Green, particularly the campus of Hazel Green Academy, and over the next year or so, you’ll begin to see the fruit of a partnership between the Christian Appalachian Project, Hazel Green Christian Church and a host of people and groups. Several years after Hazel Green Academy closed its doors in 1983, Father Ralph Beiting, CAP’S founder, was asked to become involved in renovating the property. The time wasn’t right seven or eight years ago, but in 1996, Father Beiting was once again asked if he was interested in the property. “I was very much interested in it for a couple of reasons,” Father Beiting said. “It was a Christian organization, the Christian Church, that tried to give education to the mountain area when there was no education available. They kept it going for over a hundred years (see “A Historical Glance, ” page six­ teen). It seemed to me that if a Christian group saw another Christian group make such tremen­ dous involvement and sacrifices, it would be a shame to see it simply go to nothing. That’s what was happening, because the buildings were deteriorating.” The Hazel Green Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) had taken ownership of the buildings after the academy shut its doors, but was anxious to lease the property to CAP at no charge and provide as much assistance with the renova­ tion and upkeep as they could. Father Beiting said that after traveling to Wolfe County and seeing “the enormity of the work,” as he described it, and the amount of renovation that was needed to make the buildings usable and safe, he was more excited than ever to undertake the task of restoring the gently sloping campus. “As Richard Ginn [Father Beiting’s assistant] and I got more and more involved with the church, they were so anxious for it [Hazel Green] to come alive again.”

In June of 1998, Father Beiting received approval from CAP’s board of directors to invest one year and a relatively small amount of money in the Hazel Green campus, nearly ten acres of rolling terrain with six buildings. Jack Hutchins lives in Wolfe County, is a graduate of Hazel Green Academy, and an elder of Hazel Green Christian Church, which still holds the deed on the property of the academy. Over the years, Hutchins has become more and Volunteers from Notre Dame are one o f several groups that worked more convinced on the building renovation. that the property renovation. “When we first came is worth saving and renovating, into the picture, we told them they despite suggestions to bum the could use Operation Sharing [CAP’s buildings or turn them over to the in-kind donation distribution state to convert to a maximum program] for materials. We’ve had security prison. volunteer groups come in to work, “We’re not an incorporated so we’ve done things that haven’t community, but we have history, cost a lot.” tradition and spirituality,” Hutchins When the community learned said. “We bought the place [in 1983] about CAP’s involvement, Richard and sooner or later, we knew God said, he began to hear from groups would help us work it out.” that were interested in using space Hutchins recalls showing Father in one of the buildings for a variety Beiting and other CAP board of programs. members through the buildings, Janine Musser, director of the which were in great need of repair. Wolfe County Arts Association, He believed that they had made a was recently hired by CAP to terrible impression, “But Father schedule and coordinate the Beiting and Richard Ginn saw a activities that are beginning to spiritual need and put that first,” he develop. A human development said. Richard believes that the involve­ grant from CAP has enabled the association to offer classes in a ment of the local community will number of disciplines, including convince potential funders — the children’s music, stone sculpting CAP board of directors, as well as other grantors — of the value of the and creative movement. The grant

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also made possible a Kentucky Brown, fellow authors’ workshop, which featured Hazel Green alumnus such notable writers as Gurney Roger Buchanan and Norman, Sidney Farr and Rebecca Hazard native Bob Bailey, a Hazel Green graduate whose Cornett envision the recently released “A Wild Kentucky campus as a rallying Garden” was reviewed in the point for a renewal of November-December issue of The involvement between Mountain Spirit. public schools and “Everyone in the community is the community. considered a member of the arts “The goats are council,” Janine said, so she and the incidental,” board of the council are keenly Buchanan said. interested in community input and “They’re just the involvement in the programs that are illustration of a drum beginning. “We want them to feel at beat that will mobilize home.” the community to get Input from Hazel Green residents involved with school as well as academy graduates is of kids.” continuing importance in determining Cornett said that a direction. Although some folks who project that exposes are leaning in the direction of the students to adults in history and tradition of Hazel Green the community can would like to see a school on the only lead to more property, others believe that pro­ opportunities for gramming with more diversity will be children. Over the of greater benefit to people who live years those opportu­ in Wolfe and the surrounding nities will enable counties. The board of the Hazel children to use their Green Christian Church has left the Groups from Notre Dame have helped CAP with a variety o f gifts and talents in projects over the years. final decision to the discretion of the immediate Father Beiting, “but I think if there community rather than being forced Beginning clubs in five counties was a feeling, they were saying that to move to a more urban area. and then using Hazel Green as a it would be more used by local “If you can mobilize the commu­ teaching location that links all the people if it was open to a variety of nity, you can succeed with the locations could be made possible activities,” Father Beiting said. kids,” Cornett said. “You have to get through the Center for Rural “We’ve already got a great deal of the adults involved and the kids Development in Somerset, Ky. (See diversity with the arts council, and interested, so they’re inspired by The Mountain Spirit, March-April we’re having an open house to invite the adults.” 1998). the community to see what’s going Brown plans to extend the clubs The Center for Rural Develop­ on.” far beyond only the cultivation of ment is working to establish Larry Brown, for example, is goats, and explore raising herbs, regional telecommunication centers interested in using Hazel Green as a spices and rabbits. All of the in each of the 40 counties that it conference center, a region-wide activities don’t have to be agricul­ serves in eastern Kentucky. Called network for people who use agricul­ turally based, although agriculture “CenterNet” locations, the technol­ ture as a learning tool. Brown, a comes more naturally to the rural ogy will bring connectivity to rural Morgan County physical education area, he said. areas that otherwise would have teacher and Hazel Green Academy “From one location, Hazel Green, little or no public access. alumnus, would like to start “goat we can broadcast the class with one “We’ll provide the linking,” said clubs” in five adjoining counties. instructor,” Brown said. “The Margaret Slone, public relations and Brown has been working with activity can lead to citizenship and media coordinator for the center, students that are raising goats in a social studies. If this project is “and the community will gradually project that was aided by Heifer effective with just five counties, take on the cost of the technology.” Project International (see The why not have clubs in every Links already exist in Floyd, Pike, Mountain Spirit, September-October county? It will bring the communi­ Laurel and Adair counties and sites 1998). ties and the schools back together.” have been approved in Casey and

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Jackson counties. Several of locations are among the most remote in the state. “The whole idea is to give counties access to the same kind of technology that they have in businesses in Lexington and Louisville,” Slone said. “Video conferencing,” the kind that is envisioned by Larry Brown, “is just one sort of application. We’ve found that once the technology is in place, people are creative enough to think of all kinds of applications on their own.” Hazel Green gives the Center for Rural Development a different type of venue for the “CenterNef ’ location in Wolfe County, said executive director Hilda Legg. “We like for communities to have a sense of ownership,” she said. “Here, we’re preserving something and the past and linking it to the future. That’s very unique, and I’m excited about it.” Since its founding in the late 19th century, Hazel Green Academy has

jumped on it,” Jackson said. “I was always focused on education, concerned that [Hazel Green] might tailoring its approach to students’ just languish into disrepair.” needs. In the latter part of the 20th Jackson said that the cabinet is century the educational needs in committed to using “Hazel Green Wolfe County are centered on job Academy in the right way, and is training. Dr. Tim Jackson, deputy encouraging use of the facility for secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet the support of poor families in Wolfe for Families and Children, has County.” committed the cabinet to being a Bob Cornett is especially inter­ presence at Hazel Green. Also an eastern Kentucky native, ested in seeing a stronger tie Dr. Jackson assumed his position in between the mountains of eastern Kentucky and the urban area of 1997 and began to focus his energy Louisville, nearly 100 miles to the on welfare reform strategies. As he west. He believes that there is a did, he said, he began to hear the names of several organizations come wealth of information in the moun­ tains that is beneficial to the urban up over and over in discussions about possible activities. He invited parts of Kentucky, and likewise, “the mountains have suffered from not the Christian Appalachian Project, the East Kentucky Corporation, and having an urban base.” Red River MACED (Mountain Association for Gorge, less than twenty miles from Community and Economic Develop­ Hazel Green, can serve as a yearround outdoor classroom for city ment) to form the Mountain Coali­ tion, meeting periodically to discuss students, Cornett said, binding rural and urban students in common issues affecting the region. When learning environments. Through Father Beiting attended one of the meetings he mentioned the possible telecommunications opportunities at Hazel Green, students from availability of Hazel Green. “And I

Marie and Pharian’s four-year-old son, Cody, is a fixture in the Jot ’Em Down Store on the Hazel Green Academy campus.

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Jack Hutchins and Janine Musser, two o f the Wolfe Ccounty residents that are making a difference at Hazel Green.

throughout the state can share those learning experiences. “The best of educators know that learning how things come together is the essence of education. If kids learn about someplace like Red River Gorge, then they can read in a book about the Brazilian rain forest and make more sense out of it. Red River Gorge may be the most powerful thing of all because there are environmentally understanding people in Louisville,” Cornett said. While he acknowledges the presence of problems in mountain communities, Cornett terms the problems “solvable.” Like Father Beiting and others who are joining the residents and graduates of the community in revitalization efforts, Cornett believes that the vast number of partnerships that are growing out of the renovation of Hazel Green can be solutions to

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many of those problems. CAP, too, is exploring the possibility of beginning programs at Hazel Green. A used clothing store is open every day, and there is discussion of beginning adult education, as well as child develop­ ment on the campus. Rose Price, director of CAP human services in the Hagerhill region and a lifelong resident of eastern Kentucky, believes that CAP’s involvement in Hazel Green is divinely inspired. “It’s valid that CAP be in Wolfe County,” Rose said. “It’s one of the poorest counties in Kentucky.” Despite the need in the county, though, Rose said there is a spirit in the commu­ nity that goes beyond just the historical preservation of the buildings. “There’s something intangible there. It’s about quality of life in that T

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community, and that’s something we want to keep,” Rose said. “The community is saying we want to be responsible for this area, and the school has always been the key. At the crossroads of the town is the general store and the gas station that has baby pictures of everybody’s kids pinned on the bulletin board over the counter. We don’t want to lose that. You can see that it’s more than just historical preservation, though. We’re making an odd combination there, and people want to start things. The state wants to come in with job training, the arts council wants to start more classes, the young people are eager to use the gym. I have to give the community a lot of credit, though. They weren’t always sure what they were going to do, but they knew that they didn’t want to lose what they had.” o u n t a i n

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Anna Lois Davis “When I had things for children in the street, anybody ’s child, black ones, white ones, all of them

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knew where I could go to get help. ’’ Anna Lois Davis It’s not easy to get Anna Lois Davis to talk about herself. Just as she gets going, she starts talking about one of the many people who have peppered her life. It might be her mother or her grandmother (“Hard-working women,” she recalls). It could be Christian Appalachian Project founder Father Ralph Beiting (“He was a stand-out

figure”), or even Medgar Evers, who came to Anna Lois’ hometown of Lancaster, Ky., with the NAACP during the turbulent 1960s (“He kissed me on the jaw; I didn’t wash that jaw for a week!”). All of them have contributed to a life that has touched many and continues to touch even more. Anna Lois combines the wisdom

and spirit that she has gathered to herself through the people in her life and shares it with those she loves — her children, her grandchildren, her friends and especially the students at the Sunshine Center, CAP’s child development center in Lancaster. Her involvement with CAP pre­ dates her work at the Sunshine

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Center by at least two decades. Years ago, Anna Lois’ enthusiasm for Garrard County’s youth dove­ tailed nicely with the attraction young people had for the welcom­ ing atmosphere of St. William’s Church, the location of many of CAP’s earliest programs. “I can always remember CAP’s volunteers working and being around, and I got involved with them. They would be passing out food, and I would tell them This lady is so hungry and she’s got three little kids.’ They’d take a sack, and I’d tell them about people that were having problems, but I’d say don’t tell them I told you.” In CAP, Anna Lois found an ally to help her with the children that she helped. “When I had things for children in the street, anybody’s child — black ones, white ones, all of them — I knew where I could go to get help. I had some money that I could spend, but when it got where I didn’t have a good job and I couldn’t buy anything [I knew I could go to CAP]. I didn’t think I was doing anything until a mother came in and told me she appreciated me keeping her kids off the street.” Anna Lois speaks fondly of the volunteers who helped over the years, emphasizing the variety of skills they brought to the children. “We had people making the community grow.” In Father Beiting and CAP, Anna Lois says she sees a compassion that is sadly missing from many people. “All of us don’t have enough compassion, to see that other person. I think that’s what I saw in him.” As she was drawn to children in the community and compelled to help them, Anna Lois was drawn to justice issues in Lancaster and Garrard County and compelled to speak out for equal rights, another point at which she intersected with Father Beiting and CAP. She recalls the 1960s, when Medgar Evers and other members of the national

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Anna Lois Davis, continuing to do what she’s done since childhood, care fo r children.

NAACP organization visited the Lancaster chapter of the NAACP. She was responsible for cooking for a banquet which was held at St. William’s Hall, one of Father Beiting’s first parishes. Encouraged by the support of the local NAACP, Anna Lois decided to take personal economic matters into her own hands. She went to a small department store in the center of town and asked for a job. “The man said he didn’t have no jobs, so I told him to let me know when he had one, because it suited my schedule. Then I went back and he said he didn’t have anything but part time, and I kept going back and finally I told him I would take it. And I started working right then. I guess I was the first black lady that ever worked up on the square.” Anna Lois wasn’t trying to make a statement with a job on the square. She needed a job that fit her schedule. And she knew that despite what anyone said, she was worthy of that job because her grandmother had told her she was worthy. When she was seven years old,

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Anna Lois was caring for a twoyear-old little girl and decided to take her for a walk in the stroller. “When I got to the alley, there were some little boys that wouldn’t let me cross the street. They hit me with rocks. I was a little bitty thing, less than three feet, and they called me a name and said I couldn’t go by. That will always stay with me. It doesn’t damage me, but it could have then and could have made me feel I wasn’t worth a nickel. But I knew better than that because my granny told me. It doesn’t just happen to black kids. It happens to white kids, it happens to all people at some time or another. It’s one of those things that happened and it gave me the courage to go on work and do what I was supposed to.” At barely five feet tall, Anna Lois cuts quite a figure driving the small yellow bus full of children who attend the Sunshine Center. More often than not, her head is thrown back, as she sings at full voice to the children. Through her songs and stories, Anna Lois teaches the children of their value, just as she taught her own children and her mother and grandmother taught her.

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We thank the many who have responded, however

It’s not too late to include your name m the Birthday Greeting! Father (Betting, founder of the Christian Appalachian Project, has been a teacher all his life. As a young priest, he taught math to boys at Newport Catholic High School. As pastor of many churches, he taught congregations of God’s love. As the president of the Christian Appalachian Project, he taught those who joined him in his work that daily hard work and dedication are the keys to helping the people of Appalachia lift themselves out of poverty. Of course, Father Beiting has used many tools in his teaching, but mostly, he has taught by example. One of Father Beiting’s most valuable lessons is one he teaches by example every day now — the lesson of growing older with energy, vitality and grace. We want to make it possible for you to join CAP, along with members of Father Beiting’s family and his enormous circle of friends, to rejoice in his life-long lessons. We invite you to play a part in the gala events we will hold in celebration of Father Beiting’s 75th birthday in January of 1999. As part of the celebration, CAP will present Father Beiting with a huge birthday card that includes the name of every friend — every reader of The Mountain Spirit, every CAP donor and every admirer from all over the country — who has made a gift to CAP in honor of his birthday, and of the lessons he has taught us during the course of his 75 years. You can play your part by allowing us to include your name on that card. To do so, fill out the coupon on this page and send it in with your gift in the envelope attached to the center of the magazine. Be sure to mark the envelope “F ath er Belting’s 75th B irthday Celebration,” so that your name will be included on the card to thank him for his enduring lessons and remarkable example. Must be received by January 15th, 1999

Father Ralph Beiting’s

75th Birthday Celebration NAME____________________________________________________ ADDRESS_________________________________________________ CITY, STATE, ZIP__________________________________________ How would you like your name listed on Father Beiting’s birthday card?

• Rates of poverty among young people under the age of 18 in Appalachian Kentucky rage from 17 percent in some counties, to as high as 52 percent in others. • Young people who come from poor families are more likely to drop out of school. • In one area CAP serves, the high school dropout rate is 50 percent. • Over half of the non-working adults in Kentucky are high school dropouts.

CAP’s Adult Education programs have advanced thousands in their educational achievements.

Data references available upon request.

Shaded area indicates the boundaries of the Appalachia region