ASPI's focus is to find solutions for increasing environmental problems through research and advocacy for public policies which favor the environment. ASPI's philosophy involves living simply in ways that are healthy for the earth and for ourselves. While litter clean-up has been the main service component of this site in the past, students have also been involved in organic gardening, maintenance of the cordwood house and other buildings, and the promotion of a local recycling campaign. Students can anticipate getting down and dirty (literally) while engaging in their clean-up projects. Learning is emphasized, with students exploring the roots of environmental problems and thinking critically about current and possible solutions. In addition to learning about sustainable living and assisting in ASPI's projects, students will have the opportunity to eat dinner with local residents and attend social events such as bluegrass concerts and barn dances. Students lodge in a facility that is separate from the work site where a kitchen with a refrigerator, oven, and range is available. Showers are provided, and students buy and prepare most of their meals. Students bring their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets).

Website: www.a-spi.org Contact information

Bethlehem Farm**

Recently opened by Nazareth Farm volunteers, Bethlehem Farm is organized around the four tenets of community, simplicity, prayer and service. Its mission is to provide volunteers a communal experience of Church, as a center of reflection and prayer, while working to promote social justice through the empowerment of the local community and volunteers. The students should expect to have a great and memorable week, but they do not need to be prepared for anything specific. They will work hard, but also relax and pray and just have a great time overall, engaged in service and community. Meals are provided. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets).

Website: www.bethlehemfarm.net/ Contact Information

Big Creek People in Action

Big Creek People In Action, Inc. (BCPIA) was founded in 1990 by citizens of McDowell County, West Virginia to address family, community and economic concerns in the area.. Since that time, this nonprofit organization has been serving the community of McDowell County in the realms of early childhood development, education and literacy, leadership development, volunteer service, arts and culture, housing, recreation, and collaborative partnerships. Its mission is to “foster a community in which people learn, work, play, and grow together and prepare themselves for success in the 21st Century”. BCPIA's vision of McDowell County is one of empowered and self-sufficient people living in communities that are economically vibrant, democratic, and socially just. Immersion into the local community is important, and students will often work on projects alongside local families and those they are serving. There are opportunities to attend services at a number of local churches of various denominations. Students buy food and prepare their own meals, and may want to bring one or two meals with them, as the local supermarket is closed on Sundays. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets). Student perspective on BCPIA Contact information

Buchanan Neighbors United

Buchanan County is nestled in the Appalachian mountains of far southwest Virginia. Its main industry is coal mining, which is steadily declining. A steep unemployment rate is a daily struggle for its residents. Buchanan Neighbors United was born out of the need for community members to have a voice in their community by addressing the needs of its people. The neighbor organization accepts applications from those in the county who are in need of general housing repairs and improvements and then provides the materials and assistance to families on an urgency basis. Daily projects vary, and students will have the opportunity to do a variety of repair tasks at their work sites. BNU coordinators plan the week’s activities well, which in the past have included trips to local churches for gospel music performances, visits to local civic centers /services (i.e. fire department). Students should be aware that there is one toilet for everyone, and showers are available on most days. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets). Meals are provided. Contact information

Christian Appalachia Project (CAP)
CAP is a well-established, non-denominational volunteer organization with an organized and expansive core of long-term volunteers and paid staff. Its mission is to "help people help themselves" through education, economic opportunity, employment, and a sense of Christian community. Notre Dame and St. Marys's students have a long history of service-learning with CAP. Students participate in a structured program of work and prayer, and volunteer efforts are focused on home repair and construction. Students have the opportunity to attend diverse denominational church services throughout the week. Various sites in Kentucky. During the spring semester break, CAP hosts an event they call “Workfest” that includes students from colleges and universities throughout the country. Upon arrival, ND students will be teamed up with other students in addition to a ND team member. Meals are provided. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets). Website: www.christianapp.org/. Student perspective on CAP Contact information

Christian Outreach with Appalachian People (COAP)

COAP is a non-profit, economical housing construction and repair organization that was incorporated in 1983 to provide safe, warm, and dry housing for low and very low income families in Harlan, Leslie, and Bell Counties. The vision of COAP was created in 1977 with Mennonite volunteer Marlin Yoder’s dream of helping low income families reach their housing needs. Since then, COAP has experienced tremendous growth. Under the leadership of Frank Stoffle, which began in 1992, COAP has completed many home repairs, room additions, new home construction, as well as water and septic upgrades for hundreds of families in Harlan County . COAP's ultimate goal is to help build a community in Harlan that meets the responsibility of caring for its itself. Prior construction experience is helpful but not necessary. Students buy food and prepare their own meals. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets). Website: http://www.geocities.com/coaptestsite/volunteer.html Contact information

Clearfork Community Institute (formerly Woodland Community Land Trust)

The Clearfork Community Institute partners with the Woodland Community Land Trust, a community-initiated organization, whose mission is to purchase and hold lands for local residents who might otherwise be landless. This part of rural Appalachia has a majority of the land owned by out of state and out of country corporations. Through re-purchase of land, local residents have a secure base with which to begin holistic community development from a rural perspective. Students will have the opportunity to interact and build community with neighboring residents through visits to local churches and share meals with members of the community. Students buy food and prepare their own meals. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets).

Student perspectives on Clearfork Contact information

Community Development Outreach Ministry (CDOM)

The CDOM is a division of the United Methodist Church that provides outreach ministries to the city of Charleston and surrounding rural areas. CDOM has two community centers—the Coal Branch and Avesta Drive Community Centers—in neighborhoods on the outskirts of Charleston. Both centers provide children's daycare programs and services to women. In the past students at CDOM have participated in home rehabilitation, listened to speakers on West Virginia welfare issues and Catholic Social Teaching, and visited a mountaintop removal site. Showers are provided. Students should bring a sleeping pad and pillow, and will buy food and prepare their own meals.

Website: www.gbgm-umc.org/wvcdom/ Contact information

David School

The David School, founded by director Daniel Greene, has been recognized nationwide for its success with disadvantaged youth. Greene, a lay volunteer with the Catholic Church, started the school more than 20 years ago to serve students who have fallen through the cracks of public education. David School provides a second chance for these students by giving one-on-one attention, encouragement, and a strong sense of community. Meals are provided. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets).

Website: www.davidschool.org Contact information

Dungannon Development Commission, Inc. (DDC)**

The DDC created the program called Project HELP in 1991 because they saw a need to assist low-income citizens of the Dungannon community with home repairs. Project HELP is dedicated to providing safe, warm, and dry, affordable housing for low and moderate income families in Scott County. Project HELP is not intended as a handout, but a hand-up. The county is blessed with its natural beauty in the Clinch River Valley, which has been designated as "One of the Last Great Places" by The Nature Conservancy due to the rare aqua-life. The population of the Dungannon community is approximately 250 people. The community consists of a local hardware store, a health clinic, post office, one restaurant and a couple of small convenience stores. Work projects center around the community center and have included painting, organizing the center, assisting with repair at local sites. Volunteers can explore Dungannon and speak with local individuals including those at DDC to learn about the area. At the end of the work day, volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in activities such as hiking, swimming, touring the Dungannon area and other scenic recreational areas of Scott County. Volunteers are housed in the Phoenix Center, with showers and sleeping quarters. Evening meals are provided, and DDC provides food for students to prepare morning and midday meals. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets).

Website: www.ddcinc.org/Project%20HELP%20First%20Page.html

Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Volunteers work with the Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway's Fisher's Peak Chapter to preserve and protect the natural park of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Students will work on trails, bridges and interact with local community members over meals and entertainment. Nearby Galax, VA is the home of Old Time music Site of Fishers Peak Music Museum. Students will have time to see performances and interact with the musicians. Lodging at youth hostel. Students either buy food or food will be provided to prepare their own mid-day meals and often FRIENDS have scheduled a potluck or meal for dinner. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets). Contact information

Glenmary Farm

Glenmary missioners maintain and provide leadership for a volunteer-based farm that covers 56 acres near the small town of Vanceburg, KY, in the Appalachian mountains. The program is a retreat-like immersion offering opportunities for prayer, sharing and reflection as a way to integrate service experiences into one’s faith life. Students will visit area churches of other faith traditions so volunteers experience the Glenmary commitment to ecumenism. The religious presence is everywhere felt and experienced for students at Glenmary. Students work primarily at four sites: a nursing home whose residents are elderly or disabled, a day care center for developmentally disabled adults an organization that builds homes and renovates substandard housing, and on site at Glenmary Farm. Occasionally, students team up with other colleges during the break period. Limited plumbing and central heating (one shower/student/week). In warm weather students can bring swimsuits for swimming, and participants may also want to bring some money (not more than $20) for social events such as concerts or shows. Meals are provided and students help with preparation. As a side note, the farm's residents also include a cat and a dog who live outdoors on the farm. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets).

Website: www.glenmary.org and for student perspective on Glenmary Contact information

Hurley Community Development

This small community has experienced many financial hardships and widespread unemployment due to the closing of a large number of coalmines. Mattie Christian and Edna Justus, the two coordinators of the site, have dedicated themselves to improving the spirit and living conditions of the community. Students will assist them in their efforts to complete community cleanup and building projects at various sites in the region, some relatively far from the community center to which the students will drive. Typical daily schedule includes a 7:30 wakeup, prepare own breakfast and pack lunch, work from 9am-3pm at various work sites, free time at night or possible activity planned by the site. Students will interact with the residents and families at the worksites throughout the week and will attend a church service at one of the many churches in the area. The volunteers at the community center are amazing and inspirational people with whom to talk and work alongside. Students should bring sheets and blankets, not sleeping bags; and will buy food and prepare their own meals. Contact information

McDowell Mission

The McDowell Mission Project was started in 1991 by Jim and Susan Nance to assist the Gary community. Gary is a former coal town which has seen a dramatic drop in population due to people looking elsewhere for work. There is a small but vibrant Catholic Community in Gary that worships at Our Lady of Victory Church. The mission serves its area through community development projects. The five non-negotiable values that the mission espouses in serving its community are: prayer, obedience, unity, worship, and heart for the lost. Students buy food and prepare their own meals. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets).

Website: www.mcdowellmission.org Contact information

Nazareth Farm

A Catholic community of volunteers inspired by the Gospels and Social Teachings of the Church, Nazareth Farm is a retreat-like setting focused on prayer, community, simplicity and service. The organization is devoted to developing relationships and eliminating sub-standard housing through home repair in rural West Virginia. It provides a communal experience of Church as a center of action and prayer. Nazareth Farm was established in June 1979 as a place for volunteers to experience a week of simple living, service to the poor, and the joy of Christian community. Located in rural West Virginia, Nazareth Farm is a place of great beauty where volunteers can discover God’s presence in nature, in the people of the mountains, in each other, and above all, in God’s call of love to each one of us. Nazareth Farm’s religious retreat structure means days are rigidly structured from morning to night and allowing for plenty of reflection and prayer. Limited plumbing and central heating (one shower/student/week). Meals are provided. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets).

Website: www.nazarethfarm.org Contact information

New River Gorge National Park

A rugged, white water river flowing northward through deep canyons, the New River is among the oldest rivers on the continent. Located in southern West Virginia, New River Gorge National Park was established in 1978 to preserve and protect 53 miles of the New River as a free-flowing waterway. This unit of the National Park System encompasses over 70,000 acres of land along the New River between the towns of Hinton and Fayetteville. The park and the surrounding area are rich in cultural and natural history, and contain an abundance of scenic and recreational opportunities. Volunteers will work on trails, plant trees, paint signs and clean along the beach and campground. They will also spend a day on work projects at the Southern Appalachian Folk Life Center. Interaction with local residents is limited. Students can bring swimsuits in warmer weather and will buy food and prepare their own meals. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets).

Website: www.nps.gov/neri/home.htm Contact information

Rural Retreat Historical Society

Rural Retreat is the home of Dr. Pepper, the pharmacist behind the beverage. This is a dynamic community where individuals work side by side with the students to complete work projects at homes and in the community. Students will have an opportunity to participate in many community activities, such as doing service at a non-profit organization called Mountain Shelter and at the Rural Retreat Elementary School. The town of Rural Retreat and the county are in a state of transition, so the poverty in the area is not as visible as at other sites; but there is still a great need to which students will be introduced. Shower time is limited; students should be prepared for about two showers during the week. Meals are provided. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets). Contact information

Sacred Heart Parish

Fr. Dunne has brought new life to this small but vibrant parish on the WV-KY border. Students will work in and around the parochial school, which has grades K-6 and about 34 children and is run by Sr. Lillian, the principal. Students will also stay with host families and help out with a fundraiser dinner for the school. Fr. Dunne does a great job of giving students the opportunity to experience life in the small mining town of Williamson and to experience the ecumenism of the area. Students buy food and prepare some of their own meals. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets). Contact information

St. Joseph Housing Repair Program**

Saint Joseph’s Housing Repair Program is located on Main Street in Clintwood, VA. The community and its people have been greatly impacted by the coal, gas and timber industries and absentee ownership. Despite the poverty and the land and water devastation, community members are determined to assume control of their destiny. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church is one of several churches in the area that has formed a ministerial association to meet some of the needs of local residents. Its housing program offers low and no income people home repairs and engages the community in discussions around housing-related issues and actions. Students buy food and prepare their own meals. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets). Contact information

West Virginia Ministry of Advocacy and Workcamps (WVMAW)

The WVMAW has been working with groups in the Appalachia region for the past 15-20 years. Working through different community and religious organizations in the area, it has been able to help with outreach and development projects. Due to the limited aid that FEMA and other agencies can offer, it is left to faith-based organizations to provide the only hope for many of the people in this region. Students should expect work projects at individual homes as well as opportunities that provide interaction with the community. The group from ND often arrives at the same time as groups from other colleges, also. Students may bring swimsuits and will buy food and prepare their own meals. Students provide their own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, and/or blankets and sheets).

Website:www.wvpresbytery.org/wvmaw.htm Contact information

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Center for Social Concerns

Appalachia Seminar Sites