an update from West Virginia
Joan Stewart, Executive Director
September 18, 2008
To: Supporters and partners of WV Ministry of Advocacy and Workcamps
Re: Summer Update
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ! How can we begin to share with you all of the excitement, hard work, spiritual growth and transformation that has taken place here in West Virginia this summer? Thanks in part to your prayers, your support, and in many cases your hands, there are families in West Virginia who have seen what God's grace looks like. And there are many groups of volunteers who have had their perspectives changed as they built relationships with one another and with families in need.
There are currently 60 work groups on schedule for 2008; 52 of those groups have already been here. They have come from West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, North and South Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, and Iowa. We have had familiar faces returning, and we have made many new friends.
building a wheel chair ramp.
Kopperston, WV: Projects have included siding, painting, sheet rock, plumbing, electrical, roofing and wheel chair ramp construction.
Colcord, WV: Projects have included siding, wheel chair ramp construction, replacing 3 roofs, and porch construction, sheet rock, painting, and interior reconstruction.
Welch, WV: Projects have included replacing flooring, rebuilding kitchen walls and replacing cabinets with donated cabinets, rebuilding porch, steps and interior ceiling and wall repair.
Ashland, WV: Volunteers have continued to dig drainage ditches for an alternative wastewater treatment system in a community that currently has no wastewater treatment.
What?
And the story unfolded....
The Friday night before, police found the body of a young man in the dug out of the ball field beside the church, an apparent overdose. He had just gotten out of prison (drug charges) and Dee, whose house the mission team from Chippewa, PA was working on, had been planning to take him to the Army recruiter that very week. He had hopes of changing his life around.
Background of Dee: Dee is in her 40's, has a 24 year old son, a 20 year old, and a 14 year old. She is a home health care giver, has struggled with her own addictions; she is a widow and a divorcee. Her house is home to every stray kid in the coal camp who calls her Mom. Her door never locks because she never knows who might need her couch. She takes in the high, the drunk, the kicked-out-of-home kids, the physically abused by their parents kids, and the kids who just hang out with her kids-boys or girls. Her house is sort of the "island of misfit kids." Her heart is huge.
Now, when David's body was found, all of the youth who knew him gathered at Dee's for comfort and crying. David's mother had refused to allow any of them to go to the funeral home or to the funeral. She held them responsible-bad friends. But they needed a place to grieve, and to find closure. So the mission group offered to help the friends with a memorial service for him in the ball field where he was found.
The leader of the volunteer team from PA was awed by the providence of their being in Kopperston at this time and place for such a service as this. I told him that perhaps the reason they were here was for this time of being with these kids--misfits, outcasts, but kids who needed to grieve and be assured of the love of God. He just kept shaking his head and saying "We are supposed to be here! And while we are here for ministry we might as well just paint this house, right?" I had to laugh out loud. I think that is a profound insight into mission. Mission is in many ways about the ministry of presence, and while you are at it, go ahead and do a little repair work.
WOW! What a ministry opportunity! So I e-mailed a challenge to all the mission teams that would be staying in the Montgomery location this summer. I told them the story of the clothing closet. I asked them to imagine what a coffee shop ministry might look like, and create it. Three to five volunteers would stay back from their work team on Tuesday morning to help set up and serve, and then would return to their work group that afternoon. I gave no other instruction.
The mission team from Bloomington, IN was the first team out of the gate to give it a try. We whittled down to five some folks who were absolutely pumped about the coffee shop. One had just completed her first year at Sullivan, a culinary school in Louisville, KY. She brought all the tools of her trade and wanted to make pastries. I almost suggested this was a high bar to set for subsequent groups, but then who am I to tell her the perfume was too extravagant? As if that wasn't a high enough bar, the group turned their noses up at the coffee mugs I had purchased, and pulled out THE GOOD CHINA! (I inwardly cringed at the thought of the wrath of the "Kitchen Women," but again, there was Jesus and the perfume story....)
The very first morning, there was a couple whose home had burned, and they needed crisis and pastoral care, keeping me away from the set up. (I promised God I wouldn't micro-manage; I guess God wanted to make sure). I waved the group on to do what ever they wanted. They busily set up tables, bright colored (real) table cloths, tea candles, and even put real cream and sugar on each table. They had music in the background. The children's table was set with Play-Doh, coloring books and crayons, and a sketch pad for drawing. As I helped the crisis family (mom, dad, and 11 year old) who had been living in their van since Sunday get set up for showers and to do their laundry until they could get into their apartment, the youth went into the clothing closet and invited people in. Picture them with their aprons on, serving coffee in fine cups, and amazing pastries on china plates! When I returned I was thrilled to see that there was hardly an empty seat in the room! One man read a magazine while he sipped his coffee at his table; several women waved their friends over to their table, and many were opening their bags to show what they had found. One little boy ran up to me to show me his new shirt. One young mom brought in her 3 small boys, and one of the helpers kept them busy while she found needed clothing. Two women waved me over to say thank you and ask if this would continue. I told them it would at least through the second week in August when the groups stopped for the summer. They both said they would volunteer to help us keep it running--why didn't I know that this was where so many of them met each Tuesday just to catch up? If it were not for the clothing closet they wouldn't know what had happened to each other the past week. I heard many, many thank you's from folks grateful for the hospitality. One woman stood at the door looking in and said, "Wow. This just looks so hopeful!" (Now THAT took my breath away!)
In their excitement, the volunteers asked, "ARE you going to keep doing this after the mission groups stop?" And I said, "Me? I am not doing anything. But I have a feeling God is doing amazing things!" They all laughed the kind of laughter we laugh when God exceeds expectations in ways we never dreamed.
God continues to do amazing things. Each week about 40 or so people filter into the coffee hall. Some are regulars now, some drift in for the first time. The regulars love to meet the volunteers and talk to them, listen to their different accents, get energized by their youth. Father John from the Catholic Church preferred a coffee mug to a china cup when he came to visit before a ministerial association meeting. But he said he was struck by the dignity it gave others to share our best in hospitality. Indeed, I find that very.hopeful.
Note: Now that the mission teams are not regularly staffing the ministry, folks from the ministry itself have volunteered to keep it going! Blessings abound.
Mrs. D's daughter and less-than-a-year-old baby moved back home. Joshua soon developed respiratory problems and had to have breathing treatments. When Tim Stewart, Site Supervisor went to visit the home, he discovered that the entire back bedroom was black with mold.
The mission teams tackled the room with gloves and masks, tearing out the ceiling and walls, throwing away all of the contents of the room. A new roof was put on, and the room was rebuilt. The front porch, unsafe with rotting boards, was replaced. Mrs. D's daughter left a note and a "Sharpie" pen. She asked the groups to sign their names on the porch railing so that when people asked about them she could say they were the angels who fixed their house.
Mrs. D wrote a letter to the groups, thanking them for coming to her house and making it a home once again. She had lost hope, and despair had kept her from even cleaning the rest of the house. Mrs. D said that she had not been going to church, but that she felt the power of God in the love that the people brought. She was grateful for people who could look beyond their own needs and come to her house. Mrs. D said she had enough people trying to get her to come to church, telling her that she needed God in her life. It was easy for them to say to her, "God loves you." But a group of folks from out of state came and showed her what that looks like, and that is what made all the difference.
Background: WVMAW is a collaborative partner with the Wastewater Treatment Coalition of McDowell County. The WTC was formed after the 2001 floods and the necessity of addressing the lack of wastewater treatment came to the attention of many entities and individuals. WVMAW became involved because the lack of wastewater treatment is a social justice issue that continues to keep the county from economic development, and therefore keeps many residents of the county in poverty conditions.
In McDowell County, WV 67% of all wastewater is straight-piped directly from homes into the rivers and streams. Because of geographic diversity, mountain barriers, and the depressed economy, typical sewage treatment is not feasible for most of the county. The Wastewater Treatment Coalition has completed a plan proposal for every household and business in the county.
Ashland, WV is located at the headwaters of the Elkhorn Creed. A small community of about 21 houses, the WTC chose to put in an alternative wastewater treatment system technically called a Septic Tank Effluent Gravity collection system with constructed wetland treatment cells. An oversimplified explanation is that the system works by pumping effluent uphill to a drain field that has low pressure pipe dispersal, working like a giant septic system. This alternative system was designed by Canaan Valley Institute engineers, along with contracted assistance from Stafford Engineering and consultation with Maxim Engineering.
Because the drain field is located in a wetlands area of the mountain, it is important to keep the area as natural as possible. Bringing in machinery to dig the ditches would disturb the natural lay of the land and the trees. It was decided that volunteers could help to dig the drain field and thus cause as little damage to the environment as possible.
Current: So far eight groups of volunteers have spent much of their mission weeks helping to implement this system. This summer Ed Winant, Engineer and designer of the project from Canaan Valley Institute, and Josh Huddleston, Summer Intern Site Supervisor from WVMAW, and Clay Phillips, Site Supervisor in Welch, have overseen the labor. Completion of construction WAS projected for October, 2008, but that has been extended to spring.
Funding for the total project is coming in part from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, (funds have been in place and held since 2004 for implementation of a wastewater treatment project). Other funds that have been secured include WV Department of Environmental Protection, the McDavid Foundation, SAFE Housing and Economic Development, Canaan Valley Institute, and WV Stream Partners program, and a possible grant from the Governor's Partnership. Final hook up will be funded by individual homeowners.
FLOWs UNITE (Future Leaders Of Watersheds Understanding Needs In The Environment) is a middle school program that involves students in a learn and serve structure of watershed health. Forty students first began their journey at a two day overnight education camp (at the Bluestone Presbyterian Camp, Hinton, WV) which provided basic watershed health issue information, a mapping overview class, and water quality monitoring training. Hands on water conservation activities and watershed model demonstration were highlights of the weekend.
During the camp training a group of 18 adults and 40 youth participated. (Including Jim and Karen Robinson, Moderator and Treasurer of WVMAW) Bluestone Camp and nearby Sandstone Visitor's Center provided us the perfect location for our activities.
Typically, semi-monthly education forums are conducted with the FLOWs UNITE youth participants and attending partners, occasionally additional meetings are held. These meetings include snacks and then two hours of instruction and activities. Students ask to meet more often but funding and scheduling is often an issue. They get excited about meetings and activities. An average of 17 students attend regularly and the program contains 45 students that have contributed at least 12 service hours.
The International Day of Peace (September 21) was observed with a posting of a banner in the school cafeteria, which read "Kindness is the only force that can transform an Enemy into a Friend". A publication was issued to the faculty at Mt. View Middle School and Mt. View High School, encouraging them to talk to their students throughout the day about what they as students could do to initiate a more peaceful and cooperative environment. Suggestions were provided to teachers to offer the students as ideas for action, such as forming a school conflict resolution program, be the first to make an apology, and to help others through volunteering; all with the idea of engaging their leadership skills and caring for one another.
The clean-up campaign project was initiated on the weekend of Oct 13-14 which was slated as the International Clean-up Weekend. The litter collection was attended by five youth and two adults. A posting of the sponsored clean-up was left at the site to provoke awareness and hopefully to inspire others to make a commitment to help. A segment on the local television station morning show was used to direct more attention to the need for the community to pitch in, for parents to be an example to encourage their children, and for all of us to feel responsible for the Earth.
A Water Quality Monitoring Training and a GPS How-To with activity was a huge hit with students even in the rain!
Students have participated in orienteering training to prepare them for future service projects that will address the lack of watershed exposure (outdoor activities) and to teach watershed health and environmental safety. We are working with the WV Trails system to create an interpretive trail based on watershed health and education. This trail will offer an orienteering course and physical challenges. They will also use these activities to educated younger students on the sport of orienteering in hopes of growing an active participation to allow for opportunities for nature appreciation. GPS, orienteering, and topographic map reading are all skills that will enable them to reach this goal and develop leadership skills to teach others.
Earth Day-The FLOWs UNITE participants, along with their sponsor the Wastewater Treatment Coalition of McDowell County, and other community supporters sponsored an Earth Day Celebration. They provided education to inspire leadership and encouraged action for a healthy environment. The students and faculty of Mount View Middle School and Mount View High School participated in a fun filled day of learning. Community pollution prevention "You are the Solution to Pollution" and a viewing of the Big Sandy Watershed film are some of the activities that they joined in to raise awareness of the issues we are facing. These were followed by outdoor hands-on learning session.
June 22-28, the FLOWs UNITE students participated in a rewards camp at The Mountain Institute, Spruce Knob Center. This was a week long on-site camping trip to celebrate the student's contribution of 30 hours or more.
In July they will participate in the largest education campaign yet. The County Fair will provide the venue for students to share their knowledge with all they come in contact with. They will organize and facilitate the games and activities with children and assist with literature distribution. They will provide support to the Wastewater Treatment Coalition in their education efforts.
Our program has endeavored to create sustainable service-learning and we are establishing a communication with the local Board of Education to create a more embedded service-learning environment for student activities.
We have children that are responding to the idea that we are responsible, and they are feeling the sensation that comes from doing something good!!! Parents have been encouraging and impressed by their children's enthusiasm in regard to the program; some even stating that on occasion sports have taken a backseat - and that rarely happens.
The pursuit of significant funding for future years has begun. We are taking steps to insure that the program that we started with FLOW will not falter due to funding. Community buy-in is a key element and we are taking more action to look at better marketing strategies and public exposure. Seeking qualified individuals to contribute to the planning of these strategies has been one way of creating sustainability. We want this to be the beginning of something great; a stepping stone to a generation that will take up our world's problems created by those before us and not be afraid or unprepared to face the challenge.
We continue to pray for those places where disaster has consumed homes and devastated the lives of many families. We pray that the skills folks learn with WVMAW will translate to skills that will be used to reach out in other places where recovery may be needed, or where mitigation will make the difference between minimal loss and total disaster.
Most of all we are aware that God has called us to reach out beyond the walls of our churches and bring the Kingdom here and now. We believe that mission is far more than what we do, it is who we are in Christ. We give thanks to God that we GET to do this ministry.
Thank you for your continued prayers and your support.
Respectfully submitted,
Joan Stewart,
Executive Director
September 18, 2008
To: Supporters and partners of WV Ministry of Advocacy and Workcamps
Re: Summer Update
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ! How can we begin to share with you all of the excitement, hard work, spiritual growth and transformation that has taken place here in West Virginia this summer? Thanks in part to your prayers, your support, and in many cases your hands, there are families in West Virginia who have seen what God's grace looks like. And there are many groups of volunteers who have had their perspectives changed as they built relationships with one another and with families in need.
There are currently 60 work groups on schedule for 2008; 52 of those groups have already been here. They have come from West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, North and South Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, and Iowa. We have had familiar faces returning, and we have made many new friends.
Work completed SO FAR:
- Montgomery, WV: Repairs and projects for 8 families representing 22 people.
- Kopperston, WV: Repairs and projects for 16 families representing 38 people.
- Colcord: Repairs and projects for 9 families representing 15 people.
- Welch: Repairs and projects for 4 families representing 7 people.
- Ashland, WV: An alternative wastewater treatment project has begun that will serve twenty one households representing approximately fifty people. It is located at the trailhead of a Hatfield and McCoy Trail for all terrain vehicles, and is a tourist destination. A new KOA Campground was completed in 2007.
Brief narrative on type of work performed.
Montgomery, WV: Projects have included replacing roofing and repairing extensive interior water damage in homes with extensive interior reconstruction, electrical and plumbing work, rebuilding porches andbuilding a wheel chair ramp.
Kopperston, WV: Projects have included siding, painting, sheet rock, plumbing, electrical, roofing and wheel chair ramp construction.
Colcord, WV: Projects have included siding, wheel chair ramp construction, replacing 3 roofs, and porch construction, sheet rock, painting, and interior reconstruction.
Welch, WV: Projects have included replacing flooring, rebuilding kitchen walls and replacing cabinets with donated cabinets, rebuilding porch, steps and interior ceiling and wall repair.
Ashland, WV: Volunteers have continued to dig drainage ditches for an alternative wastewater treatment system in a community that currently has no wastewater treatment.
God Stories that are part of the Ministry
While You Are At It.
Harry Drake, site supervisor in Kopperston, is also a minister. Back in April I arrived in Kopperston, and the first thing I asked Harry is if his wife had reached him-there was a death in his home community and he was needed to do a funeral on Friday. I had arranged for another supervisor to work with his group so he could leave. Harry had gotten the message, and told me he was also doing a funeral that night there in Kopperston.What?
And the story unfolded....
The Friday night before, police found the body of a young man in the dug out of the ball field beside the church, an apparent overdose. He had just gotten out of prison (drug charges) and Dee, whose house the mission team from Chippewa, PA was working on, had been planning to take him to the Army recruiter that very week. He had hopes of changing his life around.
Background of Dee: Dee is in her 40's, has a 24 year old son, a 20 year old, and a 14 year old. She is a home health care giver, has struggled with her own addictions; she is a widow and a divorcee. Her house is home to every stray kid in the coal camp who calls her Mom. Her door never locks because she never knows who might need her couch. She takes in the high, the drunk, the kicked-out-of-home kids, the physically abused by their parents kids, and the kids who just hang out with her kids-boys or girls. Her house is sort of the "island of misfit kids." Her heart is huge.
Now, when David's body was found, all of the youth who knew him gathered at Dee's for comfort and crying. David's mother had refused to allow any of them to go to the funeral home or to the funeral. She held them responsible-bad friends. But they needed a place to grieve, and to find closure. So the mission group offered to help the friends with a memorial service for him in the ball field where he was found.
The leader of the volunteer team from PA was awed by the providence of their being in Kopperston at this time and place for such a service as this. I told him that perhaps the reason they were here was for this time of being with these kids--misfits, outcasts, but kids who needed to grieve and be assured of the love of God. He just kept shaking his head and saying "We are supposed to be here! And while we are here for ministry we might as well just paint this house, right?" I had to laugh out loud. I think that is a profound insight into mission. Mission is in many ways about the ministry of presence, and while you are at it, go ahead and do a little repair work.
"Radical Hospitality" in Mission
For many years the Montgomery Presbyterian Church has had a clothing closet open on Tuesday mornings. The clothing is free, and the closet is staffed by volunteers from various church women's groups. One volunteer complained, "The very same people come back week after week. I don't think they need anything. It's just social."WOW! What a ministry opportunity! So I e-mailed a challenge to all the mission teams that would be staying in the Montgomery location this summer. I told them the story of the clothing closet. I asked them to imagine what a coffee shop ministry might look like, and create it. Three to five volunteers would stay back from their work team on Tuesday morning to help set up and serve, and then would return to their work group that afternoon. I gave no other instruction.
The mission team from Bloomington, IN was the first team out of the gate to give it a try. We whittled down to five some folks who were absolutely pumped about the coffee shop. One had just completed her first year at Sullivan, a culinary school in Louisville, KY. She brought all the tools of her trade and wanted to make pastries. I almost suggested this was a high bar to set for subsequent groups, but then who am I to tell her the perfume was too extravagant? As if that wasn't a high enough bar, the group turned their noses up at the coffee mugs I had purchased, and pulled out THE GOOD CHINA! (I inwardly cringed at the thought of the wrath of the "Kitchen Women," but again, there was Jesus and the perfume story....)
The very first morning, there was a couple whose home had burned, and they needed crisis and pastoral care, keeping me away from the set up. (I promised God I wouldn't micro-manage; I guess God wanted to make sure). I waved the group on to do what ever they wanted. They busily set up tables, bright colored (real) table cloths, tea candles, and even put real cream and sugar on each table. They had music in the background. The children's table was set with Play-Doh, coloring books and crayons, and a sketch pad for drawing. As I helped the crisis family (mom, dad, and 11 year old) who had been living in their van since Sunday get set up for showers and to do their laundry until they could get into their apartment, the youth went into the clothing closet and invited people in. Picture them with their aprons on, serving coffee in fine cups, and amazing pastries on china plates! When I returned I was thrilled to see that there was hardly an empty seat in the room! One man read a magazine while he sipped his coffee at his table; several women waved their friends over to their table, and many were opening their bags to show what they had found. One little boy ran up to me to show me his new shirt. One young mom brought in her 3 small boys, and one of the helpers kept them busy while she found needed clothing. Two women waved me over to say thank you and ask if this would continue. I told them it would at least through the second week in August when the groups stopped for the summer. They both said they would volunteer to help us keep it running--why didn't I know that this was where so many of them met each Tuesday just to catch up? If it were not for the clothing closet they wouldn't know what had happened to each other the past week. I heard many, many thank you's from folks grateful for the hospitality. One woman stood at the door looking in and said, "Wow. This just looks so hopeful!" (Now THAT took my breath away!)
In their excitement, the volunteers asked, "ARE you going to keep doing this after the mission groups stop?" And I said, "Me? I am not doing anything. But I have a feeling God is doing amazing things!" They all laughed the kind of laughter we laugh when God exceeds expectations in ways we never dreamed.
God continues to do amazing things. Each week about 40 or so people filter into the coffee hall. Some are regulars now, some drift in for the first time. The regulars love to meet the volunteers and talk to them, listen to their different accents, get energized by their youth. Father John from the Catholic Church preferred a coffee mug to a china cup when he came to visit before a ministerial association meeting. But he said he was struck by the dignity it gave others to share our best in hospitality. Indeed, I find that very.hopeful.
Note: Now that the mission teams are not regularly staffing the ministry, folks from the ministry itself have volunteered to keep it going! Blessings abound.
Making a Difference
For three years the roof leaked into the back bedroom in Mrs. D's house. She put up tarps, she set out pans and buckets. Although she worked, she was not able to afford to get the roof repaired. With each rainfall the situation worsened, and eventually she just closed off that room.Mrs. D's daughter and less-than-a-year-old baby moved back home. Joshua soon developed respiratory problems and had to have breathing treatments. When Tim Stewart, Site Supervisor went to visit the home, he discovered that the entire back bedroom was black with mold.
The mission teams tackled the room with gloves and masks, tearing out the ceiling and walls, throwing away all of the contents of the room. A new roof was put on, and the room was rebuilt. The front porch, unsafe with rotting boards, was replaced. Mrs. D's daughter left a note and a "Sharpie" pen. She asked the groups to sign their names on the porch railing so that when people asked about them she could say they were the angels who fixed their house.
Mrs. D wrote a letter to the groups, thanking them for coming to her house and making it a home once again. She had lost hope, and despair had kept her from even cleaning the rest of the house. Mrs. D said that she had not been going to church, but that she felt the power of God in the love that the people brought. She was grateful for people who could look beyond their own needs and come to her house. Mrs. D said she had enough people trying to get her to come to church, telling her that she needed God in her life. It was easy for them to say to her, "God loves you." But a group of folks from out of state came and showed her what that looks like, and that is what made all the difference.
Advocacy
Our last update had ground breaking information about the implementation of the alternative wastewater treatment system for Ashland, WV. This project continues, and summer teams have helped to finish digging the drain field. As the project nears completion, more information will be provided as update.Background: WVMAW is a collaborative partner with the Wastewater Treatment Coalition of McDowell County. The WTC was formed after the 2001 floods and the necessity of addressing the lack of wastewater treatment came to the attention of many entities and individuals. WVMAW became involved because the lack of wastewater treatment is a social justice issue that continues to keep the county from economic development, and therefore keeps many residents of the county in poverty conditions.
In McDowell County, WV 67% of all wastewater is straight-piped directly from homes into the rivers and streams. Because of geographic diversity, mountain barriers, and the depressed economy, typical sewage treatment is not feasible for most of the county. The Wastewater Treatment Coalition has completed a plan proposal for every household and business in the county.
Ashland, WV is located at the headwaters of the Elkhorn Creed. A small community of about 21 houses, the WTC chose to put in an alternative wastewater treatment system technically called a Septic Tank Effluent Gravity collection system with constructed wetland treatment cells. An oversimplified explanation is that the system works by pumping effluent uphill to a drain field that has low pressure pipe dispersal, working like a giant septic system. This alternative system was designed by Canaan Valley Institute engineers, along with contracted assistance from Stafford Engineering and consultation with Maxim Engineering.
Because the drain field is located in a wetlands area of the mountain, it is important to keep the area as natural as possible. Bringing in machinery to dig the ditches would disturb the natural lay of the land and the trees. It was decided that volunteers could help to dig the drain field and thus cause as little damage to the environment as possible.
Current: So far eight groups of volunteers have spent much of their mission weeks helping to implement this system. This summer Ed Winant, Engineer and designer of the project from Canaan Valley Institute, and Josh Huddleston, Summer Intern Site Supervisor from WVMAW, and Clay Phillips, Site Supervisor in Welch, have overseen the labor. Completion of construction WAS projected for October, 2008, but that has been extended to spring.
Funding for the total project is coming in part from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, (funds have been in place and held since 2004 for implementation of a wastewater treatment project). Other funds that have been secured include WV Department of Environmental Protection, the McDavid Foundation, SAFE Housing and Economic Development, Canaan Valley Institute, and WV Stream Partners program, and a possible grant from the Governor's Partnership. Final hook up will be funded by individual homeowners.
VISTA Worker and Youth Program
WVMAW has been able to provide partial funding for hiring a VISTA worker for the Wastewater Treatment Coalition. Candace Keasler, VISTA, helps to coordinate WTC activities and education in McDowell County as well as oversee the FLOWs UNITE program for middle school youth. Below is her report:FLOWs UNITE (Future Leaders Of Watersheds Understanding Needs In The Environment) is a middle school program that involves students in a learn and serve structure of watershed health. Forty students first began their journey at a two day overnight education camp (at the Bluestone Presbyterian Camp, Hinton, WV) which provided basic watershed health issue information, a mapping overview class, and water quality monitoring training. Hands on water conservation activities and watershed model demonstration were highlights of the weekend.
During the camp training a group of 18 adults and 40 youth participated. (Including Jim and Karen Robinson, Moderator and Treasurer of WVMAW) Bluestone Camp and nearby Sandstone Visitor's Center provided us the perfect location for our activities.
Typically, semi-monthly education forums are conducted with the FLOWs UNITE youth participants and attending partners, occasionally additional meetings are held. These meetings include snacks and then two hours of instruction and activities. Students ask to meet more often but funding and scheduling is often an issue. They get excited about meetings and activities. An average of 17 students attend regularly and the program contains 45 students that have contributed at least 12 service hours.
The International Day of Peace (September 21) was observed with a posting of a banner in the school cafeteria, which read "Kindness is the only force that can transform an Enemy into a Friend". A publication was issued to the faculty at Mt. View Middle School and Mt. View High School, encouraging them to talk to their students throughout the day about what they as students could do to initiate a more peaceful and cooperative environment. Suggestions were provided to teachers to offer the students as ideas for action, such as forming a school conflict resolution program, be the first to make an apology, and to help others through volunteering; all with the idea of engaging their leadership skills and caring for one another.
The clean-up campaign project was initiated on the weekend of Oct 13-14 which was slated as the International Clean-up Weekend. The litter collection was attended by five youth and two adults. A posting of the sponsored clean-up was left at the site to provoke awareness and hopefully to inspire others to make a commitment to help. A segment on the local television station morning show was used to direct more attention to the need for the community to pitch in, for parents to be an example to encourage their children, and for all of us to feel responsible for the Earth.
A Water Quality Monitoring Training and a GPS How-To with activity was a huge hit with students even in the rain!
Students have participated in orienteering training to prepare them for future service projects that will address the lack of watershed exposure (outdoor activities) and to teach watershed health and environmental safety. We are working with the WV Trails system to create an interpretive trail based on watershed health and education. This trail will offer an orienteering course and physical challenges. They will also use these activities to educated younger students on the sport of orienteering in hopes of growing an active participation to allow for opportunities for nature appreciation. GPS, orienteering, and topographic map reading are all skills that will enable them to reach this goal and develop leadership skills to teach others.
Earth Day-The FLOWs UNITE participants, along with their sponsor the Wastewater Treatment Coalition of McDowell County, and other community supporters sponsored an Earth Day Celebration. They provided education to inspire leadership and encouraged action for a healthy environment. The students and faculty of Mount View Middle School and Mount View High School participated in a fun filled day of learning. Community pollution prevention "You are the Solution to Pollution" and a viewing of the Big Sandy Watershed film are some of the activities that they joined in to raise awareness of the issues we are facing. These were followed by outdoor hands-on learning session.
June 22-28, the FLOWs UNITE students participated in a rewards camp at The Mountain Institute, Spruce Knob Center. This was a week long on-site camping trip to celebrate the student's contribution of 30 hours or more.
In July they will participate in the largest education campaign yet. The County Fair will provide the venue for students to share their knowledge with all they come in contact with. They will organize and facilitate the games and activities with children and assist with literature distribution. They will provide support to the Wastewater Treatment Coalition in their education efforts.
Our program has endeavored to create sustainable service-learning and we are establishing a communication with the local Board of Education to create a more embedded service-learning environment for student activities.
We have children that are responding to the idea that we are responsible, and they are feeling the sensation that comes from doing something good!!! Parents have been encouraging and impressed by their children's enthusiasm in regard to the program; some even stating that on occasion sports have taken a backseat - and that rarely happens.
The pursuit of significant funding for future years has begun. We are taking steps to insure that the program that we started with FLOW will not falter due to funding. Community buy-in is a key element and we are taking more action to look at better marketing strategies and public exposure. Seeking qualified individuals to contribute to the planning of these strategies has been one way of creating sustainability. We want this to be the beginning of something great; a stepping stone to a generation that will take up our world's problems created by those before us and not be afraid or unprepared to face the challenge.
Future
We have far more referrals for work needed in communities than we can begin to touch, and are always conscious of having to respond to long term recovery needs in the event of disaster in WV that would change our direction.We continue to pray for those places where disaster has consumed homes and devastated the lives of many families. We pray that the skills folks learn with WVMAW will translate to skills that will be used to reach out in other places where recovery may be needed, or where mitigation will make the difference between minimal loss and total disaster.
Most of all we are aware that God has called us to reach out beyond the walls of our churches and bring the Kingdom here and now. We believe that mission is far more than what we do, it is who we are in Christ. We give thanks to God that we GET to do this ministry.
Thank you for your continued prayers and your support.
Respectfully submitted,
Joan Stewart,
Executive Director
Add a Comment
About
Badge
© 2009 Created by David Robinson on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
You need to be a member of Kenosha-Indianapolis-Kopperston to add comments!
Join this Ning Network