Early Saturday morning on March 12th, roughly 22 students from the Portsmouth Abbey School, along with 8 volunteer chaperons, will depart for the annual Appalachia Service Project trip. This year they will be going to Welch, West Virginia , coal mining country, to work on various projects for Americans in need. Heading up the effort will be student team leaders Sheamus Standish and Chris Weber . Their experience learned from past trips and first aid training, will be put to the test. Past projects have included, repairing roofs, building decks, painting, digging drainage trenches and anything else that they can handle. One project involved a mother with two children who could not keep her family together until safe egress could be provided to their home. Once a new deck and two sets of stairs were built the family where quickly reunited. It really left a smile on the faces and provided lasting memories for everyone who helped make it happen. Another family, one disabled in a mining accident, had no hot water for over six months, imagine going even one day without hot water! Brrrrrr, A little plumbing, a new water heater and a few Band-Aids later, they were basking in a well deserved hot shower.
This is no simple undertaking, every student earns their place on this noble quest. With a little help from the school, the majority of the cost for fuel, transportation, food, logging and supplies are all raised by the students. Not to mention they also give up a week of their Spring Break to do this volunteer community service. Take it from a five year veteran chaperone….it’s no spring break on a hot sandy beach!
Long days, very modest accommodations, in an old Miners camp house, no television and limited cell service is the norm. Can you imagine …limited cell service, talk about roughing it! Even though it's no picnic to be sure, many return to do it all over again the next year.
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A special Thank you to all the people who support this important mission. To all the moms and dads, to all the people who’s generous support make this happen…without your help, we would not be able to help so many deserving families.
Last but not least by any means…A special thank you to Rhonda, wife of our veteran chaperone and expedition leader, Clarence Chenoweth. Rhonda will be holding down the fort with their newborn daughter while Clarence leads the convoy for the 15th year in a row! God Bless you Rhonda!
