Your summer office

Want to do something meaningful this summer? Christian Appalachian Project is currently accepting applications for volunteer summer camp counselors, lifeguards, office helpers, nurses and arts & crafts instructors. Our camps are nestled in the beautiful Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky, and our campers come from some of the poorest communities in the nation. Our camps provide children from low-income families a place to have fun, learn respect for themselves and others and encounter Christ through the faith in action of our volunteers. If you have 2-8 weeks to give this summer, you can make a difference in the life of a child, and meet other people of faith from across the country. Volunteers needed June 4-August 3.

Learn more about CAP’s summer camps and how you can volunteer

Read a testimonial from a former volunteer

Apply online. We can process your application quickly, but summer is almost here, so apply today!

Though our May 1 deadline has passed, we will continue to accept applications for long-term volunteering until positions are filled. Positions are still available in Housing, Elderly Services, Disaster Relief, Educational and Recreational Programming, Group hosting, Domestic Abuse Centers, Family Advocacy, and Human Resources. Volunteers may begin their service as early as August 1 and will make a commitment of 12 months.

Benefits of Long-term Volunteering

Long-term volunteers receive a multitude of benefits from their service time, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Immersion in a new culture
• Living in intentional Christian community
• Valuable job-related experience

Even though volunteers receive many intangible benefits, it is important to note that making a long-term commitment can be a significant financial sacrifice. CAP offers the following benefits to long-term volunteers to help make volunteering more affordable and to ease the concerns that you or your family may have:

• Room and board
• Monthly stipend
• Health insurance
• Potential student loan deferment
• Potential AmeriCorps Education Award

Requirements

To become a long-term CAP volunteer, you must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum age of 18 years old (21 or older preferred; placements are limited for volunteers younger than 21)
• Complete a volunteer application, including a complete driving records check, three personal references and a national background check
• Be personally interviewed by CAP Volunteer Program staff
• Pass a drug screening upon arrival at CAP
• For positions that require volunteers to drive a CAP vehicle, applicants must be 21 or older with a good driving record

We are looking for volunteers who are dependable, flexible, emotionally mature, self-starting, sensitive to other cultures, religions, etc., able to live in community, have a sense of humor and have a desire to serve others. We can teach the particular skills needed to perform in your service position, what we can’t teach is a compassionate heart and a passion for our mission.

Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information about long-term volunteering.

Pillars of CAP Volunteer Life

At Commissioning, long-term volunteers are invited to sign a covenant representing their commitment to service, community and spirituality. Follow the links below to learn how each value contributes to the volunteer experience.

Service
CAP volunteers serve in a variety of programs that utilize a self-help philosophy and uplift young people.

Community
Whether a volunteer lives in one of CAP’s volunteer communities or independently, each volunteer makes a commitment to community life by sharing in the joys, challenges and growth that comes with being a short-term or long-term CAP volunteer.

Spirituality
CAP is an interdenominational organization that encourages people to share their faith and express it through their actions. Personal spiritual growth can be an integral part of the CAP volunteer experience. To foster a spiritual environment, volunteers gather for prayer and reflection after weekday dinners.

April is application season at Christian Appalachian Project Volunteer Program. With the May 1 deadline for long-term volunteer applications approaching, we check our email and postal mail each day excited to learn the names of potential volunteers. We’ve already accepted 11 long-term volunteers who applied by our February 1 early deadline, and we have conducted 10 additional interviews, either personally in Kentucky or over Skype. We will be interviewing candidates throughout the summer, and by our orientation in September we hope to have more than 40 new long-term volunteers to commission for a year of service to CAP and the people of Appalachia. If you are interested in becoming a long-term volunteer with CAP, we encourage you to complete your application by May 1; however, we will continue to accept applications until all positions are filled.

Though we do not have a set deadline for summer camp volunteer applications, we prefer to have the majority of applications submitted by May 1 as well. We are seeking counselors, lifeguards, nurses, arts & crafts instructors, musicians and office helpers to serve 3-7 weeks at our two summer camps in eastern Kentucky. Most of our campers come from low-income families, and our volunteers make it possible for them to have a fun summer camp experience and learn the values of respect, self-confidence and care of creation.

Our application process is thorough. We are not a competitive program (you are not competing against other applicants for admission), but we are selective. Below are tips to putting together a successful application:

• Take the time to answer questions thoughtfully. Most questions are short-answer, so we don’t need an essay  for each one, but we are looking for responses that demonstrate the applicant’s seriousness about joining our mission and self-awareness about strengths and growth areas. Please proofread your application for typos, spelling and grammatical errors.

• Choose your references carefully, and give them plenty of time to submit their forms. References that are slow to arrive are the number one cause of delays in the admissions process. We recommend distributing the reference forms before beginning the application and offering your references an addressed and stamped return envelope. We do not mind receiving references before the application.

• Consider all CAP’s service programs and choose 2-3 that interest you most. We want to place volunteers in positions where they will excel, but ultimately we are seeking volunteers who are passionate about our mission and not just one particular program. Positions are limited, and it is possible that you will not receive your first choice of placement.

• Persevere. We realize our application is probably longer than any job application you will ever complete. Keep in mind that you’re not applying for a job–in reviewing your application, we must consider not only how you will perform in your service position, but also how you will do living in community and serving with an interdenominational faith-based mission organization. Serving full-time for a year or even a few weeks is a big commitment, and we hope you will find the application to be a helpful tool in discerning your readiness to make that commitment.

• Ask questions. We would love the opportunity to speak to you personally and learn what led you to apply with us. If you have any questions or concerns about the application or volunteer life, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Christian Appalachian Project is seeking a long-term (12-month commitment) volunteers to serve in our domestic violence shelters in eastern Kentucky. These positions are available immediately and the usual admissions timeline and application dates for long-term volunteers do not apply. Volunteers may begin immediately after completing the application and admissions process (typically 1-2 months).

Christian Appalachian Project has been committed to helping families resolve varying degrees of crisis and domestic abuse for more than 25 years. Currently, CAP operates two centers that serve several Kentucky counties. With a staff of employees and CAP volunteers, they provide safe shelter to hundreds of survivors and their children each year.

Our abuse centers assist survivors of domestic abuse in obtaining housing, serve as an advocate for survivors in the court system and help survivors obtain any other resources they might require. Participants are also able to access counseling though CAP’s Counseling program. CAP staff and volunteers educate the public about domestic violence through community presentations and events.

Some volunteers in this program may perform community education and work with incarcerated women, while others serve children living in the shelter, so evening shifts are frequent. Volunteers may also perform other staff assistant duties as required.

Benefits of Long-term Volunteering

Long-term volunteers receive a multitude of benefits from their service time, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Immersion in a new culture
• Living in intentional Christian community
• Valuable job-related experience

Even though volunteers receive many intangible benefits, it is important to note that making a long-term commitment can be a significant financial sacrifice. We ask our volunteers to make sacrifices, but we also provide our volunteers the support they need to provide the best service they can. CAP offers the following benefits to long-term volunteers to help make volunteering more affordable and to ease the concerns that you or your family may have:

• Room and board
• Monthly stipend
• Health insurance
• Travel reimbursement
• Potential student loan deferment
• Time off to visit friends and family

Requirements

To become a long-term Domestic Violence Shelter volunteer, you must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum age of 18 years old
• Complete a volunteer application, including a complete driving records check, three personal references and a national background check
• Be personally interviewed by CAP Volunteer Program staff
• Pass a drug screening upon arrival at CAP

We are looking for volunteers who are dependable, flexible, emotionally mature, self-starting, sensitive to other cultures, religions, etc., able to live in community, have a sense of humor and have a desire to serve others. We can teach the particular skills needed to perform in your service position, what we can’t teach is a compassionate heart and a passion for our mission.

Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information about long-term volunteering.

Pillars of CAP Volunteer Life

At Commissioning, long-term volunteers sigh a covenant representing their commitment to service, community and spirituality. Follow the links below to learn how each value contributes to the volunteer experience.

Service

CAP volunteers serve in various CAP and local programs that benefit children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

Community

Whether a volunteer lives in one of CAP’s volunteer communities or independently, each volunteer makes a commitment to community life by sharing in the joys, challenges and growth that comes with being a short-term or long-term CAP volunteer.

Spirituality

CAP is an interdenominational organization that encourages people to share their faith and express it through their actions. Personal spiritual growth is an integral part of the CAP volunteer experience. To foster a spiritual environment, volunteers gather for prayer and reflection after weekday dinners.

In a deadly tornado outbreak Friday, March 2, state officials have confirmed 23 have died in Kentucky in what was one of the most incredibly violent storms in recent history. The devastation is catastrophic. Homes, churches and businesses have been completely destroyed. Sixteen of those who died lived in mobile homes.

CAP Disaster Relief teams were quick to respond, deploying 150 volunteers to help with the clean-up. We are also helping to staff the shelter for people that lost their homes. In addition, we have opened our warehouse doors for survivors to come for water, food, and other basic necessities, and are providing shower trailers for people in desperate need.

We diverted volunteers serving at WorkFest, our alternative college spring break program, from their scheduled home repair projects to disaster relief service in Magoffin County, one of the hardest hit. This week, WorkFest volunteers will also respond in Laurel County.

Interested volunteers should contact volunteer@chrisapp.org with dates available and contact information. At this time, we are unable to take volunteer groups. To give financially, please click the “Give Now” button on the right side of this page.

Christian Appalachian Project is seeking a long-term (12 month commitment) volunteer to serve in our food pantry in eastern Kentucky. This position is available in April and the usual admissions timeline and application dates for long-term volunteers do not apply. This volunteer may begin in April or as soon as available.

Photo: Lynn Hardesty

The Grateful Bread food pantry, located in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, serves more than 2,000 people a month, reaching more than 70% of those in poverty in Rockcastle County. Grateful Bread distributes both government commodities to the elderly and donated and purchased food for low-income families that suffer from food insecurity. Participants may visit Grateful Bread once a month to receive supplemental food supplies.

Grateful Bread also provides participants in CAP’s Substance Abuse Recovery program with a place to develop job skills. Participants serve at the pantry as volunteers, learning skills they can transfer to a job upon graduating from the program.

Volunteers at Grateful Bread may receive, pick up and organize donated food, do intake on new participants, staff the pantry during operating hours and coordinate community volunteers for the monthly commodities program.

Benefits of Long-term Volunteering

Long-term volunteers receive a multitude of benefits from their service time, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Immersion in a new culture
• Living in intentional Christian community
• Valuable job-related experience

Even though volunteers receive many intangible benefits, it is important to note that making a long-term commitment can be a significant financial sacrifice. We ask our volunteers to make sacrifices, but we also provide our volunteers the support they need to provide the best service they can. CAP offers the following benefits to long-term volunteers to help make volunteering more affordable and to ease the concerns that you or your family may have:

• Room and board
• Monthly stipend
• Health insurance
• Travel reimbursement
• Potential student loan deferment
• Time off to visit friends and family

Requirements

To become a long-term Food Pantry volunteer, you must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum age of 21 years old
• Complete a volunteer application, including a complete driving records check, three personal references and a national background check
• Be personally interviewed by CAP Volunteer Program staff
• Pass a drug screening upon arrival at CAP
• Have a good driving record and pass a driving test upon arrival

We are looking for volunteers who are dependable, flexible, emotionally mature, self-starting, sensitive to other cultures, religions, etc., able to live in community, have a sense of humor and have a desire to serve others. We can teach the particular skills needed to perform in your service position, what we can’t teach is a compassionate heart and a passion for our mission.

Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information about long-term volunteering.

Pillars of CAP Volunteer Life

At Commissioning, long-term volunteers sigh a covenant representing their commitment to service, community and spirituality. Follow the links below to learn how each value contributes to the volunteer experience.

Service

CAP volunteers serve in various CAP and local programs that benefit children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

Community

Whether a volunteer lives in one of CAP’s volunteer communities or independently, each volunteer makes a commitment to community life by sharing in the joys, challenges and growth that comes with being a short-term or long-term CAP volunteer.

Spirituality

CAP is an interdenominational organization that encourages people to share their faith and express it through their actions. Personal spiritual growth is an integral part of the CAP volunteer experience. To foster a spiritual environment, volunteers gather for prayer and reflection after weekday dinners.

Christian Appalachian Project is seeking long-term (12 month commitment) volunteers to serve as Elderly Services caseworkers in eastern Kentucky. These positions are available immediately and the usual admissions timeline and application dates for long-term volunteers do not apply. Volunteers in Elderly Services may begin their service as soon as admitted and available.

Elderly Services

With their children leaving the area to seek employment, many elderly find themselves with limited support systems. Lack of transportation and limited mobility make even the simplest of tasks – visiting friends, picking up groceries and basic home maintenance – a hurdle to overcome. Poverty and illness only compound the challenges Appalachia’s elderly face.

Elderly Caseworkers provide “a friend and a ride” to many homebound senior citizens. Home visits, transportation, social activities and prescription assistance ease the effects of isolation and allow homebound or ill senior citizens to remain in their homes longer. Long-term volunteer caseworkers carry a caseload of 20-40 elderly participants whom they visit at least once a month. In addition to visitation, volunteers provide transportation to the doctor’s office, area stores and even to visit friends down the road. Volunteers may also refer participants to CAP’s Prescription Assistance program. Elderly Services volunteers are called to be both advocates and friends to the elderly–by the end of your service, you may even be considered family.

Benefits of Long-term Volunteering

Long-term volunteers receive a multitude of benefits from their service time, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Immersion in a new culture
• Living in intentional Christian community
• Valuable job-related experience

Even though volunteers receive many intangible benefits, it is important to note that making a long-term commitment can be a significant financial sacrifice. We ask our volunteers to make sacrifices, but we do not ask them to become destitute. CAP offers the following benefits to long-term volunteers to help make volunteering more affordable and to ease the concerns that you or your family may have:

• Room and board
• Monthly stipend
• Health insurance
• Travel reimbursement
• Potential student loan deferment
• Time off to visit friends and family

Requirements

To become a long-term Elderly Services volunteer, you must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum age of 21 years old
• Complete a volunteer application, including a complete driving records check, three personal references and a national background check
• Be personally interviewed by CAP Volunteer Program staff
• Pass a drug screening upon arrival at CAP
• Have a good driving record and pass a driving test upon arrival

We are looking for volunteers who are dependable, flexible, emotionally mature, self-starting, sensitive to other cultures, religions, etc., able to live in community, have a sense of humor and have a desire to serve others. We can teach the particular skills needed to perform in your service position, what we can’t teach is a compassionate heart and a passion for our mission.

Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information about long-term volunteering.

Pillars of CAP Volunteer Life

At Commissioning, long-term volunteers sigh a covenant representing their commitment to service, community and spirituality. Follow the links below to learn how each value contributes to the volunteer experience.

Service

CAP volunteers serve in various CAP and local programs that benefit children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

Community

Whether a volunteer lives in one of CAP’s volunteer communities or independently, each volunteer makes a commitment to community life by sharing in the joys, challenges and growth that comes with being a short-term or long-term CAP volunteer.

Spirituality

CAP is an interdenominational organization that encourages people to share their faith and express it through their actions. Personal spiritual growth is an integral part of the CAP volunteer experience. To foster a spiritual environment, volunteers gather for prayer and reflection after weekday dinners.

We’re excited for the 20th anniversary of WorkFest! Over the course of three weeks, we will welcome students from 36 colleges and universities who are giving their spring break in service to others, but are receiving so much more in return. Check this page often in March for blog posts about WorkFest and pictures from the job sites.

Participating schools
Colleges participating in WorkFest 2012.

What to bring for participating students and leaders
…And what not to bring.

Schedule
What your typical day will look like.

What your typical day will look like.

WorkFest blog
Follow the WorkFest experience of long-term volunteers Kerri Weiseman and Leah Coughlan.

Pictures and project details
Before and after and volunteer pictures from our jobsites. Out of respect for participant privacy, we identify projects by crew color rather than by participant name.

Each January, Christian Appalachian Project offers a smaller long-term volunteer orientation for December college graduates and other applicants who would prefer a January start state over our traditional August/September admissions period. We’re so happy to have several volunteers starting their new year with CAP and dedicating 2012 to serving the poor and marginalized in Appalachia.

We cap off orientation week with a Commissioning Service. The new volunteers hear reflections on the Volunteer Program’s core values of Service, Community and Spirituality, and then sign a covenant symbolizing their commitment to those values. Commissioning also gives CAP staff and “veteran” volunteers the opportunity to formally welcome new volunteers into the CAP family. You can view pictures from Commissioning at our Facebook page.

Take a minute to learn more about some of our new volunteers below. If you would like to join them in service to Appalachia, consider applying for our next orientation in September.

Janet T.
Janet, whose background is in Human Resources, came to CAP from Virginia to volunteer in the Elderly Housing program. “I want to make an immediate, tangible difference in someone else’s life and to grow in my faith as a Christian,” Janet says. She lives in Johnson Volunteer House and found out about CAP through an internet search.

Josh L.
Stonehill College strikes again! Josh is the fifth Stonehill College grad to serve with CAP since 2009, and we’re so glad he’s here. He serves at Grateful Bread Food Pantry. Josh hopes to learn “how to build relationships and impact people’s lives through loving others.” He would also like to grow in his faith, and chose CAP in part because of the emphasis on daily devotions. Josh is originally from Massachusetts and now lives in Rockcastle Volunteer House. He learned about CAP through Stonehill College.

Tricia B.
Tricia came to CAP from Texarkana, Texas. “I am called to missions, and I prayed to God about what I should do with that calling,” Tricia says. “He directed me to volunteer for this program, because people tend to overlook the poor in their own country.” Tricia serves in Eagle Child and Family Development Center and lives in McCreary Volunteer House. Tricia learned about CAP through an internet search.

Daniel L.
Daniel came to CAP from Salinas, California. He is a recent graduate of Occidental College and now serves in the Housing Program. Daniel lives in Magoffin Volunteer House, and he learned about CAP through an internet search.

Greg S.
“It’s where I feel I am called to be right now,” says Greg of his service with CAP. Greg is a Louisville, Kentucky native, though he is very clear that he “bleeds” Kentucky Wildcat Blue. He serves in Housing and lives in Magoffin Volunteer House. Greg learned about CAP from a friend he worked with at a summer camp.

Don P.
Don is a retired school administrator and pastor.  From Apalachin, New York, Don now lives in Magoffin Volunteer House and serves in Elderly Services as a caseworker. Don hopes to “grow closer to Christ and better serve His people.” Don has been a CAP donor and is excited to now be volunteering.

The priority application deadline for Fall 2012 long-term (12 months) volunteers is February 1. Although we will continue to accept applications until May 1, priority placement will be granted to applicants  who apply by the earlier deadline.

Who should apply early?

We recommend the February 1 application date to prospective volunteers who have a strong interest in a particular service program, especially if the program has limited placements (Adult Education, Disability Services, Educational and Recreational Programming, Substance Abuse Recovery). We also recommend this deadline for college and high school seniors who would prefer to be interviewed before graduation. Please see our admissions timeline for full details.

Benefits of Long-term Volunteering

Long-term volunteers receive a multitude of benefits from their service time, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Immersion in a new culture
• Living in intentional Christian community
• Valuable job-related experience

Even though volunteers receive many intangible benefits, it is important to note that making a long-term commitment can be a significant financial sacrifice. We ask our volunteers to make sacrifices, but we do not ask them to become destitute. CAP offers the following benefits to long-term volunteers to help make volunteering more affordable and to ease the concerns that you or your family may have:

• Room and board
• Monthly stipend
• Health insurance
• Potential student loan deferment
• Potential AmeriCorps Education Award (currently unavailable)

Requirements

To become a long-term CAP volunteer, you must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum age of 18 years old
• Complete a volunteer application, including a complete driving records check, three personal references and a national background check
• Be personally interviewed by CAP Volunteer Program staff
• Pass a drug screening upon arrival at CAP
• For positions that require volunteers to drive a CAP vehicle, applicants must be 21 or older with a good driving record

We are looking for volunteers who are dependable, flexible, emotionally mature, sensitive to other cultures, religions, etc., able to live in community, have a sense of humor and have a desire to serve others. We can teach the particular skills needed to perform in your service position, what we can’t teach is a compassionate heart and a passion for our mission.

Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information about long-term volunteering.