Big changes are happening in the Christian Appalachian Project Volunteer Program. Effective August 2011, long-term volunteers will be asked to make a commitment of 12 months, rather than 9-12 months. Though 12 months has always been the preferred commitment, CAP has offered long-term volunteer benefits for volunteers serving 9-11 months for the past several years. Having volunteers serve for a full year will bring more stability to service programs and volunteer communities and reduce the gaps that often occur in between volunteer departures and arrivals.

Also effective August 2011, CAP will end its rolling admissions policy for long-term volunteers. For many years, CAP has had a very flexible admissions process for long-term volunteers: applicants could apply at any time and virtually name the date they would like to begin their service. Most long-term volunteer programs have somewhat rigid start and end dates, so CAP’s flexibility made us a little different and was attractive to many applicants. But there were also some disadvantages to this flexibility. Although many volunteers tended to arrive in the summer and early fall, the handful of volunteers arriving in October or April meant volunteer communities were almost always in a state of transition. And volunteers who did not arrive just ahead of one of the three long-term volunteer orientations would be in their service position for several months before being officially commissioned. Long-term volunteers will now be asked to arrive in August/September or January, and we will have two orientations a year. Having two possible start dates will ensure that new volunteers will always have some “veterans” around to welcome them into the house and help them get to know the area, while also minimizing the number of times volunteers are entering and exiting a community. This change in admissions means long-term applicants will be asked to submit their applications by certain dates, and you can view our admissions timeline here. We will continue to accept short-term volunteers on a rolling basis, as they will help “fill in the gaps” when we have a shortage of long-term volunteers.

We’re certain there will be a few bumps in the road as we make this transition, but we’re also very excited about how this change will increase consistency for our programs and the people they serve and bring more stability in our volunteer communities so our volunteers can grow in faith together. We believe the change will help us to live more fully our core values of Service, Community and Spirituality.

If you have questions about long-term volunteering, please contact Amy Schill at 606-256-0973 or at volunteer@chrisapp.org.

Each summer, the CAP Volunteer Program invites all summer camp, short-term and long-term volunteers out for summer activity. This event is often the only opportunity our short- and long-term volunteers have to meet the volunteers serving at Camp AJ and Camp Shawnee, and is the only opportunity the two camp staffs have to get together. This year’s event, held at Buckhorn State Park near Hazard, Kentucky, was held in conjunction with our summer Commissioning service, where we officially welcomed all the long-term volunteers who have joined CAP since April.

This new crop of volunteers is particularly experienced, with three of the eleven having previously participated in long-term service with other organizations. You can learn more about our newly commissioned volunteers in their profiles below. You can also view photos from the event at our Facebook page.

Joey Vredenburg
“I want to serve,” says Joey when asked why he chose to volunteer with CAP. The New Yorker turned North Carolinian was attracted to CAP primarily because of his interest in serving with a domestic organization. Joey ran his own t-shirt company before coming to CAP in May 2011. Joey serves at the Jean White Respite Center and lives in Johnson Volunteer House.

Shannon Kison
Shannon came to CAP and the Floyd Volunteer House from Everett, Washington. She arrived in April 2011 to serve in the Martin Child and Family Development Center. Shannon worked at a medical center before volunteering, but she says she felt a calling to put her “faith and trust in the Lord into action. God provided the map; I am learning to follow.”

Jason Skodak
Jason, a Michigander, came to CAP in April 2011. Jason serves in the Grateful Bread Food pantry, a change of pace from his former occupation as a home health aid. His faith led him to leave Michigan for his new home in the Rockcastle Volunteer House: “God has predestined for me to be here for such a time as this.”

Linda Rudderforth
Volunteering full-time is not new to Linda. Before coming to CAP in April 2011, Linda had lived in rural Romania as a missionary. She now lives in Rockcastle Volunteer House and serves at CAP’s Healing Rain Substance Abuse Recovery Center. When asked why she is volunteering with CAP, the Maryland native echoes the sentiments of many CAP volunteers: “I want to follow what the Lord wants me to do. I don’t have any fancy reasons, I know this is where God wants me, there were no doubts or hesitation.”

Frank Liccardo
Frank came to CAP in June 2011 from Evanston, Illinois. Before joining CAP’s Human Resources department, Frank volunteered with God’s Child Project in Guatemala. He wasn’t done with volunteering yet, and is serving with CAP to “give back and be of service to others less fortunate” than himself. Frank lives independent of a volunteer house.

Debe Polich
Debe joined CAP in April 2011 from Phoenix.  She switched things up from her previous work as a legal secretary to volunteer full-time as an Elderly Services caseworker, providing visitation and transportation to homebound senior citizens. For Debe, moving to Johnson Volunteer House and serving in eastern Kentucky was a long time coming. “I have wanted to serve in the Appalachian region since I was a child,” she says. “The information I obtained showed CAP to be fiscally responsible, as well as totally interested in serving the poor of Appalachia.”

Kaye Anderson
Kaye joined CAP in April 2011 from Poolesville, Maryland. Though Kaye was already working in the nonprofit sector as a data analyst and computer programmer for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, she decided to trade in the “corporate lifestyle” for one of direct service at CAP’s Grateful Bread Food Pantry. ”After Christ called and saved me in the fall of 2009, I became more and more dissatisfied with a worldly life and felt a strong need to start living my convictions in a very sacrificial and meaningful way,” says Kaye. “CAP gave me the opportunity to give up what I had, pick up my cross and follow my Savior in service.” Kaye lives in Rockcastle Volunteer House.

Lisa Pade
Lisa is a Wisconsin native and a recent graduate of UW-Madison. She joined CAP in June 2011 because she wanted to volunteer after college and CAP allowed her to do so in a Christian community. Lisa lives in Jackson Volunteer House and serves in Elderly Services as a caseworker.

Judy Summers
Originally from Indianapolis, Judy has also called Tennessee and Texas home before moving to Kentucky in July 2011. She lives independent of a volunteer house and serves in Family Advocacy.

Laura Truman
Laura, originally from New Hampshire, describes her life before CAP as “bumming around” Montana and Europe after graduating from the University of New Hampshire in 2010. CAP was a great match for Laura because she has “always wanted to learn how to build houses” and was particularly attracted to rural service. She lives in Jackson Volunteer House and serves in Housing.

Tim Hubbard
Tim is an Alabama native who likes Auburn football just a little too much. The Faulkner University grad joined CAP in April 2011 after serving a term in AmeriCorps NCCC. Tim chose CAP for its Christian atmosphere and because he wanted to continue his calling to serve others. He lives in Floyd Volunteer House and serves in Housing.

I came to the realization a few days ago that I have been with CAP just shy of six months. The time span of six months to me has always signified the end to an incubation period of sorts. After six months somewhere you’ve generally developed a daily routine, learned the ins and outs of your job, or fostered close personal relationships. In fact it had been six months from the time I graduated from college until I received my CAP acceptance. I look back to the cold January afternoon I waved “see ya later” to the mountains of my Pennsylvania home and departed for the mountains of my new Kentucky home-away-from-home.

When I would explain my CAP plan to folks from home, the standard reaction became “Kentucky?” in the same half-incredulous guffaw you might come to hear at any seemingly poor life decision.  I’m happy to say that CAP received me as part of a package deal. My lovely girlfriend of two years, Meghan (shout out) is a volunteer at the Eagle Child and Family Development Center in McCreary County.  Actually, one of the first things we ever bonded over in the early days of our relationship was our mutual desire to do a year of service. I owe it to Meghan for getting me excited about CAP. We were both eager to learn as much as we could about the plight of many Appalachian people and we wanted to do whatever we could to help improve people’s lives.

I have a unique position as a volunteer within CAP in that I neither serve participants directly, nor do I spend the bulk of my working time actually in Kentucky. As a part of CAP’s Community Development Program, I work to spread the message of CAP to the people of Southern West Virginia. In a nutshell, Community Development provides capacity building to smaller, grassroots nonprofit organizations in 19 West Virginia counties. This entails providing educational and material support to organizations who might not have been operating for very long, or that may lack the know-how needed to properly sustain them financially.

I like to think of myself as the roving volunteer within Community Development. I spend a good deal of time traversing the back roads of West Virginia with a truckload of items ranging from office supplies to diapers. I love being on the road and visiting new places, but the most fulfilling aspect of my job so far has been seeing the spirit of excitement alive in these organizations. I’m always happy when I see a community coming together to help their own neighbors. I’ll attend Family Resource Network meetings in towns that may have a total population of about five hundred, but the enthusiasm around the prospect of a community holding their first farmer’s market or receiving a bus stop is absolutely electric.

I’ll suffer the cliché by saying my CAP experience so far has been one of self-discovery. Six months in and I’m starting to look at living and working here less and less as temporary. I caught myself offhandedly referring to the Johnson House as “home” the other day, and that’s really how I’ve come to view Kentucky as a whole. Living in a part of the country with such a vibrant sense of community and mutual accountability for one’s neighbors has not only been refreshing, but has helped me to shape how I view my place here in our wonderful organization.

Chris is a long-term volunteer in CAP’s Commmunity Development program. He lives in Johnson Volunteer House.

Christian Appalachian Project’s Volunteer Program has three guiding principles, or pillars, that reflect what volunteering for CAP is all about: Service, Spirituality and Community. We use the three-legged table metaphor to illustrate the importance of each pillar—all are essential to keeping volunteer life balanced. Because CAP is a Christian volunteer organization, the service and spirituality aspects are the most obvious. Though “community” might not be the first thing that comes to mind when people think of volunteer life, it is an absolutely essential—and exceptionally rewarding—component of the CAP volunteer experience.

Whether a volunteer serves with CAP for a week, a summer or a year, he or she does so not really as an individual, but as a member of a unique community of volunteers who share a common commitment to serving families in need in Appalachia. CAP’s volunteer communities are incredibly diverse in terms of life experience, education and background. This diversity lends itself to a rich community experience where recent college graduates may realize that retired grandmothers can still run circles around them, and where someone who has never cooked can learn there’s more to the culinary arts than BLTs. As of this writing, CAP has 74 long-term (serving 9 months or longer) volunteers from 28 different states who range in age from 18 to 77. One visitor to a CAP volunteer house called our volunteers “a collection of [the] best and brightest caught in a moment of pure generosity.” It is in community that this generosity can develop and blossom in CAP’s service programs.

Every volunteer program needs a cheesy circle picture

The center of CAP community life is the volunteer house. Though some volunteers choose to find their own housing, most live in one of CAP’s seven volunteer houses, and volunteers who do live independently participate in volunteer house life by joining the house for dinner and prayer at least twice a month. A CAP volunteer house is so much more than a shared living space—it is a place of fellowship, self-discovery and most of all, fun. Friendships are formed, more than a few practical jokes are played and a skilled baker can always find housemates willing to try a new treat. Our houses are a source of pride for our volunteers, and years later volunteer alumni write their own revisionist histories of how their community was “the best volunteer house in CAP.” Volunteer houses are a starting point for road trips, lively discussions, and, though dating is not exactly encouraged, a few romances. Many former volunteers have met their spouses through CAP, and we’ll forgive them with the understanding that all progeny will be future CAP volunteers. Personalities vary, so while volunteers should not expect to be best friends with all of their housemates, they should expect to enter a community of people who desire to serve Appalachia and support others in their service.

Because community is so essential to the volunteer experience, the Volunteer Program evaluates applicants not just on how effectively they can serve the people of Appalachia, but how well an applicant can fit into community. Applicants should ask themselves questions about how they communicate with others, how they deal with conflict and how they interact with people from different faiths or backgrounds. For long-term applicants, the personal interview in Kentucky gives potential volunteers the invaluable opportunity to spend a night or two in a volunteer house to see if community life is really for them. If God is calling you to make a commitment to service, spirituality and community, please consider applying to be a long-term volunteer.

The last two weeks I have spent at home with my family in CT. About three months ago I requested and was granted another term of service with CAP, and we get two weeks off in between our first and second years. I can’t tell you the amount of joy and love I’ve experienced in eastern Kentucky. It’s so hard to go home and try to explain to friends and family what I do and the people I serve. Words can’t describe my experience here–and I’ve come close many times to describing what I’ve discovered here in the mountains–but truly no one will ever get the full effect unless they experience it themselves. My first year with CAP was filled with many new friendships, growth in my faith and many new skills. A lot of people kind of look at you funny when you tell them you are going to go volunteer for a year, and yes, you aren’t getting paid, especially after you’ve spent four years getting a degree in which after you graduate you’re supposed to get that great job and make lots of money. Well, this is what most of society thinks you should do and it’s what I thought I was supposed to do until I came to CAP for WorkFest and God opened my eyes. And I’ll tell you this–if I was able to go back in time and change my decision I wouldn’t think twice about coming to CAP again. Volunteering for a year has allowed me to explore who I am and to develop my faith as well as many friendships that I would have never made if I stayed in Connecticut and went straight to graduate school. I think about that a lot; how there are so many people that I’ve met here in Kentucky that I’ve developed such great friendships with, whether they be my housemates, a participant, my crew leader or other CAP volunteers. And honestly, I’ve realized what is really important in life. I used to want the big job with the big house and the nice cars, and I’ve realized those things aren’t necessary and the relationships in your life are really what make life worth living. God put these people in my life for a reason and they have taught me so much and I value my relationships with others a lot more especially my relationship with God. I knew God when I first came to CAP, but he was kind of one of those friends you only call up when you have a problem.

So when I was home these last two weeks I really enjoyed my time with my friends and family. For the most part I hadn’t seen  them since Christmas, which is probably the longest I’ve ever gone without seeing them. Not only do I appreciate my family and friends more, but I also really enjoy my time with them now since I don’t see them that often. While I was home I probably ate ice cream at least once every day, stocked up on my Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and I was even put to work since I now have all these new skills my parents decided to put them to work. So some of my vacation was spent painting a fence that seemed to go on for miles, but when when I was working I truly enjoyed just being HOME. But after these two weeks at home I was ready to come back to Kentucky and to see my housemates because I did miss them like crazy.

So now when people ask what I’m doing and I say I’m volunteering for a second year in Kentucky , you can imagine the looks I get, but I wouldn’t want to do anything else at this moment and honestly living a simple life with little money is so much easier than having a job with lots of income because you kind of lose sight of what’s important in life.

Kate Stefanowicz is a long-term volunteer in Christian Appalachian Project’s Housing program. She lives in Floyd Volunteer house.

At 62, I was floating along nicely making plans for our future retirement and deciding where we were going to live and what wonderful sights we were going to visit.  Then God intervened and said to my wife “come home.”  Here I was, a professing Christian, left with a hole the size of the Grand Canyon in my heart and all of my plans dashed on the rocks of despair.  That was when I came to know Jesus and start to follow His plan instead of mine.  His plan, revealed through a series of steps, was for me to come to Kentucky and offer my services even though I had never heard of Christian Appalachian Project.

Once here I was placed at Grateful Breadz and served there for a month.  Then came the flooding in Rockcastle county and I saw firsthand the physical, mental and spiritual devastation that a natural disaster can inflict on a person, a family and a region.

Two months later came the next disaster disaster, a flood in Pike County, and I watched in awe as my fellow volunteers worked tirelessly to get people back into their homes by doing the most arduous of tasks with a loving spirit and boundless energy.  They were totally selfless in their efforts and kind beyond words to the disaster survivors.

Disasters don’t care who you are or if you are prepared; therefore the response has to be timely.  We were on the ground surveying the damage within 24 hours and people started assessing homes, doing cleanouts and providing needed supplies within 36 hours.  The CAP-wide effort was herculean and included everyone from President Guy Adams to one of the short-term volunteers who spent as much time at the host church in Pikesville as she did in the volunteer house during her volunteer time.

The response has to be compassionate.  The volunteers have to show the love of Christ to devastated people who need to tell their story.  Sometimes this is a simple as stopping and hearing the history of a piece that has to be discarded and sometimes this can be hearing a tirade against the world or the volunteer.  We are there to start the process of healing, bring hope to the families and let them know that someone cares enough help and listen.  I feel privileged to have become a full-time volunteer in the disaster relief program and pray that I can be the hands and feet of God to those in trouble.

Carl Ford is a long-term volunteer who started with Grateful Breadz Food pantry and now serves full-time in the Disaster Relief program. He lives in Mt. Vernon Volunteer House.

Some people are planners; they know in advance that service-driven work is something they were built for. They know deep down in their bones that God is calling them toward something that is greater than themselves. (Cue Bridget McCormack).

I am not one of those people. Perhaps it is part of my capricious nature that I jump at an opportunity when it is presented to me, and don’t do too much analyzing because it feels right. So far, this method of living has worked out well. It is the reason I am here at CAP. Applying, interviewing, and discerning if CAP was right for me was one of the easiest processes of my life. It just felt right.

One of the reasons why CAP felt like a natural choice is because of the type of organization that CAP is; everyone at CAP is accessible, from the newest volunteer up the chain to the CEO. CAP’s foundation lies within the souls of its volunteers, and CAP makes every effort to ensure that its volunteers are taken care of extremely well. The employees put forth the effort to make the transition into volunteer life as easy and as smooth as possible. For long-term volunteers, CAP does its best to make it not only spiritually rewarding, but rewarding in logistical ways.

While the $150.00 per month stipend isn’t that large, neither are my expenses. CAP volunteers don’t have to worry about rent, food, or utilities: all of those things are provided as part of the CAP experience. My biggest worry post-grad was how to get health insurance, which is another added benefit of CAP; they pay the premiums, and have a separate fund to help cover some medical costs. One of the larger stressors of post-graduate life was the responsibility of paying back student loans. However, CAP offers potential AmeriCorps Education Awards as an option for long-term volunteers, and also has a more limited number of awards for those only seeking a short-term volunteer opportunity. In today’s job market, and close to $30,000.00 in student loan debt, CAP provided me an opportunity to gain new skills, defer payments on my student loans, and give me money to pay off those loans.

This essay was written by Julia McStravog, a long-term volunteer in CAP’s Family Advocacy Program.

I heard the call from God to volunteer at Christian Appalachian Project in the summer of 2008.  My life was not one that was full of risk-taking or adventures; I had a great job that paid well and the economy was beginning to take a major downturn. Nevertheless, I was obedient to God and I followed through with applying to CAP. I gave two weeks notice at my workplace in May of 2009. My co-workers and friends alike were surprised at my decision—I was taking a very extended leave of absence from my job during an economic time that could be described as the nation’s worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and I was also moving 1,000 miles away from my urban Texas home to the remote mountains of eastern Kentucky.

My thoughts began to focus on my financial situation and how I was going to be able to afford to volunteer for a year. Would I be able to pay my car insurance bill? What about my student loan? Would I be able to do anything fun on the weekends while I was in Kentucky, or would I have to stay home because I had no money? My worries were promptly alleviated when I found out about all the great benefits CAP offers to its long-term volunteers. For example, when I initially drove from Texas to Kentucky, my expense for gas money was reimbursed. Upon my arrival, I immediately began receiving room and board and even health insurance. Because of my $150 stipend each month, I am always able to have some extra money to go out to eat or do something fun with my fellow volunteers. I serve in the Housing Program and transportation to and from our jobsites is provided. I am also earning an AmeriCorps Education Award (to take care of that pesky student loan)! Consequently, I recently realized I am actually receiving hundreds of dollars per month while serving in Appalachia.

I firmly believe we, as volunteers, are able to immerse ourselves completely in our service, community life and spirituality because CAP takes care of us so well. Instead of worrying about rent or food or money or health insurance, we are able to focus entirely on serving the amazing people of eastern Kentucky.

I can honestly say that volunteering with Christian Appalachian Project is truly one of the best decisions I ever made.

It’s a question we hear alot at the CAP Volunteer Program, and it’s a fair one. Volunteering for a year–or even for a few weeks–is a significant sacrifice for many people. But a lot of confusion exists around what it means exactly to “work for free.” Although many people may write off full-time volunteerism as a financial impossibility, volunteering with CAP is more affordable than you might think.

When you think of “volunteering” you may think of literally working in exchange for nothing. Nada. Zilch. But besides the infinite intangible benefits of giving of oneself in service, CAP offers a number of tangible benefits to make full-time volunteering a possibility.

• Room and board: Whether you are volunteering for three weeks or a year, all individual volunteers receive room and board. Not only do you not have the burden of providing for yourself while you serve others, but you also have the opportunity to live in community with other volunteers.
• Monthly stipend: Available to volunteers serving 9 months to a year, the stipend of $150/month provides volunteers with spending money for incidentals.
• Health insurance: Premium-free health insurance is available for long-term volunteers. Volunteers are responsible for co-pays.
• Travel reimbursement: CAP provides long-term volunteers with travel reimbursement of up to $200 for their trip to CAP and return trip home.
• Medical reimbursement: For health expenses not covered by insurance, CAP provides long-term volunteers with medical reimbursement of up to $200.
• Transporation: to and from jobsites. While you are welcome to bring your vehicle, you will not have to use it for your service position.
• Potential AmeriCorps Education Award: Receive up to $4,725 to use for student loans or tuition. Would you save that much from a year of working?
• Potential loan deferment: Although granting deferment is the decision of individual lenders, most will defer loans of full-time volunteers.

For some, these benefits are not enough. Financial obligations like auto insurance and car payments don’t get put on hold while you volunteer. If this is your situation, consider fundraising. If you belong to a church, ask your pastor about church sponsorship of your volunteer time. Your church may enjoy receiving letters about your volunteer experience. You can also raise money from family and friends (just be sure to let them know their gifts to you would not be tax-deductible). More on fundraising.

If you have any questions about the benefits above, please contact us anytime at volunteer@chrisapp.org or by phone at 606-256-0973 or toll-free at 800-755-5322.

Our new volunteers (not pictured: Nancy Tabor)

On Thursday, February 11, 2010, Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) Volunteer Program officially welcomed 13 new long-term volunteers at its winter Commissioning Service. Although some have been serving since October, many are just beginning their CAP journey.

One of those new arrivals is Ed Riehl, 64, from New York City. Ed is experienced in both long-term service and non-profit administration: before joining CAP he volunteered for Peace Corps in Ukraine and then worked for the organization as a recruiter. Because Ed was looking for a domestic program with a spiritual component, he joined CAP in February to volunteer in the President’s Office. His administrative role in CAP makes him one of several nontraditional volunteers: retirees or baby boomers who are using their extensive work experience to benefit Appalachia. When asked why he chose to volunteer again, Ed explained, “I believe everyone should use his or her time responsibly serving the human community.” Ed lives in Johnson Volunteer House.

New volunteer Nancy Tabor

Ed is joined in Johnson House by Molly and Kyle Lueken, 25 and 26, from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Kyle and Molly began their journey at CAP in October 2009, taking a break from their careers to serve Appalachia. Kyle volunteers in Housing while Molly teaches G.E.D. classes at on of CAP’s partner agencies in West Virginia.

Though some married volunteers choose CAP’s Independent Living option, Molly and Kyle jumped at the opportunity to live at the Johnson House. “I wanted to live in a Christian community and experience that with my husband,” Molly said. “God led us here!”

Living in Christian community was also a deciding factor for new volunteer Bridget McCormack, 22, from Islandia, New York. “I chose CAP over AmeriCorp NCCC because of the spirituality component,” Bridget explains. “Only CAP could surround me with a community of prayerful support as I went on my personal journey.” The 2009 St. Joseph’s College grad lives in Jackson Volunteer House and volunteers in Elderly Services.

After a week of orientation to learn about CAP, Appalachian culture, and to grow together as an orientation class, this diverse group of volunteers was formally welcomed in a Commissioning Service at Mountain Community Fellowship in Paintsville, Kentucky.

To learn more about Ed, Molly and Kyle and Bridget, visit our Meet Our Volunteers page.