Christian Appalachian Project » Volunteer Voices http://christianapp.org/vol Volunteer Program Sun, 13 May 2012 14:43:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Judy Shue: Volunteering in retirement http://christianapp.org/vol/2010/02/judy-shue-volunteering-in-retirement/ http://christianapp.org/vol/2010/02/judy-shue-volunteering-in-retirement/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:16:10 +0000 admin http://christianapp.org/vol/?p=1602 Anticipation, nostalgia, anxiety and a bit of panic washed through my mind as I submitted my letter of retirement.  I had fourteen months to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. I was truly at a transition point.   My children were settled in homes of their own.  My grandchildren were entering [...]]]>

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Judy Shue

Anticipation, nostalgia, anxiety and a bit of panic washed through my mind as I submitted my letter of retirement.  I had fourteen months to figure out what to do with the rest of my life.

I was truly at a transition point.   My children were settled in homes of their own.  My grandchildren were entering or nearing their teenage years when spending time with grandma wouldn’t be quite as appealing as it had been during their younger years.  My parents had both passed away.  So I began to consider my options and pray for direction for my future.

Although I love rocking chairs, I wasn’t quite ready to relegate myself to one. I had plenty of home projects and hobbies, but they didn’t seem to offer the fulfillment I desired.  I wasn’t interested in scheduling a parade of “Let’s do lunch” dates on my calendar.  I had no desire to volunteer in the local rural school district where I had been employed for more than 30 years.  There were plenty of charities in nearby cities that could use my time, but the commute would only be feasible occasionally.  Although I wanted an opportunity to share my faith, I didn’t feel inclined to take on an overseas mission experience.

I recalled a contribution request I had received from a Christian organization in Appalachia some months before.  I thought I had saved it, but I couldn’t find it.  Then a second donation request letter from the organization arrived.  I investigated the Christian Appalachian Project and the more I learned about it, the more interested I became.  The Project was a volunteer-based organization that provided those who came to serve with housing and some other benefits.  I prepared an application and told my family of my potential plans.

A year after submitting my retirement letter, I found myself in Kentucky as a prospective volunteer for the Christian Appalachian Project.  There were several programs that interested me – adult education, the Child and Family Development Center and the Elderly Services Program.  After three days of exploration, I headed home to contemplate and pray for guidance.  I seemed to be drawn to the Elderly Services Program.  CAP agreed that would be a fit, so I began arranging my personal affairs to accommodate a mid-August arrival in Kentucky.

I’m now halfway through my term of service.  I love my forty some elderly participants.  I’m glad I can relieve some of their anxieties by being available to help with errands and transportation.  I’m happy to lend a listening ear and join in a time of prayer for their needs.  Most delightful are my visits when I listen to their stories of their hard work, their joys and trials and their love of their beautiful Appalachian Mountains.

The greatest challenge of the experience has been community living with nine other volunteers.  It’s been a long time since my college dorm days, and some aspects of that type of life are disconcerting.  However, I cherish my new twenty-something housemates.  They challenge me to serve wholeheartedly and reassure me that the future of society is in caring, capable and committed hands.  I’ve formed lasting friendships with several other volunteers who are more my age.

In a few months I’ll be going home, but I have plans to return to Kentucky for several months in the fall.  While my future terms of service may be shorter, a part of my heart will forever remain in Appalachia.

This essay was written by Judy Shue, a long-term volunteer in CAP’s Elderly Services Program

]]> http://christianapp.org/vol/2010/02/judy-shue-volunteering-in-retirement/feed/ 2 Volunteers make holidays brighter for Kentucky families http://christianapp.org/vol/2009/12/volunteers-make-holidays-brighter-for-kentucky-families/ http://christianapp.org/vol/2009/12/volunteers-make-holidays-brighter-for-kentucky-families/#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:58:58 +0000 admin http://christianapp.org/vol/?p=1415 For most people, the Christmas season probably begins shortly after Thanksgiving. For volunteers in CAP’s Family Advocacy and Elderly Services programs, Christmas preparation begins in August. That’s when volunteer caseworkers take Christmas Basket applications from families who cannot afford to provide gifts for their children, and elderly individuals who are often forgotten this time of year. Participants in [...]]]>

ChrisFor most people, the Christmas season probably begins shortly after Thanksgiving. For volunteers in CAP’s Family Advocacy and Elderly Services programs, Christmas preparation begins in August. That’s when volunteer caseworkers take Christmas Basket applications from families who cannot afford to provide gifts for their children, and elderly individuals who are often forgotten this time of year. Participants in the program, who all meet income guidelines, indicate clothing sizes and a small “wish list” to give CAP an idea of which gifts would provide the most joy for little ones, and what household items are most needed by parents.

After applications are collected, CAP matches families with sponsors from across the country who purchase gifts for their selected famiies. Boxes begin arriving in early November and are checked in by short-term volunteers who come each year just to help with the Christmas Basket program. The culmination of the program comes in mid-December, when volunteers help organize distirbutions in several Eastern Kentucky counties. Family Advocacy volunteers take the lead in planning the distributions and the church services that precede them, but volunteers from across CAP take a break from the Housing job site or from the Respite centers to become “Santa’s elves” for a day, singing at the church services and transporting boxes for participants. Along with their sponsored gifts, CAP includes a food voucher to a local grocery store so that families can afford a special Christmas dinner.
 
“People say, you’re something to come up here,” says Rich Layer, who with his wife Barb comes from Tallahassee,PC180159 Florida, each year to help with Christmas Baskets as short-term volunteers, “but we get blessed, seeing them as happy as they are receiving these boxes from the donors…it’s really wonderful to be here.”
 
By the time the distributions are completed, hundreds of families will receive gifts from across the country. For CAP volunteers like Rich, the greatest Christmas gift is the distribution itself.
“It’s just a joy to see the smile on their faces.”
 
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