Out of the Ashes

BY TINA V. BRYSON

The fire started before Christmas and destroyed the second floor of the Burden family’s home. Shelia Burden called the phone company to have her line disconnected. When the staff heard her story, the company sent out an email to all employees asking for assistance for Sheila and her husband Scott, who have welcomed more than 22 foster boys into their home since 2017. As God would have it, one of those phone company employees had a spouse who worked for Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) and she encouraged Burden to reach out for home repair assistance.

That was just the beginning of the many connections that brought CAP and the Burden family together again. The relationship began like so many others, with an act of generosity.

“I had volunteered with CAP in 2012 to help with tornado clean up and later served in the command center in Paintsville in 2021 after flooding in the area,” Burden said. So, she was no stranger when she called and heard the familiar voice of Jill Stafford, one of CAP’s Home Repair Program caseworkers. “I recognized her name right away because she had come to our church to do a natural disaster preparedness fair.”

Burden is her church’s emergency preparedness specialist. When the tornadoes touched down, all five counties in her service area were affected. That volunteer experience put her in ongoing contact with CAP staff involved in community engagement. So, Stafford was familiar with the family and worked to assess their needs.

The extensive work on the Burden home will repair the damage from the fire and address other safety and structural issues with the home. They are anxious to have the work finished since the family of 10 are now staying in her cousin’s three-bedroom, one-bathroom house. The family includes her 81-year-old father, her husband, five foster children, her biological son, and his fiancé.

Robert Moore, a Home Repair crew leader, started work on the home in February and WorkFest crews pitched in during March and April. The next month, Mission Groups began work on the home. Not surprisingly, the Burden family has played an integral part in the repairs as well. They insulated the home, and installed and sanded the drywall to prepare it for painting. When repairs are finished, the home will have nine bedrooms.

The Quonset hut home is on property that originally belonged to Burden’s grandparents. Burden’s stepfather built Quonset structures for the military while in Vietnam and brought home the design, which is a semicircular prefabricated structure made from corrugated steel.

“It would have probably taken us about five years to do all of the repairs if CAP hadn’t been able to help us,” Burden said. “We just did not have the resources on hand all at once. It would have been a little bit here and a little bit there.”

Moore acknowledged that Burden has put in a lot of sweat equity to get the repairs completed. “Shelia’s been out here almost every day. She’s here before our crew arrives and she works on the home after we leave and on weekends. The family helps too,” he said. “When I heard that they were taking care of five foster children, I knew I had to help them.”

The wiring was the main reason the fire occurred, and, after inspection, CAP knew the 3,000 feet of wiring would need to be replaced. According to Moore, numerous groups have worked on the Burden home with approximately 14-15 people on site each day to complete the extensive job.

“The neat thing about CAP is that it gives people the opportunity to give of their time or to contribute financially to help Appalachian families like the Burdens,” Moore said. “I love the fact that I work for an organization that makes it possible for people to get involved in a variety of ways.”

Moore added, “As foster parents, the Burdens have a ministry too. I am glad to help somebody that is helping others. Shelia and Scott are hard workers. If there was work to be done, they were willing to do it. Plus, Shelia is helping flood victims as a volunteer at the distribution center. Even though she is dealing with her own situation, she still wants to help others.”

As a matter of fact, because of the extensive damage from flooding, Home Repair crews are assisting with the disaster relief which puts projects like the Burdens on hold temporarily.

“I am grateful. I would tell donors to keep giving because it means an awful lot to us and to other families,” Burden said. “We have the floods going on right now in Eastern Kentucky. There are going to be a lot of people who need assistance with home repair.”

A house fire destroyed the second floor of the Burden family home in November 2021.

Shelia Burden (right) helps with the extensive repairs to her family's home.