SERVICE
Rebuilding Homes & Creating Memories WorkFest 2013
By Rayann White
O
n college campuses across the country, a new tradition is growing: the “alternative spring break.” Instead of spending a week with the traditional sun and sand, in ever-growing numbers, college students are spending spring break helping organizations like Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) conduct service projects that make a difference in the lives of those living in Appalachia. CAP started WorkFest in 1992 as an alternative spring break for college students. The event has grown to attract more than 400 students from 40 different colleges and universities, serving about 20-25 homes over a four-week period annually. Students get the chance to serve others by repairing substandard housing for low-income families in Eastern Kentucky. Upon their arrival, they are divided into teams and placed with experienced crew leaders. They typically serve on one or two home projects during their one-week stay, which may include new home construction, roofing, flooring, siding, insulation, window replacement, hanging drywall, and building ramps and porches. With each home that is improved, someone is offered hope for a better quality of life. “I’ve done alternative spring break trips before and it was more or less busy work, nothing truly permanent. There’s more meaning to WorkFest. You are able to provide for people and know what’s left behind once you go back to 12
THE MOUNTAIN SPIRIT | FALL 2013
school,” said Chantanae Singletary of Drexel University. Volunteer Gerard Alba of the University of Illinois at Chicago shared, “While we came to build houses, the most important part of our trip is the relationships that we build, and that will last a lifetime.” This year’s 16 WorkFest jobs were located mostly in McCreary County, Kentucky, on the western side (the Cumberland Valley) and in Johnson, Floyd, Lawrence, and Knott counties on the eastern side (the Sandy Valley). The theme for this year’s WorkFest was “Die to Self: Live for Christ.” CAP’s Housing program, which coordinates the yearly event, provides home repair and reconstruction services on a year-round basis to participant families and individuals who otherwise could not afford decent living conditions. A number of permanent crews, consisting of an experienced industry-trained crew leader and several longterm volunteers, perform all types of home repair and reconstruction. Families requesting help complete an application, which is reviewed by a CAP caseworker who then schedules home visits to assess the participant’s needs. For some applicants, their families’ living conditions have remained the same for generations. Many of those served are elderly individuals who live alone and have no extended families. For the vast majority of applicants, their present housing is all they have
