4 minute read
The Antidote
BY KIM KOBERSMITH
Russell and Patricia Johnson have been married for 27 years and have weathered a lot of storms. When Russell was just 31, he had a major heart attack that ultimately ended his ability to work. The couple had three girls under the age of three at that time and the family lost everything.
With ongoing health concerns and precarious employment, they were struggling. Patricia went back to school to become a Certified Nursing Assistant and found a job, but they couldn’t afford the $40 uniform. After hearing about Christian Appalachian Project (CAP), she called Jill Stafford with CAP’s Family Advocacy Program, at the time, whose immediate response was, “meet me at Wal-Mart.”
That encounter was the start of a 20-year, ongoing relationship between the Johnsons and CAP. When the girls were growing up, the family was blessed with school supplies, clothing, and Christmas help, along with occasional assistance with utilities when the family hit a rough patch.
“CAP has been a strong influence in my life for as long as I can remember,” said Rebecca, the Johnson’s middle daughter. “CAP did an exceptional job of keeping three kids in a lowincome family engaged in school and able to meet our potential because they took away the barriers that our lack of money caused.”
Last year, Russell and Patricia received additional assistance from CAP. Their home is an old coal mining cabin that had crooked floors and no insulation: an ideal project for WorkFest, CAP’s alternative spring break program. In 2019, WorkFest volunteers from around the country made major improvements like installing new kitchen cabinets and double-pane windows, as well as painting the exterior of the home and putting in new floors.
“CAP staff and volunteers don’t judge us because of our income issues or because our house was rundown,” Patricia said. “They are interested in our life and in seeing how we are making it.”
Russell and Patricia Johnson raised their family in this old coal mining cabin (pictured before repairs). Christian Appalachian Project’s Housing Program worked with the family to install new kitchen cabinets and double-pane windows. Plus, the exterior of the home was painted and new floors were installed.
According to the Johnsons, the spirit in which the assistance is provided is just as valuable as the help itself. It is paired with a deep concern for their lives. “The work of CAP just lifts us up,” Patricia said. “It’s knowing somebody cares; we can just feel God when they walk in our home.” Over the years, the Johnsons have made many memories with CAP staff and volunteers including sharing meals, laughter, and celebrations like birthdays and anniversaries.
Russell and Patricia did what they could to provide for their family and additional resources provided by CAP helped cover the shortfall. According to Patricia, in the nearly 30 years that they have been married, the family has never earned more than $17,000 per year. The United States Census Bureau
Lanora Johnson, the eldest daughter of the Johnson family, graduated from Bluegrass Community and Technical College with her family in attendance. She is currently completing graduate school.
--PATRICIA JOHNSON
defines the poverty line as a family of four earning less than $25,750 per year. Patricia said, that thanks to CAP, the family always had what they needed.
Despite their economic challenges, Russell and Patricia valued education and worked to make sure all three of their daughters had a path out of poverty. Their youngest, Catlin, has an associate degree and Rebecca has earned credits toward a degree in education. Lanora, the oldest, is completing her Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Michigan. “When I went to graduate school, I decided I was never writing about Kentucky again,” she ruefully admitted. Now she is making plans to return to Central Appalachia for her dissertation fieldwork.
“I realized that these are the things that keep me up at night. Eastern Kentucky has experienced major changes in even my parents’ lifetime and increasingly, people cannot find jobs,” she said. Her research focuses on the connections between rural poverty, gender, and health.
Lanora believes she brings a unique and important perspective to the national conversation about Appalachia. “There are a lot of out-of-touch narratives about what it means to be from Eastern Kentucky from people who have no experience in the region, but I have been so impressed with how much dignity there is in the way CAP treats people and includes them,” she said. By studying a place and people she knows and loves, Lanora will help provide an antidote to those narratives.
Rightfully, Patricia and Russell are proud parents. But they are also humble and realize that to raise children takes a village. “When I think about what a huge difference CAP has made, it blows my mind,” Patricia said. ”If not for CAP, the girls would not have achieved what they have.” n
