Called From the Mountains

At Christian Appalachian Project, (CAP), we often describe our volunteers as being “called to the mountains” — compelled by faith and drawn by CAP’s mission to serve people in need in Appalachia for a week, a month, or a year. But more and more, CAP volunteers are being called from the mountains as well.

Heather Peters, a CAP one-year volunteer and AmeriCorps member, grew up in Jackson County, Kentucky, and serves in CAP’s Housing Program. She lives in the community she serves and loves having the opportunity to serve in Appalachia as an Appalachian.

“I decided to do a year of service because I love to help people,” said Peters, who is one of a record number of volunteers and members from CAP’s primary service area. “The chance to help my people is even a bigger blessing. I see the needs every day, and to get a chance to help with the needs of my friends and neighbors is great.”

“Our one-year volunteers typically come from outside Appalachian Kentucky,“ explained Amy Schill, CAP’s assistant director for volunteers and AmeriCorps members. “We love inviting people from all over the country to be a part of our mission, but it’s long been our hope to increase local participation, both for the gifts community members have to offer our mission and for the job skills and personal growth opportunities our program provides.”

While CAP’s one-year volunteer program has always been open to the local community, there were several potential barriers. “Obviously, volunteering for a year presents a significant financial hurdle, and we knew we’d need to provide more support if we were serious about local recruitment,” Schill noted. “Second, we recognized that our community living model, which is a central pillar of our one-year volunteer program, might be unintentionally excluding people.”

Most one-year volunteers live in intentional communities with several other volunteers. These communities are not just housing, but are a significant component of the volunteer experience, as volunteers commit to community dinner and devotion four nights a week. The communities also provide a support network for volunteers who are new to the area and far from family and friends.

Heather Peters (left) helps Caroyln Lindsey (right) prepare commodity boxes. Peters has been volunteering part-time or on a short-term basis with CAP since 2014. She is completing a full year of service while also living on her own.

have family and community obligations that make committing to evening activities difficult,” Schill said. “If we want more local participation, we need to build a program that takes this into consideration.”

CAP’s partnership with AmeriCorps, a national service program that supports community and faith-based organizations who engage Americans of all ages in full-time service, created this opportunity. Though CAP has been an AmeriCorps program for many years, a larger grant this year allowed CAP to increase the living allowance offered to members like Peters who choose to live on their own.

“The living allowance allowed me to be able to do my part financially for my family, while being able to do all the things I love at CAP,” Peters added.

Schill expects CAP will welcome more local volunteers and AmeriCorps members as the opportunity becomes more wellknown in the community. “We’re thrilled with the growth we’ve seen so far in this first year,” she said. “A year of service is a tremendous gift to CAP, but it’s also a transformational experience for the individual. We want to make it possible for as many people as we can.” n