Family Ties

(above) Vic Byrd has been an assistant crew leader at WorkFest since 2006. This year, he also had the opportunity to lead teams during the response to dual disasters in Eastern Kentucky.

BY TINA V. BRYSON

The smell of bleach wafted through the open window like a fragrant bouquet. It was a welcome scent that spoke of disinfectants and sanitization. Below the window, and under the house, lay 81-year-old Vic Byrd. A thin sheet of white plastic shielded him from the floodwater-soaked ground as he efficiently ripped out waterlogged insulation that belied its weight until you tried to lift it into a 50 gallon thick plastic bag. It was like watching Superman. He was unassuming, heroic, and humble. He was doing the work, methodically, without fanfare, to give a family a chance to save their home after historic flooding that followed an ice storm.

It all started in 2006 when Bryan Byrd came to Christian Appalachian Project's (CAP) Housing Program. His parents, Vic and Ginny Byrd, decided to get involved too. The first program they worked with was a partnership with Habitat for Humanity in Pikeville, Kentucky. Now, they return each year where Vic serves as an assistant crew leader at WorkFest and Ginny serves on the Kitchen Crew and assists with some administrative duties. They also respond when there are needs in Disaster Relief.

The couple met when Ginny, now 80, was a freshman in high school and Vic was a sophomore. This past August, they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, where else, but at CAP. They count it a blessing to get to help people in Appalachia with the bonus of spending time with their son and his family.

“We had been married four years and had no children,” Ginny recalled. “I prayed that if God would give us a child, we would raise him up the way He would want. We tried to keep him in church and in mission activities. It is a blessing to be able to come to CAP and be able to help Bryan and to help the people. A lot of parents don’t get that opportunity.”

Vic added, “When Bryan was 14 years old, a group came to work on an educational addition for our church. We worked continuously on that project together. I was used to working with young men, so when Bryan invited me to come to WorkFest, I was surprised to have a majority of my crew to be young ladies.”

While Vic is out leading a crew of young people on a worksite, the Kitchen Crew meet every morning and have a time of devotion. Ginny said it is a great way to start the day as they pray together. “It is something that is very meaningful for all of us,” she said.

They now bring clothes and other essential items to be used by Family Advocacy. The Byrds are preparing for a time when they can’t serve in the roles they do now, but they also recognize the impact that they get to witness from the students who consider Vic the type of grandfather some of them have never had.

There was silence on the end of the phone. A long pause. Quiet. Vic was recalling an interaction with a pre-med student from Ohio. She had worked with her dad and uncle on projects and told him that she was being under-utilized. He said she had an air about her that she would not be touched by the experience of working with people in need in Appalachia.

“On the last morning when we were saying goodbye, her attitude had changed considerably,” his voice cracked with emotion as he finished the recollection. “I said, you got it didn’t you? She understood what it was all about.”

(above) In August, Vic Byrd, 81, and his wife Ginny, 80, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, where else, but volunteering with CAP.

(above) Ginny Byrd serves on the Kitchen Crew and assists with some administrative duties during WorkFest.