5 minute read
Be Extraordinary for Others
BY SARABETH BROWNROBIE
Throughout Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) nearly 60-year history, hundreds of participants have had their homes made safe, warm, dry, and accessible through the hands of the thousands of volunteers called to the mountains. It’s the incredible story of what happens to generous volunteers who come to repair houses at WorkFest, deepen their faith, build life-long relationships, and connect to the resilient people of Appalachia. This is the story of just three of those volunteers.
John Trokan, a faculty member at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio, arrived in Appalachia in 1992, the first year of WorkFest, with a group of students. For many, this was a chance to reconnect with their heritage as they had Appalachian parents or grandparents. By year two, Trokan had developed a companion course to help his students connect more deeply with the region and the people.
“One of the things I learned over time is that this is a reciprocal relationship,” said Trokan, who believes the trip provides more than home repair skills. “When we engage in any volunteer experience, it's about giving and receiving. It's that relationship and recognizing God’s presence, that is really transformative. And I think, for me, it helps me understand who I am.”
Rev. Ralph Beiting, CAP’s founder, often challenged students during WorkFest, by saying "Don't be ordinary, don't settle for being ordinary, but be extraordinary for others." Although Beiting was speaking directly to students, Trokan said that everyone there took that message to heart. “CAP opens up doors and enables students to see that there’s a rich way of living life with meaning by serving others,” he explained. Mount St. Joseph students who have been a part of the annual trip have gone on to volunteer for a summer, serve as oneyear volunteers with CAP, and even become employees. Others have found ways to bring the spirit of WorkFest into their own communities contributing countless volunteer hours to local organizations.
While Trokan’s first trip to WorkFest was planned, Andrew Wegrzyn’s was more of a whim. A friend asked him if he wanted to go to Kentucky on spring break and Wegrzyn simply replied, “Yeah, sounds good.” Since that very first visit, he’s taken 10 trips and served on CAP’s National Advisory Board and Board of Directors.
Wegrzyn was captured by the spirit of the Appalachian people from the very beginning. “The genuine openness and the spirit of the people of Appalachia was incredibly endearing. From my very first trip I noticed it and have appreciated every time I've come back,” he explained.
— Rev. Ralph Beiting
In the beginning Wegrzyn was focused on physical service and construction, but he realized that the experience was deeper than that. “You go there thinking you're going to do all this construction, and you do. But then you also get these encounters with the awesome people in Kentucky and those types of experiences last much longer,” he said.
And then there is Amy Schill. She was a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame when she attended her first WorkFest as part of a one-credit course called the Appalachian Seminar. Because of previous service trips, Schill knew it would be rewarding, but she had no idea how aware of the Holy Spirit she would become or the sense of being at home in Appalachia she would feel. “I had the experience of being in one of those ‘thin places’ where the line between Heaven and earth is unclear,” she remembered.
A few weeks after Schill’s second trip she ran into another student from WorkFest. She blurted out, “I think I want to go volunteer there for two years after college, then become an employee and stay there forever.” And that is what she did. Schill currently works as CAP’s AmeriCorps specialist. “I took on this behind-the-scenes work so that our staff and members can focus on their direct service,” she explained.
Schill believes that WorkFest encapsulates the spirit of the entire organization. “CAP is essentially an ever-growing group committed to loving God by loving neighbors,” she said. “We do it imperfectly, we like to have a lot of fun while we’re doing it, and sometimes we eat too many donuts in the process. It’s the best way we’ve found to invite people to our mission. Once you’ve experienced it, you can’t help but want to stay involved.”
Katrin Arango participates in WorkFest 2017.
The 2001 cover of The Mountain Spirit magazine highlights our tenth WorkFest.
WorkFest is a special annual event that welcomes college students from across the nation for an alternative spring break. Service has been the hallmark of WorkFest for 30 years but food, fun, and fellowship also help create memories for years to come.
