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What Is ASP (Appalachia Service Project)?
Appalachia Service Project is a Christian-based organization that was started 35 years ago to serve very low income families of Central Appalachia living at or well below the poverty level. Through volunteers, the mission of ASP is to repair homes by making them warmer, safer, and drier for these families.
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Are You Interested In
Volunteering?
Parishioners travel once a year to Eastern Kentucky anywhere from 4-7 days to volunteer their services. If you are interested in this ministry, the ASP mission involves:
- Helping others
- Working and praying together as a group to do God's work to keep our less fortunate brothers and sisters in Appalachia warmer, safer and drier
during the coming winter
- Breaking bread together
- Sharing the day's experiences
- Sharing the joy of seeing the apprehensive
faces of "strangers" turn into warm, grateful smiles of
friends
We would like everyone to share in our joy and mission. Skill levels are not important to this mission since there are many tasks to perform. Guidance is given on every project.
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When Is This Ministry?
Trips are usually scheduled in October. There is a seven-day trip and a four-day trip. Both trips are scheduled during the same week so that we can share our experiences with our fellow parishioners. We encourage participation for the seven-day trip; however, we realize that this is not feasible for everyone. The four-day trip is scheduled to accommodate those who want to participate but cannot commit to the full week.
Appalachia Service Project 2006 - “Our sixth Year”
You Are The Light Of The World
The Story of Just One
Family Helped by Your Contributions to St Thomas’ ASP Ministry
APPALACHIA
All of the volunteers thank you for helping us achieve our
financial goals this year. The money that is donated each
year helps us greatly in purchasing building materials and
supplies for our projects. Our goal was $3000. We achieved
$3,500, which helped us immensely this year.
This year twelve volunteers traveled to Eastern Kentucky to
work with Appalachia Service Project on assisting those that
are less fortunate. This is an extremely poor area in our
country of wealth. This year we worked at one site, but it
was a major project. This was an interesting site in that
only four wheel drive vehicles could get to it. There were
three steep hills to climb and two sharp switchbacks.
All twelve volunteers this year worked at this site. Six of
us worked for the full week and six more arrived to help us
on Friday and Saturday. The project included tearing off the
old roof overhangs so that we could build an addition to the
house and put in the necessary supporting structures for a
new roof. We dug 15 holes 2 feet deep in rocky terrain so
that we could pour concrete piers for the new structure and
add five posts in the back of the house to support a new
roof for the old and new. Many large rocks had to be removed
to give us room for the new additions floor. The back side
of the house had a piece of side wall missing. This was a
big project. As fortune would have it, one of the volunteers
was a professional carpenter who has been with us the last
three years.
The original structure had one broken window, no insulation
or inside wall covering, no heat, no running water, no
bathroom facilities and minimal electricity. Electricity was
provided from a single Romax wire from a trailer 100 yards
down the hill. The old structure was considered beyond
repair. The new addition is free standing. ASP has a
schedule to improve and provide the necessary living
facilities and amenities over time. Josh lived in this
house. He is 22 years old and is trying to get a fresh start
in life. He has been unemployed, but recently started a job
at Burger King that is 3 miles away. He has no
transportation so he walks to and from work. A bicycle would
be rendered useless in a very short period of time in this
terrain. He has some skills, but is unable to find
employment to use them. Josh was extremely grateful for the
work we did and he worked very hard as one of the team
members when he wasn't at his day job. His gifts to us was
his working hard with us and three pieces of art work he
drew with a ball point pen on loose leaf paper that he was
very proud of. He took the time to get to know each one of
us personally, which impressed us all. We all agreed that he
was one of the nicest and most thoughtful people we have
ever met in all of our Kentucky worksites. He changed his
work schedule so
that he could say goodbye to us on our last day and met us
in the morning with big hugs and thanked us many times.
Your donations provided materials for Joshs new addition and
needed supplies for our safety and medical
kits. This included: 30 bags of concrete, pressured treated
lumber to build new girders and floor joists, new floor
decking, lumber to build new walls, siding for the new
addition, new entry doors, and new roof trusses. 2006
Volunteers: Tom Musielak, Frank Rehberg, Jeff Bohlmann, Amy
Kauth, Cherie Bott, Leo Herz, Tom Walsh, Tommy Walsh, Mike
Krawzak, Chris Fisher, Ron and Juli Tragasz.
A side note to Appalachia Service Project this year:
A little side charity work we did this year as a group was
to contribute toys to a Social Service Agency in Breathitt
County Kentucky. A week or so before we left on our mission,
we and other groups received a request to bring down quality
toys, if possible, for a Christmas Party to be held for the
kids who dont have much. Since our car and truck space is
limited, we decided to do a grass roots campaign and just
email several groups here at St. Thomas. Thanks to the
generosity of 15 donors, we took $510.00 with us to Kentucky
where we were able to purchase wonderful quality toys for
children ages preschool through Jr. High.
Thank you to those of you who donated your treasure for this
worthwhile cause.
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Other Ways To Participate In This Ministry
For anyone who is unable to make the trip to Eastern Kentucky, but would like to participate in this ministry in some other way, we gladly accept monetary donations. Any contributions will be used for supplies that are needed for projects during that week-long trip.
Checks should be made payable to St. Thomas of Villanova with ASP written in the
memo section of the check. Please mail the check to the Parish Office. You can find the address for the Parish Office listed under the Parish Directory section of this website.
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Where Can One Obtain More Information?
You can obtain more information
about our ministry by contacting the Parish Office at 847-358-6999
or
contacting:
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Prayer Called "Yours Are The Hands of Christ"
| Yours Are the Hands of Christ |
"Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no feet but yours, no hands but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion
of Christ is to look out on a hurting world.
Yours are the feet which he is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless now."
Teresa of Avila, 16th Century |
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St. Thomas of Villanova