|
|
- Why does ASP have devotions?
- Where do the supplies come from?
- Why are some worksites next to the center and others miles away?
- Why are some supplies delivered to the worksite in the morning and others not until the afternoon?
- Why do volunteers eat lunch at the worksite?
- Why does ASP ask/expect each crew to put in five, full work days?
- Why is it important for the volunteers to eat the dinner provided at the center?
- Why do we have Evening Gathering (EG)?
- Why are chores important?
- What is a typical week like for a volunteer?
- What should I bring? (individual packing suggestions)
- What should I bring? (group packing suggestions)
- Why does ASP have devotions? ASP was founded by a United Methodist minister and is a Christian non-profit. Because of our identity as a Christian ministry, we understand the importance of starting the day by gathering to give thanks to God. The activities of the entire day are "faith in action," but devotion time is a time of meditation and prayer to get ready for "action."
back to top
- Where do the supplies come from? One aspect that makes our program successful in the communities ASP services is the economic investment over the summer months. Each night, the staff has a meeting after the volunteers have “lights out.” They discuss the construction at each worksite and formulate plans for the next day. They also compose a hardware supply list. While some supplies come from the warehouse and are on hand at the center, other supplies must be purchased from hardware stores. Each morning, one staffer will go to the hardware store. (This task is shared by all staffers.) The store might neighbor the center or can be located up to an hour away. Hardware stores can open as early as 6:30 a.m. or as late as 8 a.m. Sometimes there are four or five employees helping the staffer load things in the lumber yard, and sometimes the staffer is on his/her own. It is always our intention to return to the center in a reasonable amount of time, but this part of the schedule potentially changes with the circumstances of each center and each new day.
back to top
- Why are some worksites next to the center and others miles away? When the staff chooses the sites to work on, they take into consideration where the site is located in comparison to the center. Some families are not helped simply because they live too far from the center. However, poverty is not always convenient and your worksite may be up to 45 minutes away. ASP Field Coordinators try to secure schools (volunteer housing) in parts of the county with the most need. Occasionally, though, school boards only offer one school in the county and it may or may not be closest to the need. ASP tries to help people who are impoverished and have no place else to turn. Sometimes that need is not next door to the center; sometimes it is.
back to top
- Why are some supplies delivered to the worksite in the morning and others not until the afternoon? The staff is provided with two vehicles, typically a truck and a van, for their use during the summer. These vehicles belong to ASP. Each day, the staff splits what sites they visit – some go to one part of the county and some to another. The order of houses they see depends on many things: the demand for materials, the skill of the group, the specifics of the materials needed, or the needs of the family and volunteers. Ideally, each home is visited each day unless otherwise worked out with the group leaders. Additionally, sometimes the hardware store visited in the morning does not carry the materials that are needed at a certain site. This complicates schedules, as then the staff must either compensate with another material or travel to a farther store. It is the staff’s goal to deliver supplies to worksites in a timely manner. Volunteers can help the staff and possibly accomplish more in a shorter amount of time by carrying many of their materials out to the worksite with them. Be sure to check first with the staff.
back to top
- Why do volunteers eat lunch at the worksite? This is probably one of the most important and influential activities in an ASP week. If volunteers eat lunch at the worksite, they have time to have fellowship with one another in a new environment. They also can, and should, take the time to talk and possibly share their lunches with the family they are serving. (We discourage you from accepting lunches from the family. They are in a financial bind and we do not want to burden them with taking their precious food resources.) "Breaking bread together" is an awesome way to show Christian love to each other and to the families of Appalachia.
Occasionally the volunteers run into a situation where the family is away during the day or during lunch. It remains important to eat lunch at your worksite, as there are still valuable lessons to be learned. The families, regardless of their presence during the lunch hour, live at the worksite. It isn’t a place where they spend some time – it is their home. They sleep and eat in the conditions volunteers see each and every day. It is a humbling and sensitive experience to eat at the worksite.
back to top
- Why does ASP ask/expect each crew to put in five, full work days? Why isn't there a day off in the middle of the week? One lesson that ASP teaches is that of stewardship. The volunteers and staff are here for the families, and we need to be good stewards of our time for them. It is possible, and encouraged, that the construction portion of the work be accomplished in conjunction with spending time getting to know the family.
back to top
- Why is it important for the volunteers to eat the dinner provided at the center? The volunteers have paid for this meal in their fees. Secondly, the staff and cooks have planned and budgeted for a certain number of volunteers and group leaders, which means cooking certain amounts of food. One of ASP's goals is to be good stewards; taking only what we can eat and eating all we take. This is also a good time to unwind and get to know other volunteers.
back to top
- Why do we have Evening Gathering (EG)? ASP founder, Tex Evans, really stressed Evening Gatherings. He created ASP not to solve poverty issues in Appalachia but to change lives. Whether this is a volunteer’s first trip to ASP or a group leader's tenth, each EG strives to teach a lesson. The staff spends significant time creating the Evening Gatherings provided for the volunteers and it is their goal that they are considered quality programming. There are many parts of an EG: mixers, singing, sharing, story-telling, teaching and learning, scripture, and prayer.
back to top
- Why are chores important? Each fall, the ASP Field Coordinators visit the counties ASP served that previous summer and they ask the facility managers about the condition of their facilities. ASP is truly blessed to have many principals, school boards, and building owners go “above and beyond” to help support the program. The way these people serve ASP is not as traditional volunteers, but as local people who offer their facility for ASP’s use. They open their doors to 500+ volunteers during the summer months. This causes a lot of wear and tear on a building. If we, as participants in ASP, do not leave the center in better condition than we found it, we may not be invited back to a school or in the worst case, a county. Although school is not typically in session during the summer and ASP usually occupies the majority of the facility, the manager or principal and other community members are always in and out of the building. It is in ASP’s best interest to keep the building in fabulous condition at all times.
back to top
- What is a typical week like for a volunteer?
Sunday
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Arrive at your summer center, register & unpack
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Staff meet with group leaders
5:00 p.m. Evening Gathering
6:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Group leaders & staff travel to meet the families
11:00 p.m. Lights-out; get rested for a wonderful experience!
Monday through Friday
6:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Rise & shine, devotions and breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Make lunches, load supplies & go to worksites
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Work day with lunch at noon at the worksite
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Clean up, plan supplies for the next day & relax
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Dinner
7:30 p.m. - 10:00pm. Evening Gathering, chores, free time, & other activities
10:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Quiet time; settle in for a well-deserved sleep
11:00 p.m. Lights out!
Saturday
7:00 a.m. - 10 a.m. Breakfast, pack, center clean-up, & "good bye"
Week One Considerations
Week One is a great week – a blank slate for the staff and the county! At the start of Week One, the staff has just completed their “set-up” week, which includes cleaning and getting the center ready for volunteers, making signs, planning EGs, meeting community contacts, setting up accounts, meeting with the cooks, planning a menu, ordering food, taking merchandise inventory, setting up the office, reading applications, visiting homes, selecting and planning projects, sometimes building showers, and much, much more. Sometimes the staff cannot move into their center until the middle of this week, which makes planning a little more complex and difficult. During Week One, there are still kinks to be worked out, but this is a very exciting time for the staff! They have positive energy and excitement during this time.
Week Seven or Eight Considerations
Week Seven in Virginia or Week 8 in most of the other centers are great weeks! This is the ending week of the summer. By this week, the staff and the county are used to the routine of ASP. The staff knows their way around, they are close to each family, and understand the difficulties and gifts of the county. One challenge of volunteering Week Seven or Eight is being the “last” group of volunteers. There is an added bit of responsibility here with both the construction and the closing-down of the center. It is expected that construction will be completed by Friday afternoon of that week. If it is not, the staff has only a few days to finish the work before they leave the county. It is also expected that the volunteers help to close-down the center, which includes doing extra chores during the week and participating in a blitz clean on Friday night. Leaving the center in better condition than it was found is extremely important. ASP has been asked not to come back to a county because of the way centers are left at the end of the summer. Please understand the importance of this and practice sensitivity to the community and the facility.
back to top
- What should I bring? (individual packing suggestions)
Every person should pack these things:
- Work clothes* (shirts with sleeves and long pants) – enough for the entire week because laundry facilities will NOT be available
- Work shoes (hard-soled shoes at worksites, tennis shoes when working on roofs)
- Long sleeved shirt & baby powder (in case you’ll be working with fiberglass insulation)
- Leisure clothes (comfortable, discrete clothing)
- Bible
- Personal toiletries (soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.)
- Towels & washcloths
- Showering shoes
- Sleeping bag or bedroll
- Pillow
- Cot or air mattress (twin size only)
- Rain gear
- Light jacket
- Hat
- Swimsuit
- Insect repellant
- Suncreen/sunblock
- Personal tools (hammer, latex gloves, work gloves, goggles/eye protection, measuring tapes, pencils, nail apron) (labeled with owner’s name)
- MEDICATIONS - both prescription and over the counter. Only pack enough for the actual days you will be away from home, plus an extra dose or two
- Notarized Registration and Medical Release Form
- Statement of Activities and Release
*Expect work clothes to get dirty, sweaty, painted, and tarred. Do not bring your favorite clothes. Pack inexpensive clothing purchased at yard sales or thrift stores and items you would not mind getting really dirty or trashed.
Optional:
- Aloe vera
- Anti-itch cream for bug bites (ex: Benadryl cream)
- Song books/musical instruments
- Devotional material
- Flashlight
- Pen & paper
- Fan
- Clothesline
- Coveralls
- Extension cord/power supply
What NOT to bring:
- Sweat pants
- Short-shorts
- Shirts ripped out at the seams
- Half shirts (bare midriff shirts)
- Sleeveless shirts
- Halter, spaghetti strap, or tank tops
- Muscle shirts
- Tight bike pant/shorts
- Anything with bad language or inappropriate logos/slogans (alcohol or beer slogans, obscenities, etc.)
- Bikini bathing suits/speedos
- VALUABLES – TVs, stereos, jam boxes, large amounts of cash, jewelry, computers
back to top
- What should I bring? (group packing suggestions)
Each group must have:
- All necessary forms - filled out for each person! (Registration and Medical Release Form and Statement of Activities and Release)
- As many vehicles as work crews (ex: 4 work crews = 4 vehicles!)
Each group is invited to bring:
- Musical instruments and favorite songs
- Recreational equipment - both indoor and outdoor
- A devotional to share at your center (check with your staff)
Each work crew should have:
- Fully equipped first aid kit
- Medical release forms for each member of your crew in your vehicle
- Cooler to carry ice, drinks and lunches
- Water jugs
- Ladders - if possible, both step and extension
- Tool box (with owner’s name clearly marked)
- 2-prong electrical adapter
- Extension cords
- Circular saw with extra saw blades
- Sharpened hand saw
- Screw drivers
- Pliers
- Levels
- Squares
- Chalk line
- Staple guns/staples
- Tin snips
- Drill & extra bits (cement/wood/metal)
- Utility knives/blades
- Saw horses
- Rags
- Plastic sheeting
- Empty 5-gallon buckets
- Brooms
- Insect/wasp spray
Items for specific jobs: (ask your Center Director about these)
- Putty knives (narrow/wide)
- Sandpaper
- Paint rollers
- Paint brushes
- Paint tarp
- Paint roller extensions
- Scrapers
- Pick
- Shovel
- Wheelbarrow
- Cement tools (edger/trowel/float)
- Chisels
- Wrecking bars/crow bars
- Files
back to top
Last updated: August 3, 2007
| |
