Happy Tuesday, readers! Welcome to another edition of Lighting the ASP Journey. I hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July weekend. As always, there’s been a ton of special things happening in the world of ASP. Haley and I traveled around Kentucky, visiting Harlan and Knott County. It was a fun trip overall, and we met tons of sweet homeowners and volunteers. There were a few special stories I’d like to tell.
In Harlan we met an awesome family, who welcomed 9 little additions to their home. Mr. Arthur and his wife have been living in Harlan Kentucky for quite a while by themselves, but he told us the story of how he went from a family of 2 to 11. It was unfortunate, but Arthur’s daughter lost her 8 children to the state. The state was about to then split the kids up and send them to 3 different states. Arthur and his wife weren’t going to let that happen. They intercepted and insisted that they would take custody of the kids so they could stay together under one roof. Then, his wife’s daughter had a child as well, whom they also took in to take care of. He told us these children are everything to him and he wouldn’t take anything in the world for them. I felt fatherly love beaming through him, and I was happy for the kids’ sake that they would all be able to grow up together.
This summer marks the second time ASP has worked on Arthur’s home. Last year, they worked on a room addition for all the boys to have a space to sleep, and this year they’re working on another room addition for the girls too. ASP is also repairing the roof of their house, which is leaking and causing water damage. The project has been moving along smoothly so far, and Arthur is relieved that they’ll finally have room to accommodate all their children. I can tell these projects are going to mean so much to him and his family. You could tell Arthur is so full of kindness in his heart for his family and the volunteers working on his house week in and week out. This man took the time out of his day to walk around with me and a volunteer, showing us his vintage Harley-Davidson and his wife’s Mustang when we mentioned our interest in nice rides, which I found super cool. As Arthur’s house continues to get worked on, I am grateful that he and his kids will have a refreshed home to continue living as one big happy family.
At our second stop of the week in Knott County, Kentucky, Haley and I were both able to experience something new in our ASP journey by visiting new home build sites. The area of Knott Lots Creek has a few homes they oversee that are in the process of being built for survivors of the Eastern Kentucky floods from last few years. Getting to see these sites for the first time was quite strange compared to the usual home repair we have been used to, but also amazing. It felt different not seeing a doorway or front lawn with a house full of wonderful people welcoming you in. By the same token, the land is so flat and elevated that you feel like you can jump up and touch the clouds sometimes. The view is so open and serene. It was cool to see the foundation of a home poured and see what a new build in progress looks like, all the way down to the studs. I have great appreciation for the volunteers working hard to erect these structures that will soon shelter a family in need of relief and provide a place to safely call home.
Thanks to the disaster recovery team, we were introduced to a few future homeowners that will inhabit these new subdivisions being built, and they were a pleasure to talk to. We met a sweet woman named Jess, who had significant flood damage to her home a few years back and her property was deemed unfeasible to repair. Thanks to ASP, a brand-new house is currently being built for her and her four kids. We had the chance to interview her, where she mentioned that she’s usually uncomfortable on camera, but she felt it was only right to tell her story because that’s how she first heard about ASP, and I feel that was very noble of her. She was willing to step outside her comfort zone to speak in front of a camera, helping to spread the word about the amazing things ASP did for her, which in turn will help reach more individuals in need of disaster recovery assistance or home repairs. To that, I tip my hat to her, and I can’t wait to hear she’s moved into her beautiful new home.
As we’ve traveled to different counties and seen the volunteers and staff interact, I’m noticing a lot of growing interest from volunteers in working for ASP as a summer staff, which is exciting and encouraging to see. I always tell volunteers they are a huge part of the reason that this program works, and choosing to become a summer staffer only enhances the role you play in making homes warmer, safer, and drier.
ASP’s reach is mainly limited by the number of Summer Staff and centers we can support each year; every additional staffer helps us expand our impact to more communities in need. With more summer staff applicants, we can reach more homes, change more lives, and have more fun all summer long! It’s a great opportunity even if you’re not a construction genius, believe me, there are a multitude of resources that help our staff be as successful as possible while in these summer positions.
This past week, Haley and I also met someone who was actually interested in what we do as story gathering interns, which was really nice to see! Her name was Cassidy, and she’s currently a student at the University of Connecticut. It was awesome getting to share with her the wonderful aspects of this job and just talk about the cool things we’ve done and learned about media, photography, and Central Appalachia. She’s such a fun, bright-minded person, and I could tell she really had a passion for this.
As I surpass a little over a month into my tenure here, I’ve gotten a good grasp on the job and little things that make it so special to me now. I find the job significant to me because, honestly, this job feels very fulfilling and pretty important in its own right. Traveling around ASP’s servicing regions, gathering content for the marketing team to help further the message of ASP is a valuable effort that leads to impacting more homes, families, and lives in the Appalachian region. I think the work deserves a little highlight, and I encourage those who have the skills or passion for ASP who want to do something like this to look into the Story Gathering Internship. We need people willing to inform the world about these good works as much as we need people who perform them. It was a pleasure to meet Cassidy and her church crew; it’s something I really appreciated. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be reading her blog posts!
Overall, this week was full of new faces, laughter, and fun. I enjoyed every bit of it and I’m ready to do it all over again. Special thanks to you, readers, who have followed me along this journey of ASP. As always, I hope everyone has a fantastic week!
Until next time readers,
Josh Adams
Story Gathering Intern
