Week 2 Updates

Hello from Mullens Staff! We’ve been having a great time getting to know the families, the community and of course, the volunteers. We’re super excited because week 2 has a special t-shirt auction planned, I think this will give us enough money to fully fund a new bathroom for one of our homes. We’ve finished a few homes and we’ve started a new one for week 2 and we’re very excited to tell you about it!Without further ado, an update on each project…

Project 1
Code Name: Superman
Family Situation: An elderly woman living alone, although she is surrounded by family close by. You’ll have more visitors than, you’ll know what to do with so be prepared to put on your best ASP smile!Last week:They replaced her kitchen floor, with OSB and luaun.
This week: Finishing the tile for her kitchen!
Future: At the moment we have no future projects planned.

Project 2 & 3
Code Name: Nacho Cheese/Charlies Angels
Family Situation: Mother and Father living with their 2 sons and their 16 year old daughter. Father and mother are unemployed. Kids are willing to help out!Last week: Sided their back addition and built them a front porch.
This week: Finishing porch, beginning to fix bathroom floor. Also digging drainage ditch.
Future: siding on front of home.

Project 4
Code Name: Bar of Soap
Family Situation: A mother living with her son and daughter. Daughter will DJ music for the day, so be prepared to work and JAM!
Last Week: Built a back porch and fixed her kitchen floor.
This week: Putting in luaun and tile.
Future: Front porch.

Project 5
Code Name: Paparazzi
Family Situation: Husband, wife and 3 kids. Both parents are unemployed. The kids LOVE to help. Last week: Removed entire bathroom.
This week: Fix continuous foundation underneath the bathroom, begin bathroom repairs.
Future: whole new bathroom!

Project 6
Code Name: Unique Opportunity
Family Situation: Single woman living with 45 year old son. She may not remember when you come by, but she’ll really enjoy you while you’re there. Meg would like to include that Unique’s sister worked where her dad works in Cockeysville, MD.
Last week: This is a brand new project!This week: cleaning walls from mold, sure up walls and roof, fix mold in walls and ceiling in back bedroom.
Future: Possibly paint and scrape windows.

Project 7
Code Name: Cellular Phone
Situation: Grandmother living with 4 year old grandson. Grandson is a real spitfire. She is unemployed.
Last week: Built a front porch.
This week: Attaching porch to house, building stairs, putting on handrails.
Future projects: Fixing floors, checking the foundations and if all is well, placing underpinning.

Project 8
Code Name: Alphabet Soup
Situation: Elderly woman, lives with dog. You’ll love the dog!
Last week: Underpinning!
This week: More underpinning and fixing some foundations.
Future: Porches, replace band joists, possibly fixing bathroom floor.

Week One Update from Mullens

Greetings future Mullens Volunteers!
Here’s the update for week 1:

We cannot wait for you to arrive! We’ve been having a wonderful week of getting to know the families, the communities and our wonderful week 1 volunteers. We’re even enjoying those West Virginia country roads, as crazy as it sounds. Prepare yourselves for the hills and switchbacks, as well as lots and lots of gnats (can you say bug spray?)

In a few days or weeks, you’ll be arriving at Mullens Middle School searching for projects. At the moment, we are compiling more projects for future weeks to work on. As of right now, we have 8 beautiful projects that promise us lots of hard work and a wonderful ASP experience. Hopefully this will help you figure out what to bring for each project, and I’ll try to keep you updated as to what’s happening with the new projects we’re acquiring.

Without further ado, here are some brief descriptions of our projects:

Project 1
Code Name: Superman
Family Situation: An elderly woman living alone, although she is surrounded by family close by.
Last week:They replaced her kitchen floor, with OSB and luaun.
This week: Finishing the tile for her kitchen!
Future: At the moment we have no future projects planned.

Project 2 & 3
Code Name: Nacho Cheese/Charlies Angels
Family Situation: Mother and Father living with their 2 sons and their 16 year old daughter.
Last week: Sided their back addition and built them a front porch.
This week: Finishing porch, beginning to fix bathroom floor. Also digging drainage
ditch.
Future: siding on front of home.

Project 4
Code Name: Bar of Soap
Family Situation: A mother living with her son and daughter.
Last Week: Built a back porch and fixed her kitchen floor.
This week: Putting in luaun and tile.
Future: Front porch? Maybe?

Project 5
Code Name: Paparazzi
Situation: Husband, wife and 3 kids. Both parents are unemployed.
Last week: Removed entire bathroom.
This week: Fix continuous foundation underneath the bathroom, begin bathroom repairs.
Future: whole new bathroom!

Project 6
Code Name: Counting Crows
Situation: Single woman living with 45 year old son.
Last week: This is a brand new project!
This week: cleaning walls from mold, sure up walls and roof, fix mold in walls and ceiling in back bedroom.
Future: Possibly paint and scrape windows.

Project 7
Code Name: Cellular Phone
Situation: Grandmother living with 4 year old grandson. She is unemployed.
Last week: Built a front porch.
This week: Attaching porch to house, building stairs, putting on handrails.
Future projects: Fixing floors, checking the foundations and if all is well, placing underpinning.

Project 8
Code Name: Alphabet Soup
Situation: Elderly woman, lives with dog.
Last week: Underpinning!
This week: More underpinning and fixing some foundations.
Future: Porches, replace band joists, possibly fixing bathroom floor.

Hopefully this will help you out in preparing for your fun week with us!
-Jamielee (Mullens Volunteer Coordinator)

Check in out...ASP CONNECTS

New to the ASP website this summer is ASP CONNECTS. It gives us all the opportunity to see all of the different communities ASP is serving and allows us to connect with the other churches who have already visited our center. There are photos, blogs, and more, so check it out!


http://asphome.org/group/wyoming-county-wv-mullens

Video Clips

For a peek into Appalachia culture and poverty, check out these video clips:

Hidden America: Children of the Mountains

American Idol: Idol Gives Back (2010)

Appalachia Service Project Overview

Meet the ASP staff of Wyoming County

Finance Coordinator: Mike Zitzer

Center Director: Megan Armstrong

Volunteer Coordinator: Jamielee Demske

Operations Coordinator: Becca Ford

Want to know more info about ASP Staffers? http://asphome.org/My_ASP/summer_staff

Welcome to Wyoming County, WV...

Flooding in Wyoming County, WV 2001

Many families are still living in the flood's aftermath--
waiting on assistance from FEMA and organizations like ASP.

Why We Work Here
Wyoming County is one of the poorest in Appalachia with a poverty rate of 25.1% (national rate is 12%) and a median household income of $24,030 in 2007. We have been a consistent presence in the area, since we own and routinely house volunteers at the Guyan Valley Center. ASP has built a great reputation in the community due to the hard work of several past staffs. Additionally, because of the large number of applications ASP receives in the area each year, we are committed to serving in the area for years to come.

Culture & History
Wyoming County was hit severely by flooding in mid-July 2001. More than eight inches of rain fell in the span of two hours, leaving no time for it to soak into the ground. Bridges caught downed trees and served as dams. Roads and railroads near bends in creeks were completely washed out. And many homes and businesses were completely covered in the flood waters. Fortunately, the rains came in the daytime, so there was only one casualty in the county. Had this occurred at night, hundreds could have died in the rapidly rising waters.

This severe flooding is the reason ASP had two centers in the county in 2002. Many people were affected, many still have not received help, and still others received temporary help from FEMA but have not yet repaired their homes to a point where they can live in them again.

Now, years later, there are still families who can use housing assistance, as we’ve been told by community members.

Our relationship with ASP...

Garber UMC has been participating in the Appalachia Service Project since 1997. Each year our group of teenage volunteers, young adults, and their leaders travel to West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, or Kentucky.

The Appalachia Service Project is a forty-year-old program of the Methodist Church whose focus is to make homes in Appalachia warmer, safer and drier. The trip involves two days of travel, a week of work, and one day of travel back home. The accommodations for the week long experience are usually schools that are converted into centers for the eight week program. College students, most of who were volunteers in the past, staff the centers.

The work is hard, hot, dirty, and very rewarding. The work ranges from digging for foundations or for retaining walls to protect homes from water damage, to finishing additions for expanding families. The families that are met and the relationships framed are the high point of the trip. The families have been warm and welcoming, and open our young peoples’ eyes to an entirely different culture in an entirely different part of their country. As our young people serve their Lord in this way, their lives are changed as they make changes in other peoples’ lives.