Sarah Csernica spent the week of June 28th volunteering with the Appalachian Service Project in Mingo County, West Virginia.     

The Appalachian Service Project addresses housing repair needs to make homes “warmer, safer, and drier” for low income families in rural areas of Central Appalachia (Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia).  The majority of volunteers are high-school-aged who perform most of the repairs under the guidance of adult team leaders.  

Sarah, with her team, made repairs to the home of an elderly widow, focusing on replacing rotting exterior trim facing, painting the new trim, replacing rotted floor joists and floor in the bathroom, and digging a drainage ditch and filling it with stone to redirect storm water.  Sarah expresses that the experience was extremely rewarding for her, and that her team was moved by the sincere gratitude expressed by the home owner.  There remains much more repair at the home which will be the focus of other following volunteer teams.

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