What is Appalachia Service project?
How can a region so rich in natural resources be so poor?
You can't build factories on mountainsides. You can't plant crops. And for more than a hundred years, large corporations have extracted natural resources while putting little back in the form of taxes or community support. The result is that jobs are few and far between. For many of these families, their modest houses-- handed down from generation to generation-- are the only real possession they have. But houses need maintenance. And when you don't have money to pay your electric bill, fixing a hole in the roof is a low priority. As a result, the homes are crumbling. Walls buckle. Roofs leak. And sagging floors pose hazards to the elderly and the very young. Our volunteer work will give a special family some financial breathing room to concentrate on more important things. Like feeding their kids. Looking for work. And making plans for the future. Best of all, the presence of our volunteers will touch their lives and remind them that compassion knows no boundaries. And that not even the highest hills and deepest hollows can separate them from God's love. For general information about ASP visit their website: www.asphome.org Appalachia Service Project is headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee. |
What is Westborough ASP? Westborough ASP is a community-based group that serves through the organization called Appalachia Service Project. Westborough ASP is sponsored by The First United Methodist Church (FUMC) and St. Luke's The Evangelist Parish. But you don't need to live in Westborough or be a member of our sponsoring churches to join.
Our program started in the summer of 1990 with just one ASP youth team which traveled to Virginia with 9 members. For over 30 years, local volunteers have touched and changed the lives of families living in substandard housing and their communities. We travel to Appalachia with 10 to 20 crews, each consisting of 2 adults and 5 youth, to serve this life-changing home repair ministry. Still deciding? See a video of one crew's experience here. Two important components of our trip preparation are program sessions and fundraising. Youth and adults are expected to participate in both throughout the school year in preparation for the summer trip. Each youth and adult participant will learn sensitivity for the people we serve and the teamwork required to participate. We also hold fundraisers both as teambuilding events and to raise the funds needed to pay for training, building materials, supplies, rental vans, and our meals & lodging for the week. Family support, corporate sponsors, community groups and in-kind donations are a necessary supplement our youth's efforts. |
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