Appalachia Service Project

Come to Appalachia toraise roofs. Fix floors.And build awhole new you.

Appalachia’s poorest families urgently

need your help to make their homes

warmer, safer and drier. But they can

help change your life, too.

Through their eyes, you’ll see yourself

as the person you’ve always wanted to

be. Compassionate. Committed. With

the power to make a difference.

Through their gratitude, you’ll be

inspired to serve others in every area

of your life.

And through their down-to-earth faith,

your own faith will grow stronger. And

your relationship with God will grow

deeper every day.

So come on and join us. Sign up your

group to volunteer for Appalachia Service

Project. Sure, you’ll install insulation. Repair porches.

Reinforce foundations. But even more importantly, you’ll build

a whole new you.

ASP helps participants to see themselves in a new light... to see others in a new light and a new way... to gain a fresh, new

perspective on the future, and of course, their faith. I think of a

quote I heard from a first-time participant: “ASP is not just about

us working on homes. It’s about God working on us.”

— ASP volunteer

Volunteer with Appalachia Service Project

and the first life to changewill be your own.

Whether you’re in college, mid-career or retired,

Appalachia Service Project will help you create

an experience that’s just right for you.

Your group can opt to volunteer for a week

or a weekend. Either way, you’ll stay in a

climate-controlled ASP center with bunk beds

and hearty meals. And have a chance to enjoy

the cooler temperatures and stunning scenery

that come in fall, winter and spring (summers

are reserved for youth programs).

But this is no trip to the spa. You’ll roll

up your sleeves and lay shingles, replace

linoleum, build handicapped ramps. If you have

construction experience, you’ll be matched with

jobs that suit your skills.

And even if you have no building experience

at all, our staff will show you the ropes—help-

ing you develop skills you didn’t even know

you had.

Best of all, you’ll have plenty of time to

bond with your group and get to know the

family you are serving. You will be completely

immersed in Appalachian culture. And the

connections you make here will enrich both

you and your Appalachian family for the rest

of your lives.

After a few days of hard work, your hands

will grow a little tougher, your arms a little

stronger, and your relationship with God a

whole lot deeper. And you’ll return home to

your community with a passion for service,

a renewed compassion for other people, and

a fresh appreciation for your place and purpose

in this world.

Because when you put your faith in

action, God acts in your heart. When you

change the lives of others, they have a way

of changing you.

Poverty, potential and a preacher named TexIn 1969, rev. Glenn “tex” evans—a united Methodist minister—became one

of the first people to connect the energy of youth with the deep needs of the

poor. As part of his already thriving outreach to the people of Appalachia, he

recruited 50 teens and adult volunteers to repair homes. they worked on-site

during the day and worshipped in the evenings. By summer’s end, four families

had safe, warm homes for the winter, fifty young lives had been changed

forever—and a forty-year-long legacy was born.

But tex was more than a leader; he was a born motivator. A true student of Appalachian

culture and a legendary storyteller, he set the tone for what ASP is today: an extended family

where laughter is king. Where relationships matter. And where changing the lives of families

and volunteers alike is the highest priority of all.

When we got there, I was the only one in our group who knew exactly how to frame the roof that needed to be repaired. It was like the

Lord knew what Jim and his family needed, and He sent me.

— ASP Adult volunteer

Adult volunteers:

Repairing homes, restoring hearts.

Every year, more than 13,000 high

school teens converge on the Appalachian

Mountains, bringing boundless energy.

And spreading tons of hope.

That’s because ASP provides one of the

most rewarding structured, short-term service

opportunities for church youth in the nation—

in a program that is completely turn-key,

from meals to lodging to tools and materials

to evening gatherings. Leave the logistics to

us—and we’ll leave you free to minister to

your young people.

First, your group will be well prepared

for its week of service with study materials

on everything from Appalachian culture to

basic construction skills.

Your youth will be housed in one of

ASP’s several base camps—often a school

or community center rented for the summer

to put you closer to Appalachia’s remote

communities. But wherever the location,

you’ll never be without strong leadership,

three meals a day, and unparalleled

opportunities for worship, reflection and

spiritual growth.

Your group will show up on a Sunday

afternoon, put in five days of home repair, and

leave on Saturday morning. But be prepared

to leave a good piece of your heart behind.

Because ASP is far more than a building

program—forging friendships is as important

as swinging hammers. In fact, we like to call

it a relational ministry with construction on

the side.

For many church youth programs, ASP is

the highlight of their year. From fundraising to

roof-raising, it’s a unifying activity that rallies

the whole church to support its young people.

And inspires the kids to get more involved in

their church.

But far more importantly, ASP gives even

the most self-absorbed young people a heart

for service. And it lays the groundwork for a

lifetime of service that will benefit the youth,

their church and their communities for the

rest of their lives.

TENNESSEE

KENTUCKYVIRGINIA

WEST VIRGINIA

Where we serve

Areas where ASP currently serves

Areas of future expansion

Year Round Centers

ASP runs both Summer

Volunteer Centers and

Year-Round Centers in

Kentucky, Tennessee,

Virginia and West

Virginia.

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Every day at ASP you are challenged in unexpected ways. I remember several instances

where I was unsure if I could accomplish some task, but what

over-rode it every time was the presence and faith of the rest

of my crew, the belief of the family we were working with

and a knowledge that God was present with us all. I was permanently transformed by my volunteer experience. — ASP volunteer

Youth volunteers:

Good times and timeless rewards.

In the Central Appalachian region where we serve: • Poverty is more than double the national average

• One in four lives below the poverty level—105,000

children, 195,000 adults, and 35,000 elderly

• 62,500 homes are substandard

• 19,000 homes lack adequate kitchens

• 21,000 homes lack complete plumbing

• Nearly half of the families have annual household

incomes below $20,000

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 hun-

dred years, large corporations have extracted

Appalachia’s 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 main-

tenance costs money. When you are having to

choose between between buying food or medi-

cine for your family, fixing a hole in the roof

becomes 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.

Into this bleak environment, ASP shines

a ray of hope. With help from volunteers like

you, we repair more homes than any agency

working in Appalachia.

We like to say that our goal is to make

homes “warmer, safer and drier.” And for

more than 40 years, we’ve done exactly that

for 14,000 families.

Yet for all that, we are only able to serve

one in ten families who apply to us for help.

We need many, many more volunteers to make

a lasting dent in Appalachian poverty.

In other words, we need you.

Your 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, your presence 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.

ASP transformed me from an inactive member of a church

to a highly active and visible member of the church.

ASP has had a huge impact on the direction my life has taken since my first trip in 2004. — ASP Adult volunteer

The height of beauty,

the depths of poverty.

Volunteer for Appalachia Service Project, and you’ll

find fun. You’ll find inspiration. And ultimately, you’ll

find yourself.

If you volunteer for the Adult Program, you’ll

come away with your faith on fire and a sense of

accomplishment that can’t be matched by any nine

to five job.

If you’re in high school, you’ll come home

feeling closer to your friends, more committed to

your church, and more excited about your place

and your potential in the body of Christ.

If you’re a youth leader, you’ll know the joy

of seeing your young people transform before

your eyes. And you’ll rekindle your own passion

to serve.

Appalachia Service Project takes adult volunteer

applications all year round. For the youth program,

we begin taking applications in September for the

following summer. And the earlier your group applies,

the higher priority your registration will receive.

So log on to www.BuildANewYou.org today. And

discover for yourself what 250,000 ASP volunteers

already know:

The most important thing you’ll build in

Appalachia is you.

Taking the next step Apply now at www.BuildANewYou.org

or email [email protected].

Adult volunteer applications are accepted

year round. Youth groups may register

beginning September 1 for the following

year. Sign up now!

How you can give more than your time.

ASP’s work is funded only partially by

volunteer fees—the rest must come from

donations. Please give generously.

To give a gift by check:

Make check payable to Appalachia

Service Project, Inc. and mail to:

4523 Bristol Highway

Johnson City, TN 37601

To donate by phone:

(866) 998-3907

To give online:

www.BuildANewYou.org/Give

Sign up today.

Share God’s love tomorrow.

www.BuildANewYou.org

Appalachia Service Project, Inc.4523 Bristol Highway

Johnson City, TN 37601Phone (423) 854-8800

[email protected]

Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is a Christian ministry, open to all people. This means that no matter where you come from, no matter what organization, church

or denomination you belong to, you will always find open arms at ASP. Whether you are a volunteer or one of the Appalachian families we serve, we accept you

for who you are. We look forward to welcoming you into our family.