It is hard for me to put my Appalachian experiences into words. I can tell stories and write essays, but I have yet to find a word that accurately describes the beauty of an Appalachian sunset or the feeling I get when I know I have changed someoneâs life for the better.
As I began writing this article, I knew that I needed some help in order to paint the perfect picture of what the Social Concerns Seminar: Appalachia is all about and to explain why everyone should sign up at least once in their time at Notre Dame. I contacted numerous friends who have gone on Notre Dame service learning trips and asked them to describe Appalachia in a few short words or sentences.
Personally, I cannot describe Appalachia better than John Denverâs opening lines of “âTake Me Home, Country Roadsâ: âAlmost Heaven, West Virginiaâ.â
My time spent in Appalachia is the closest I have ever felt to Heaven on earth. Ironically, I have found my paradise on a worksite with sawdust in my eyes, a hammer in my hands, and the sun on my back. Helping those who are unable to help themselves is an inspiring, heart breaking, and transformative experience.
Like John Denver, I constantly find myself yearning to go back. I jump on every opportunity to return to a place so misunderstood yet so full of hope. Students can experience their âJohn Denver momentâ at one of the eighteen-plus locations the Center for Social Concerns works with that focus on housing, sustainability, education, energy, and food justice.
âAppalachia was an incredible way to spend my spring break. Working on the various parts of the house in the morning and exploring nature during our hikes in the evening was an amazing experience.â-Michael Catalano, Mendoza College of Business, Class of 2018
Appalachia is a region of opposites. Small, weatherworn trailers stick out like sore thumbs on the sides of rolling mountains. Hope flourishes where desperate times have hit for years.
The Social Concerns Seminar: Appalachia allows participants to experience the rural poverty of Appalachia as well as the natural beauty. After years of exploring the Appalachian Mountains and the surrounding rivers and forests, I understand why so many people do not want to leave the region. Families have owned plots of land for hundreds of years and have etched their family history into the mountainside. It is a humbling experience to give your time to those in need during the day and hike through mountains thousands of years old in the evening.
âItâs all too easy to forget, but poverty is right in Americaâs backyard. We came to Appalachia as a group of college kids, but we left as individuals awakened by the possibility of change and the drive to carry our knowledge forward.â-Rachel O’Grady, College of Arts and Letters, Class of 2018
The first time I travelled to Magoffin County, Kentucky five years ago I was shocked.
I was told numerous times that Appalachia was the poorest region in America, but I did not understand the extent of this statement. In some counties around twenty percent of the population is below or right above the poverty line.
Parents work in dangerous mines and risk knee, back, and lung problems in order to send their children to school. However, mine closures and massive lay-offs have decimated the economy in many Appalachian counties and have forced high school age children to find a job rather than continue school. Despite the hard work and energy that many Appalachian people exhibit, the cycle of poverty continues. The Appalachia Seminar strives to understand this cycle and find ways to create breaks in the circle.
âAppalachia allowed me to value the little things in life.â-Troy Prince, College of Engineering, Class of 2018
The Center for Social Concerns stresses âliving simplyâ while participating on the Appalachia Seminar. Everyone eats on a budget, some sites have limited showers, and a few do not even let you know what time it is. Each of the eighteen-plus sites is unique, but each shares the idea of living simply.
My site last semester had limited cell phone service, which was frustrating at first. However, as the week wore on my crew got extremely close because we spent all of our time playing card games and hiking rather than checking our phones in our free time. We bonded over making dinner out of last nightâs leftovers while singing along to John Denver and Van Morrison. Living simply for a week helped us unplug and live in the momentâsomething that I believe everyone should do more often.
âAppalachia is a truly beautiful place full of wonderful scenery and inspirational people and Iâm glad Iâve been blessed with the opportunity to help serve those in this very welcoming community.â-Alison O’Connor, College of Engineering, Class of 2016
Along with the ND Appalachia Seminar I led this past semester, I have been blessed with the opportunity to build houses for a week in Appalachia for the past five summers.
During my second service trip I worked on Ishmael and Claraâs house; an older couple whose house had been virtually destroyed by a tornado. My workcrew made lunches and brought them with us every day, but from day one Ishmael insisted on bringing out his own lunch meat and bread to make sandwiches for every member of my work crew.
It amazed me that a man with so little could give so much to volunteers he had just met. I have had countless experiences like this in Appalachia that display how caring and welcoming the community truly is.
âI think an important part of Appalachia for me, beyond the obviously rewarding service aspect, was living with and bonding with people from other dorms and majors who I otherwise might not have met or gotten to know.â-Kaitlin Kramer, Mendoza College of Business, Class of 2018
I did not know a single person who signed up for Appalachia at the time I decided to go. I was particularly nervous because some of the students I was leading were older than me. However, after our first meeting together as a group all of my worries faded.
Everyone who signs up for Appalachia is there to help others with an open mind and heart. On the first day of our trip I was blasting Luke Bryan and singing along (badly) as the rest of my van members stared at me in a mixture of awe and horror. By day three everyone knew the words to the song, people were harmonizing in the back seat, and we had an air guitar jam session. Appalachia is filled with countless experiences like this that create a special bond between crew members.
The Social Concerns Seminar: Appalachia stresses bonding with the people of Appalachia, but along the way bonds between fellow Domers are created that can last a lifetime.
Spending Fall or Spring Break in Appalachia is not easy. There will be physically exhausting moments and even more mentally exhausting ones. There will be times when your heart will break and your feet will be sore.
However, I can guarantee that spending fall or spring break in Appalachia is worthwhile.
There will be bonds created with fellow students and Appalachian people alike. There will be a better understanding of why Appalachia has fallen upon hard times and how you can help. There will be memories made and experiences had that you may not be able to describe in words, but will stay with you forever.
There’s nothing better than standing on your sturdy, finished project.
Interested in learning more or signing up for the Center for Social Concernsâ Appalachia Seminar? Click here. The final application deadline is August 27th!
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All images provided by author.