The Shadow
Seventeen teams comprised of 15 students each from Saint Joseph’s University, mostly from the Philadelphia area, will travel to Appalachian communities to perform community service for one week beginning on March 11.
One of the 17 Appalachian Experience (APEX) teams will perform community service work in the Alleghany Highlands while being hosted by the Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Clifton Forge.
Don Woodward, a member of the committee that Pastor Roger Bush of Oak Hill Bible Church organized 14 years ago, is seeking to compile a list of community service projects that the APEX team will provide free labor to complete.
Woodard remarked, “Most of the students are from the Philadelphia area, and everyone chips in because they will be here to work.”
By “chipping in,” Woodward is referring to the support that the students receive from the people and businesses in the Alleghany Highlands during their work week.
Local churches will provide breakfast and dinner for the students, and Lewis Gale Hospital-Alleghany has agreed to provide their lunch.
The female students will be housed in Clifton Forge in a house owned by Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church, and the male students will be guests at the facility that accommodates the Catholic priest.
Woodward noted, “I have not been to Saint Joseph’s, but I’ve been in contact with the program.”
He continued, “The boy who leads the group was preparing to travel with an APEX team to Honduras when I spoke to him on the telephone recently.”
The APEX program was established by TAP (Total Action Against Poverty) which has changed its name to Total Action for Progress.
Woodward explained that Bush formed a committee that continued the program after TAP established it.
Saint Joseph’s University founded the program to provide students with an opportunity to learn about the culture of Central Appalachia by spending their spring break traveling to Appalachian communities to perform community service work free of charge.
The APEXers who form the APEX teams sacrifice their spring break and pay their own way to participate in the program that is designed to provide them with the opportunity to perform hands-on tasks and learn firsthand about the customs and beliefs of Appalachians.
Woodward observed, “The community service projects that we identify for the students to complete will depend on the weather whether or not they can finish.”
He stressed that the students will be there to work and learn about Appalachians.
“We’ve had our two organizational meetings, and we will begin publicizing for projects on February 19,” Woodward revealed.
Clifton Forge Town Councilman Shorty Wolfe, a skilled builder, works with Woodward as a committee member who helps evaluate each project that is submitted by the public.
Each project will be evaluated to determine whether or not the APEXers are capable of successfully completing the task at hand within the five-day timeframe.
Woodward praised the program and pointed out that the area businesses such as S.J. Neathawk Lumber in Covington and nonprofit organizations have responded in a positive way to APEX for many years.
He said that the American Red Cross provides cots for the APEXers during their stay unless there is a disaster that requires the cots to be utilized elsewhere.
“Some students will come (to the Alleghany Highlands) who have had two or three brothers or sisters participate in the program,” Woodward said.
He concluded, “It’s a wonderful program that was started by TAP and Saint Joseph’s University.”
Each project that is approved by the committee will require the organization, business, or owner to bear the expense of the materials, including delivering them to the job site. The students will provide free labor to complete each project, weather permitting.
