Mission Stories

2010 Christmas Store!

 

Support for the Christmas Store

 In the last week of November, St. Vincent Mission received a much appreciated windfall of supportfrom community members and those outside the region willing to help. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Curtis, Anna, Becca and Rebecca Hamilton brought gifts for the Christmas store from Holy Trinity and Holy Rosary Parish in Central Kentucky. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Rick and Ruth, Charlie, Clayton and Peg presented Sr. Kathleen with a $1,000 from the Hickory Hills Presbyterian Church Youth Group from Hickory Hills, IL. to be used for the Christmas Store,particularly for Bibles, kids underwear, toys and some smoke detectors. At noon on Saturday after Thanksgiving, Judy, Marguerite and Cheryl, from the Cincinnati area came with baked goodies, lap quilts and new items to be given out at the Christmas store. What a delight it has been to make new friends for the mission.

 

Pennsylvania Child Volunteers at SVM for Fourth Year

Allie Sarvey is an astounding young lady. At only 11 years old, she has already learned the value of helping others in need. On November 18th, she celebrated 4 years of making the trek down into the mountains to aid the underprivileged of Floyd County at St. Vincent Mission. Here is what she wrote about her experiences so far:

Have you ever been somewhere that you just have to come back? To my family and I, Kentucky is our place that we have to come back to. It seems so much like home with the kind people and the homemade food.

We started coming down because of these few simple words: Appalachia and the Voice of the Seeking Birds. This was the name of one of my favorite books. I came across this book in second grade in library class. Once I read the book about how Appalachia needed help to overcome it’s poverty, I asked my mom if we could come down to help. My mom thought it was a good idea, so she called a program who hooked her up with Sister Kathleen, who is the head of Saint Vincent Mission. Sister Kathleen approved for us to come down in Kentucky and gave us some dates.

Ever since then, we come down in the spring and the fall to help with the mission. In the spring my mom, Grandma Shelia, and I come down and do home repairs with Elmer. Every year in the fall, my mom, grandma Sharon and I do kid’s bags and personal care bags for the Christmas Store.

The experience my family and I have had has been a rewarding process. We have touched so many lives as they have touched ours so many times. My family and I would like to take this time to thank the people of Saint Vincent Mission and the sisters of Mount Tabor for their hospitality. As I said, the experience has been touching in so many ways, and I hope that other people can experience the same things I have.

-Allie Sarvey, age 11

Ellen Parker, Craft Center Volunteer, Prepares to Go Home

We have enjoyed having Ellen work with us for the past few months in the craft center, but she will soon head back to St. Louis. Here is a reflection on her experience in the mountains:

              I have always enjoyed volunteering, and graduating from Benedictine College in 2010 gave me a chance to do it full time. In my “gap year” between college and the next stage of my life, I wanted to experience new things, volunteer my time, and share with others some of the gifts and blessings God gave me. I found St. Vincent Mission and David Appalachian Crafts through the School Sisters of St. Francis and the Catholic Volunteer Network. I believe God sent me to eastern Kentucky for a special reason and I have received quite an education since my arrival three months ago.

              The mission believes “that all persons have a God-ordained right to the basic needs of life” and I have seen firsthand the generosity and selfless giving of Sr. Kathleen, Joyce, and Crystal. Always greeted with a smile and a hello, those who come to the mission for help are treated with respect and dignity. Instead of keeping things for myself, through the example of the mission, I have learned to think first of who could benefit the most from a donation or extra food or supplies. I know I will carry that with me for the rest of my life.

              Anyone who has spent time in the craft shop with Sr. Ruth Ann can see that she cares deeply for the local artists and their work. Whether it is taking the crafts to shows, looking for fabric to take to her sewing class, or praising my very basic, newly-acquired knitting skills, she puts earnestness and good intentions into everything she does. All of the crafters I have met are sincerely thankful, and rightfully so, to her and the shop.

              Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, I have enjoyed learning about the culture of eastern Kentucky, including soup beans and hollows. The hiking has been great and the people I have met are hardworking and unforgettable. I am very thankful for their kindness and honesty, and wish them God’s blessings in their work.

- Ellen Parker

Summer Volunteers Reflect on their Experience in the Mountains

Sister Debrah Funfsinn wrote this account of her stay in the mountains in the Fall/Winter edition of the Co-Franciscan News:

During the last week of July in eastern Kentucky, Sister Dominic and I had the opportunity to "do works of neighborly love" alongside twelve teens and six adults from our parish... It's been a tradition for the past 29 years that youth from Immaculate Conception parish [go] to Martin, Kentucky, to refurbish homes. The kids raised over $6,000 for this project. Since the parish is behind us totally, we received many donations as well.

It was an incredible Mission Trip. All the teens mentioned how it changed their lives forever. They will no longer forget the abundance they enjoy daily and the lessons they learned during that week about "doing without" and "keeping up a happy face" despite the economical poverty and the health issues many of these people endure day after day... These are humble people, caring people, and very grateful individuals who thanked us over and over again...

- Sister Debrah Funfsinn

 

 

Volunteer Aids Kentuckians in Creative Way

Jackie DesLauriers, 2010 volunteer at St. Vincent, has been saving stickers from Jewel since August in an effort to provide her friends in Kentucky with new cookware. The stickers are given to customers following payment for purchases made at Jewel. Several Immaculate Conception Catholic Church staff members have helped with this effort, and she and her friends in Kentucky are very grateful. To date, she has collected 16 pieces to send with the Stansberry's when they leave for Kentucky tomorrow. These pieces include:

- 3 small frying pans (50 stickers each)

- 3 large frying pans (70 stickers each)

- 3 large covered saute pans (90 stickers each)

- 3 casseroles with lids (80 stickers each)

- 4 Dutch ovens (100 stickers each)

Customers receive a sticker for each $10 spent. 1270 stickers have been redeemed so far. These stickers resulted from purchases totaling $12,700.

 

St. Joseph Hospital Donates Board Games for Christmas Store

Each year, St. Joseph Hospital in Martin, KY, Mission Committee has donated a collection of items for our Christmas Store. Billie Peters who works in the Billing Dept. at St. Joe's presented Sr. Kathleen with four bags filled with games for the children. We are grateful to the employees of St. Joe's and appreciate their willingness to help make Christmas for some of the families that will be coming to our Christmas Store this year. 

 

 

 

St. Vincent Mission receives a Generous Grant from the EQT Foundation

St. Vincent Mission was recently awarded a generous grant from the EQT Foundation. The grant of $18,370 was used to support the mission’s Home Repair Program during the summer of 2010. Overall, the mission’s Home Repair Program completed various repairs on 35 homes in the Floyd and Magoffin County area, including 2 room additions. A total of 17,278 volunteer hours and $37,957 in materials was donated by volunteers. Combined with the grant of $18,370 from EQT, the Home Repair Program contributed $56,327 to the local economy. The grant provided much needed support for the repair projects. While these projects are largely supported by money from volunteers that travel into this region from out of state, EQT’s grant provided the mission with an opportunity to extend the program to many other elderly, disabled, and underprivileged members of our community. Program recipients are referred to the mission from local agencies, such as Mountain Comprehensive Care, LINKS, and St. Joseph Hospital in Martin, and repairs are made throughout the summer months.

 

CAP Conference in Southern West Virginia

On Monday September 27 Sr. Kathleen and our Vista volunteer, Billy Ousley traveled to Pipestem State Resort Park, WV for a conference that was held by the Christian Appalachian Project, (CAP) and sponsored by the AEP Foundation. We spent the next couple of days, hearing and learning from some of the country's top notch presenters, about Accessing Resources, Building skills, Increasing our impact, Reframing our board as non-profits. Our Keynote Speaker was Dr. Bruce Bickel on eight Principles of Ethical Decision Making and our Plenary Presentations dealt with Succession Planning, by Lisa Burford Hardmon from TransitionGuides and Multi-generational Communications by Jay McChord founder of WorkplaceBuzz. Our thanks goes out to Marilyn Payson, CAP's Community Development Program Director and her staff, Betsie Carroll, Catherine Mack, and Sr. Janet Peterworth for putting together a top notch conference. St. Vincent Mission has truly benefited from being part of CAP's Non-Profit Alliance since 2005.

 

 

Pictured left to right: Billy Ousley,VISTA with St. Vincent Mission, Marilyn Payson,

Sr. Kathleen, Guy Adams, President of CAP, Betsie Carroll, Randy Beckman,

CAP and Catherine Mack VISTA with CAP. 

 

 

VISTA Advisory Council

The VISTA Advisory Council met at the David Appalchian Craft Center on September 15th.

Sr. Kathleen, Raelean Thompson, Betsie Carroll, Catherine Mack VISTA, Sue Shepherd and Billy Ousley VISTA      

 

 

 

 

 

Kentucky Colonels Present Cleaning Supply Grant to St. Vincent
On Tuesday, September 14th, 2010, the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels held a presentation of grant funding to 55 Kentucky Organizations.   St. Vincent Mission was one of those non-profits that was awarded a grant for $4,200 to be used for cleaning and personal care supplies for our low-income clients.  We are truly grateful to the Kentucky Colonels for their continued good works throughout the state of Kentucky.  

 

 

 

 

 

Elmer Simurdak:
Elmer comes each year to assess job sites, order materials and over see the work done at each of the home repair sites, he also works on many of the jobs himself. He winters in Honduras volunteering there.

Congratulations Elmer

Elmer Simurdak, who is our volunteer supervisor for our Home Repair Program, was nominated for the"Senior Volunteer Award for the State of Kentucky for 2009". We received word at the end of March that out of 100 nominations, Elmer was chosen. We are so excited for him. The presentation ceremony will be in june at the State Capitol. Congratulations!!!!!!!