Berea
Wednesday is always "day off" at Red Bird Mission, both for the staff and for the work campers. It's an opportunity to explore the area and to...shall we say "invest" in the economy of the area. So we headed off to Berea, about 90 minutes from Red Bird Mission.
Part of our group headed off early to go play golf. According to the group, they are all the most awesome golfers. The rest of us went over to Red Bird Christian School, where 175 students are currently enrolled in quality Christian education. We learned about their transition from quasi-public school to private Christian school, the challenges they have faced in finding funding (80% of their students are on free or reduced lunch, so they rely heavily on donors to help fund the education), along with some of the history of the school. After our tour, we took the supplies we had gathered from our church over to the Community Outreach area. They were grateful for all that had been given and explained how they offer gifts for Christmas, how much they need so many different things, and how they are constantly working to provide what is needed by families in this area.
After that, we headed to Berea, a college town that offers a tuition-free liberal arts education, aimed originally at helping overcome poverty in this region through education. Berea has quite a strong reputation, and although the students don't pay for their tuition, they do work in the craft industry and other ways around the campus to "pay" for their school. We wandered through various craft shops, ate lunch at an Amish diner, explored some of the area around the school, then had dinner at a local Italian eatery.
Two themes emerged from both Red Bird School and Berea College: education is a key. Many of the folks who go through Red Bird School do go on to get a college degree. In fact, percentage-wise, Red Bird School has a higher rate of students going on for post-secondary education than the public schools. And many of those who attain so-called "professional" degrees (doctors, teachers) will come back to serve their community, to help continue the fight against poverty. But one of the reasons poverty persists in Appalachia is that the mountains are not welcoming to industry, to good high-paying jobs being established here. So folks have a choice: stay and live off the land (what that provides) or leave behind their home and culture in pursuit of something else, perhaps something better. It's not an easy choice. These mountains are home. And home has a strong pull on all people.
So tonight we are back at the mission, ready for rest. Not sure what we're going to do tomorrow, as we finished our assigned project. But that's something we will find out early in the morning. Tonight, it's cooling off and peaceful in the mountains. A good night for rest.
Part of our group headed off early to go play golf. According to the group, they are all the most awesome golfers. The rest of us went over to Red Bird Christian School, where 175 students are currently enrolled in quality Christian education. We learned about their transition from quasi-public school to private Christian school, the challenges they have faced in finding funding (80% of their students are on free or reduced lunch, so they rely heavily on donors to help fund the education), along with some of the history of the school. After our tour, we took the supplies we had gathered from our church over to the Community Outreach area. They were grateful for all that had been given and explained how they offer gifts for Christmas, how much they need so many different things, and how they are constantly working to provide what is needed by families in this area.
After that, we headed to Berea, a college town that offers a tuition-free liberal arts education, aimed originally at helping overcome poverty in this region through education. Berea has quite a strong reputation, and although the students don't pay for their tuition, they do work in the craft industry and other ways around the campus to "pay" for their school. We wandered through various craft shops, ate lunch at an Amish diner, explored some of the area around the school, then had dinner at a local Italian eatery.
Two themes emerged from both Red Bird School and Berea College: education is a key. Many of the folks who go through Red Bird School do go on to get a college degree. In fact, percentage-wise, Red Bird School has a higher rate of students going on for post-secondary education than the public schools. And many of those who attain so-called "professional" degrees (doctors, teachers) will come back to serve their community, to help continue the fight against poverty. But one of the reasons poverty persists in Appalachia is that the mountains are not welcoming to industry, to good high-paying jobs being established here. So folks have a choice: stay and live off the land (what that provides) or leave behind their home and culture in pursuit of something else, perhaps something better. It's not an easy choice. These mountains are home. And home has a strong pull on all people.
So tonight we are back at the mission, ready for rest. Not sure what we're going to do tomorrow, as we finished our assigned project. But that's something we will find out early in the morning. Tonight, it's cooling off and peaceful in the mountains. A good night for rest.
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