About Appalachia

 The Appalachia Trip is about many things -
community, compassion, friendship, simplicity, faith, hope, empathy, volunteerism. 

Each summer since 1980, our group of 40 - 60 teens, college students and adults travels from Guilford, CT to Booneville, KY to spend 10 days performing construction work on homes desperately in need of repair, renovation or addition. Projects often include building rooms, porches and handicapped ramps - as well as flooring and roofing.

The group is almost entirely self-sufficient, providing for its own food, tools, supplies. Construction materials and perishable food items are purchased from local suppliers in the Booneville area. Transportation to and from Kentucky is made possible by the use of vehicles lent to the group for the duration of the trip, and we make our home in the local community center and county truck garage. Financial support for the trip comes from participant commitment monies, fundraisers and the generous support of our fellow parishioners and communities.

Owsley County - of which Booneville is the county seat - is an area burdened by rural poverty. Living conditions are predominately substandard; many houses lack indoor plumbing and electricity, and large families of five or more often live together in a home or trailer meant for two or three people. Employment opportunities are limited, and many survive by means of subsistence farming, gig work and odd jobs.

One of the many unique aspects of the Appalachia trip is that group members work with - not for - the people of Booneville. Each project undertaken - there are typically 10 to 14 each trip - is based on a self-identified need, and residents often assist in the construction of their new room or the renovation of their floor or bathroom. 

It is from these residents - and often their children - that Appalachia participants are reminded each year that we are not defined by our economic status. The way the people of Appalachia embody family, community, hope and faith shines so much brighter than any lack of material goods. Group members often return home feeling that they have received more than they have given, knowing fully that it is the interactions between people - the friendships born and strengthened - that truly characterize the value of the Appalachia trip.