Day 4 - CAA and Rosspoint Elementary School

Today was an eventful one in Harlan. The group split in half; one group went to Harlan County Community Action Agency (CAA), the other to Rosspoint Elementary School. Blogging from the former group is Julia, the latter, Sophie. Enjoy the conversation.

Sophie: What IS weatherization?

Julia: Weatherization is the process of preparing a house for the different seasons. All seasons, not just winter.

S: Interesting. What was your role as volunteers?

J: Well, as volunteers, we were assigned to different parts of the house. One group was part of a different Alternative Spring Break Program, so they were assigned to a subsection of the basement and our group was given the crawlspace under the house. Not the basement. The man living there had a problem in the crawlspace with too much water from when it rained and drained, so we put down giant plastic sheets on the wall and floor. We had to caulk the walls to make the plastic stick, and that would reduce the moisture levels. After that, we were assigned to put in insulation in the crawlspace – between the floorboards and the ground. Now it’s good, but it takes forever.

S: What stuck out to you today?

J: The state of the house was not too bad, but it was enough to be shocking that someone lived there. The man that lived there was very pessimistic about his living situation, which was really sad. We didn’t talk to him that much, but when we did, he would make blunt comments that were difficult to respond to. Sophie, what did your group do today?

S: Our group switched the school’s clothing bank from winter to summer clothes and cleaned the concessions stand. Then we read to kindergarten classes!

J: Did you notice anything interesting about the school and the people there?

S: The teachers were enthusiastic about their work and invested in the Harlan community. The hallways were decorated with illustrations of Dr. Seuss books and kids were walking up and down the halls all day. They all seemed happy and the teachers were great disciplinarians when they had to be. The history teacher, Mrs. Napier, was particularly great because she was so passionate about her subject and her place. Her students respected her, even though they were in that awkward middle school angst phase. On the other hand, it was a shock to see the concessions stand open during recess. The school is making tremendous strides with its programming and faculty, but some changes could be made.

Later on, the groups rejoined (briefly) and drove to a neighborhood where they were placed with two senior citizens to help them with various tasks around the house, but primarily to interact with them.

Sophie: Tell me about your experience.

Julia: When we first walked in, the woman that lived in the house was very welcoming and it was hard because she would ask what we wanted to do, but we were there to clean, so we didn’t know what to do. Her house seemed pretty clean. We polished her furniture, cleaned her bedroom, and did similar tasks. We split inside and outside, the outside group did something different. When we were done with that, we sat and talked with her for a half hour about her life and Kentucky. In the end, it was a sweet goodbye. She said “I love you” and gave us all hugs. Another member and I cried at how touching the moment was.

S: AWWWWWWWW.

J: So, Sophie, what was your experience like?

S: My experience was nothing like that, save the talking. We walked into the house with some last-minute background knowledge about the woman’s family situation, which made my group ill at ease. When we started cleaning, it became apparent she just wanted to talk to someone new. I was all ears, though the conversation took some uncomfortable turns. Our group handled it well and finished cleaning what she had asked us to clean, so we set off. She hugged us, too, and held pretty tight for a few seconds.

Takeaways from the day:

Julia: How welcoming everyone is. And how friendly.

Sophie: Ditto. And their attitudes are infectious.