Saint Mary's students fill spring break with service
By KATIE McVOY
News Writer
Last week 11 Saint Mary's women traveled to Virginia to spend a week in service for the residents of Clintwood, Va. Assistant nursing professor Ella Harmeyer accompanied the students on the trip and Sister Jean Korkisch, who lives in Clintwood, organized the week's activities.
The women who participated in the trip found it to be a very rewarding experience.
"It was amazing to see how genuinely happy [the people of Clintwood] are and how appreciative they are for all the little things," junior education major Genevieve Yavello said.
The women spent the week refurbishing the Food Bank of Dickenson Country. The Food Bank, which is the largest food bank in Virginia, services the residents of the county who are on assistance by providing food and clothing for them. Sixty-eight percent of the residents of Dickenson County are on some type of assistance.
The women cleaned rooms previously used for storage. They knocked down one wall, and repaired and repainted other walls. The women also painted the outside of the shelter and spent two days distributing food.
The women worked for about six hours each day. In the evenings they enjoyed entertainment as well as discussions regarding the community and the culture of Appalachia.
"It was an eye-opening experience to learn about some of the issues facing these people," Yavello said. "It was very inspiring for me to see how strong they are."
Ken Childress, a local folk singer, spent one evening with the women singing folk songs and songs of the coal miners.
"I really enjoyed when Ken Childress came and shared with us some folk music of the area," Yavello said. "He was a great man. He told us stories and got us all involved with the songs. I think everyone would agree that he was very enjoyable."
Franchette and Vincent Fanelli also spent an evening with the women discussing the Fourth World Movement and Tapori, an organization advocating children's rights. Local residents spoke about strip coal mining and clear-cutting and the problems they are causing for the residents of the Appalachia.
"It was really surprising to learn about the strip mining," junior history major Mary Wald said. "The last owners of the land signed over the rights to the natural resources of the land. The companies that own the rights can now drill under the land and that is making the wells dry up and the people don't have any water."
In addition to the problems caused by strip mining, the clear-cutting is causing flooding and destroying resources for the community. The effects of the presence of these companies in communities such as Clintwood are mixed. The companies provide the only source of employment for the poor towns, but they are ruining natural resources and destroying the environment.
The Saint Mary's women also visited a local elementary school where they met students from the area. Many of the young people from Clintwood leave the area after they are educated.
"We export coal, gas and our children," Korkisch said.
In addition to getting to know the people of Clintwood, the women also got to know each other better. The group spent the week in the same house and took care of their own cooking and cleaning.
"I loved being with the women and getting to know them," Wald said.
All News Stories for Tuesday, March 21, 2000
