“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.”
Emily Dickinson

Another beautiful day in wild, wonderful West Virginia. This morning as we drove out to sites, the view was spectacular. The clouds had settled into the valleys between the mountains, it was gorgeous. At times we were above the clouds looking down. It didn’t take long for the clouds to burn off and for us to have sunshine for the whole day, with fairly pleasant temperatures.

The group split up into two groups today with one group going to the Itmann school house and the other group going back to the painting site in Lillydale. The Itmann crew continued digging the drainage ditch behind the school and begun work on tiling the bathroom floor.  The Lillydale crew also made a lot of progress. They finished up most of the main painting and completed a lot of the trim work. The porch building is going along smoothly as well. The frame is done, as is the deck boards. All that is needed are the steps ans the railings. As was the case from yesterday, there were extra helpers and visitors from up the street.

Tonight’s dinner was an Italian feast. Lots of spaghetti, sauteed veggies and a salad. Yummy!

We also had a few guests for dinner tonight, two women who are working on an interactive documentary that is being shot in McDowell County. The project Hollow , is a “hybrid community participatory project and interactive documentary where content is created “for the community, by the community.” They shared with us some early footage and talked about some of the their experiences so far. It was a very interesting and very informative night. We encourage you to check out their website and see how you can help.

In the midst of the summer program, we wanted to share with you a couple of items that have recently appeared on the internet written about or by PVs.

• Upon returning home to the Bronx after another summer in WV, PV Ed Mechmann shared a reflection on his experience as a PV on his blog. 

• PV Amy O’Dea is in the spotlight for her work as a volunteer coordinator at Passages Hospice. In her profile she speaks of her different volunteer work, including the PVs. Read about Amy at VolunteerMatch

In the midst of the summer program, we wanted to share with you a couple of items that have recently appeared on the internet written about or by PVs.

• Upon returning home to the Bronx after another summer in WV, PV Ed Mechmann shared a reflection on his experience as a PV on his blog. 

• PV Amy O’Dea is in the spotlight for her work as a volunteer coordinator at Passages Hospice. In her profile she speaks of her different volunteer work, including the PVs. Read about Amy at VolunteerMatch

In the midst of the summer program, we wanted to share with you a couple of items that have recently appeared on the internet written about or by PVs.

• Upon returning home to the Bronx after another summer in WV, PV Ed Mechmann shared a reflection on his experience as a PV on his blog. 

• PV Amy O’Dea is in the spotlight for her work as a volunteer coordinator at Passages Hospice. In her profile she speaks of her different volunteer work, including the PVs. Read about Amy at VolunteerMatch

“At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou

What a nice treat to have a slightly cooler day today. Storms moved through yesterday afternoon and blew away the oppressively hot weather. This week temperatures are suppose to stay in the 80’s, much more comfortable working weather.

PVs were once again spread throughout the county. We sent a group back to continue work on the Itmann SH. The group today continued digging in the back to create drainage for when rain water rushes down the mountain so it does not run right into the school house. Work also continued on the inside of the building, framing walls, looking into the plumbing, etc.

Another group of PVs went back to help at St. Vincent DePaul. The group continue to sort clothes and organize the warehouse. This job may seem like it never ends, but by going through all the donated bags and getting rid of some of the more damage clothing, it makes way for all the “good stuff.”

The final group went to Lillydale to paint and build a back porch.  The house we were working on was just down the street from our long time PV friends, so we had many visitors and helpers all day long. Tremendous progress was made today at the house. Three quarters of the house was painted and the framing for the porch was pretty much completed.

After putting in another hard day of work, volunteers were treated to another wonderful meal. Tonight volunteers prepared breaded chicken, breaded eggplant, macaroni and cheese, stewed tomatoes and coleslaw. The meal was fabulous!

During the evening we reflected on dignity, how important it is to show respect to others and how the PV cornerstone of being present is a wonderful way of allowing others to have dignity. The reflection was followed with a sharing of the “New and the Good.”

“At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou

What a nice treat to have a slightly cooler day today. Storms moved through yesterday afternoon and blew away the oppressively hot weather. This week temperatures are suppose to stay in the 80’s, much more comfortable working weather.

PVs were once again spread throughout the county. We sent a group back to continue work on the Itmann SH. The group today continued digging in the back to create drainage for when rain water rushes down the mountain so it does not run right into the school house. Work also continued on the inside of the building, framing walls, looking into the plumbing, etc.

Another group of PVs went back to help at St. Vincent DePaul. The group continue to sort clothes and organize the warehouse. This job may seem like it never ends, but by going through all the donated bags and getting rid of some of the more damage clothing, it makes way for all the “good stuff.”

The final group went to Lillydale to paint and build a back porch.  The house we were working on was just down the street from our long time PV friends, so we had many visitors and helpers all day long. Tremendous progress was made today at the house. Three quarters of the house was painted and the framing for the porch was pretty much completed.

After putting in another hard day of work, volunteers were treated to another wonderful meal. Tonight volunteers prepared breaded chicken, breaded eggplant, macaroni and cheese, stewed tomatoes and coleslaw. The meal was fabulous!

During the evening we reflected on dignity, how important it is to show respect to others and how the PV cornerstone of being present is a wonderful way of allowing others to have dignity. The reflection was followed with a sharing of the “New and the Good.”

“At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou

What a nice treat to have a slightly cooler day today. Storms moved through yesterday afternoon and blew away the oppressively hot weather. This week temperatures are suppose to stay in the 80’s, much more comfortable working weather.

PVs were once again spread throughout the county. We sent a group back to continue work on the Itmann SH. The group today continued digging in the back to create drainage for when rain water rushes down the mountain so it does not run right into the school house. Work also continued on the inside of the building, framing walls, looking into the plumbing, etc.

Another group of PVs went back to help at St. Vincent DePaul. The group continue to sort clothes and organize the warehouse. This job may seem like it never ends, but by going through all the donated bags and getting rid of some of the more damage clothing, it makes way for all the “good stuff.”

The final group went to Lillydale to paint and build a back porch.  The house we were working on was just down the street from our long time PV friends, so we had many visitors and helpers all day long. Tremendous progress was made today at the house. Three quarters of the house was painted and the framing for the porch was pretty much completed.

After putting in another hard day of work, volunteers were treated to another wonderful meal. Tonight volunteers prepared breaded chicken, breaded eggplant, macaroni and cheese, stewed tomatoes and coleslaw. The meal was fabulous!

During the evening we reflected on dignity, how important it is to show respect to others and how the PV cornerstone of being present is a wonderful way of allowing others to have dignity. The reflection was followed with a sharing of the “New and the Good.”

And so another week begins….. We had to say goodbye to most of the community on Saturday morning and eagerly awaiting the arriving volunteers on Saturday evening.

As usual, Sunday is day set aside to spend time together as a community. We started the day going to Mass in Pineville at Holy Cross and then returning back to the school for a quick lunch. After lunch, the group headed up to RD Bailey Lake Dam. The visitor center was closed, but the the view, as always, was incredible. It was a little hot and sticky with temperatures hitting 100. After a quick look over the dam area we returned to our cars and drove to the back side of the dam to explore there. While we were sitting and enjoying the view, the wind started kicking up and a storm started rolling in so we headed to our cars and went back to the school.

After a few mishaps with preparing the dinner, we enjoyed our burgers, beans, pasta salad and the like. After dinner we had a quick reorientation for all the newly arrived PVs. After the reorientation we went right into the commissioning service, anointing the newly arrived PVs for the work that lies ahead of them, as well as connecting them the rest of the summer’s volunteers. After everyone was anointed and ready for work we signed up for job sites for Monday.

We are looking forward to another great week.

And so another week begins….. We had to say goodbye to most of the community on Saturday morning and eagerly awaiting the arriving volunteers on Saturday evening.

As usual, Sunday is day set aside to spend time together as a community. We started the day going to Mass in Pineville at Holy Cross and then returning back to the school for a quick lunch. After lunch, the group headed up to RD Bailey Lake Dam. The visitor center was closed, but the the view, as always, was incredible. It was a little hot and sticky with temperatures hitting 100. After a quick look over the dam area we returned to our cars and drove to the back side of the dam to explore there. While we were sitting and enjoying the view, the wind started kicking up and a storm started rolling in so we headed to our cars and went back to the school.

After a few mishaps with preparing the dinner, we enjoyed our burgers, beans, pasta salad and the like. After dinner we had a quick reorientation for all the newly arrived PVs. After the reorientation we went right into the commissioning service, anointing the newly arrived PVs for the work that lies ahead of them, as well as connecting them the rest of the summer’s volunteers. After everyone was anointed and ready for work we signed up for job sites for Monday.

We are looking forward to another great week.

And so another week begins….. We had to say goodbye to most of the community on Saturday morning and eagerly awaiting the arriving volunteers on Saturday evening.

As usual, Sunday is day set aside to spend time together as a community. We started the day going to Mass in Pineville at Holy Cross and then returning back to the school for a quick lunch. After lunch, the group headed up to RD Bailey Lake Dam. The visitor center was closed, but the the view, as always, was incredible. It was a little hot and sticky with temperatures hitting 100. After a quick look over the dam area we returned to our cars and drove to the back side of the dam to explore there. While we were sitting and enjoying the view, the wind started kicking up and a storm started rolling in so we headed to our cars and went back to the school.

After a few mishaps with preparing the dinner, we enjoyed our burgers, beans, pasta salad and the like. After dinner we had a quick reorientation for all the newly arrived PVs. After the reorientation we went right into the commissioning service, anointing the newly arrived PVs for the work that lies ahead of them, as well as connecting them the rest of the summer’s volunteers. After everyone was anointed and ready for work we signed up for job sites for Monday.

We are looking forward to another great week.