Information for Parents of High School Students

"God made us such that we are happiest when we are giving, not taking. There is no surer path to happiness than to put yourself second and others first. In my time in Appalachia, I have been blessed to share the honor of doing God's work with thousands of wonderful volunteers from every state and many foreign countries. If I ever despair too greatly for the future of Appalachia, I only need to think of those volunteers and my Hope is revived." -Rev. Ralph W. Beiting, CAP Founder

As parents, we want our children to be happy. Our founder knew that volunteering is one way to teach them how to obtain it. In addition to the inherent value of volunteering, CAP provides Volunteer Life Managers to advise and care for our volunteers during their journey, health care, a living allowance, and an education award (through AmeriCorps).

John and Isabella

Serving together with his family at CAP was John Oliva’s dream after being inspired by another family of volunteers years ago. “Very early on in my experience, my daughter, who might have been 6 years old at the time, did not have a great appreciation of what was going on. She just knew that once a year dad disappeared for a week and said he was going to help people in Kentucky,” John said. “Now this is my family’s third time serving at CAP together and it feels like it's come full circle.”

Although she may not have understood why her dad was serving in Kentucky when she was younger, Isabella has followed in his footsteps and has a passion for serving people in Appalachia.

“At home I’m focused on all of my schoolwork and then I get here, and I see the world outside of that,” Isabella said. “I love doing the work here and learning new skills. I hope the participant is surprised with her new ramp. I want to provide her with some sort of peace. I know that was a constant worry in her life. I want to keep coming back to CAP.”

Sarabeth and Son

When my son graduated from high school he just couldn’t see himself sitting behind a computer screen any longer. At that point that he decided to take a GAP year which gave him a break and an opportunity to do hands-on service. It also built his confidence and leadership skills. This year he is using his AmeriCorps education award at the university where he is studying towards becoming a high school history teacher.

He credits CAP staff with creating a nurturing environment. “The staff really does care about you and helped guide me through this year,” he said. “I learned that I enjoy living with other people more than I thought I would, but also learned that you spend a lot of time thinking about your participants or the project you worked on that day, even after you get home.” His first year of college was a much easier transition because of his service. It was easier for us, too, as parents because we knew that he would be able to handle whatever came his way.