In October 2011, the eight-bedroom McCreary Volunteer House opened, and CAP’s McCreary County volunteers left their previous home—a small trailer—behind for good. The new house doubles CAP’s volunteer capacity for the county, and gives our volunteers something that was lacking in their old home—space. The house was made possible through the generous donations of many former volunteers and a grant the James Graham Brown Foundation. CAP began construction in October 2010, with a week-long build by the Fox Valley Mission group from Wisconsin. The group got a lot done in just a few days, but because CAP uses volunteer labor whenever possible, the project had to be put on hold several times so volunteers could work on participant homes. Work got back into full swing in the summer and fall of 2011.
With the appliances in, the cabinets installed and the inspections passed, the house was ready for our six McCreary volunteers in mid-October. The house has already allowed CAP to add a volunteer to Child and Family Development and bring in a volunteer for CAP’s Elderly Services program, which hasn’t been in McCreary County since 2004. Elderly Services Volunteer Janet Fiedler says one participant shrieked with joy when she found out a CAP person was back to visit and provide transportation.
Though they have gone through their share of struggles, our McCreary volunteers now have a brand new house to call their home. We pray that it may be great environment for them to live the CAP values of service, spirituality, and most of all, community.
