Appalachian Outreach Completes Summer of Sacrificial Service By Katey Hopkins – Reporter Standard Banner newspaper, Jefferson City, TN. Posted: Thursday, August 14, 2014 8:22 am The Home Repair Ministry is a huge part of Appalachian Outreach’s summer program, but there are also other ways the organization makes an impact on families and individuals in the area. AO’s summer program typically takes place in June and July. During these eight weeks, the volunteers focus primarily on the Home Repair Ministry and the Kid’s Club. Over the course of this summer, volunteers have worked on a total of 18 homes and assisted Jefferson Rural Clinic with some repairs. In AO’s four-county service area, 13 homes were repaired in Jefferson County, three in Cocke County, and two in Hamblen County. Families in need are referred to AO by churches, the Department of Human Services, home health agencies, and individuals. The Home Repair Ministry will have its 30th anniversary this November, and AO will be holding a kick-off campaign to celebrate the milestone. Jim Wilson founded the program in 1984. The Kid’s Club takes place in the Cherokee Housing Units across the road from AO’s Ministry Center. This program gives children a chance to learn about and grow in Christ. Over 80 percent of the volunteers AO has are repeat teams. “These are people who are really invested in the ministry,” said Jean-Ann Washam, Executive Director. AO capped off its summer program with the Backpack Distribution and Back-to-School Bash Saturday morning. “We appreciate the blitz of the summer program with all the extra hands coming in, but the work is continuing on a daily basis, so we’re always looking for regular, local volunteers that are willing to come down,” Washam said. For more information about Appalachian Outreach or any of its programs, call (865) 475-5611 or visit web.cn.edu/ao. (In this picture, Ye Ji, is one of three A.O. student summer missionaries from South Korea. They were served with an AO team of 18 summer student missionary staff, who helped host and work with church missions teams during June and July).
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 15:55:16 +0000
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