Hello from West Virginia!
On Sunday, July 31, 10 UUCC youth and 3 adults traveled together to McDowell County, West Virginia to work with Big Creek People in Action (BCPIA) on housing rehab projects for residents of one of the poorest and most disinvested counties in the United States.
We arrived safely on Sunday evening, buoyed by the warm congregational sendoff that morning, and for the past four days have been working on a variety of projects.
A team of our youth deconstructed a water-damaged and structurally unsafe bedroom floor, and built a new, safer floor from the ground up. Another team has installed ceiling insulation and is in the process of drywalling a hallway to help a homeowner keep her utilities bill reasonable in winter. These McDowell County residents have welcomed us into their homes, trusted us with their stories and houses, and modeled generosity and selflessness in how they care for their community.
In our final full day here (today), we’ll be wrapping up projects, organizing the BCPIA food & clothing pantry, and cleaning flood debris from devastating July rains, before returning to Maryland on Saturday.
We look forward to sharing our stories and reflections from our time in West Virginia with you, UUCC!
More soon,
Valerie
3 Comments
Robert S Jackson
Thanks for the update. I had been wondering if your community was part of the recent severe flooding. Thanks to the work team for your service to the larger community!
Bob J
Bob Muller
Glad to hear that the YRUU team has been able to help out down there! Thanks for your efforts, great photos and have a safe trip back.
Bob M
Elaine Pardoe
Stories like these are making me think that this country has a promising future. My 83-year-old heart rejoices in the gift of being able to leave our world in your hands.