Appalachia Service Project Analysis

Hearing my sister say “dad” and “heart attack” in the same sentence was all that it took to make it seem like my world stopped. Although at that moment we were under the impression he was still alive, I had a knot in my stomach that felt like I knew that wasn’t true. The drive from color guard practice to the hospital was a blur. All I remember was telling the service desk my last name before being escorted to a personal waiting room followed by the doctor who informed me that my dad had died. When I was 16 I thought I was on top of the world and never imagined that I could lose a parent at such a young age. I was not prepared for the obstacles I would face in the days, weeks, and years that followed. Many nights were spent wondering if what I was doing in my life would make my dad proud, or how everything would be different if he was still here. Although I had it engrained in my mind that I wanted to go to law school since 4th grade, I questioned whether I would even be in the
I have volunteered with ASP for eight years, and continue to do so. This organization is dedicated to making homes “warmer, safer, and drier” in Appalachian regions often affected by poverty. Throughout my years of volunteering, I have met many homeowners, each with different stories of overcoming obstacles and setbacks in their lives. I think back to Sandy, a homeowner, who was a victim of domestic violence and had her two foster children removed from her home because storms and structure instability left it unsafe for the children to live in. Although we were not able to take away her past struggles, we were able to construct an addition on to her home. The addition would become the bedroom of one of her foster children, and other repairs and additions made their home safe and stable enough for them to live