Person Statement

Growing up in South Florida, I've had the opportunity to mix and mingle with many different kinds of people and cultures. I have met people from all walks of life, both rich and poor. Fortunately, poverty in South Florida has not reached extreme levels, and so I had only heard horrible stories of how poverty has afflicted my fellow man. Yet during the past summer my eyes were opened to the truth as I had the experience of my life while participating in the Appalachian Service Project.

The Appalachian Service Project is a program that allows volunteers to travel to rural areas in order to repair the houses of families stricken by poverty. I was able to participate in this program last summer, and it opened my eyes to the plight of some Americans. I travelled to Barbourville, Kentucky, located in Knox County, and witnessed the type of situations that I had only heard about or seen on television. I worked to improve houses without basic utilities such as electricity and running water. There were also many houses that were simply falling apart, and nobody had the money to repair them.

For about a week I had the chance to work on the house of a young couple. The husband had recently been in a hunting accident and was unable to work. As a result, he and his wife were unable to keep up with house repairs and so the house was in ruins. Yet, as I was working on their house, I noticed that these were two of the happiest people I had ever met. Although they seemed to have very little, they were still more than willing to share everything and anything they had. These people showed me that life is not all about what money can buy your, life is what you make of it.

Although I was able to help this family in a small way, it is not enough. This experience has opened my eyes to see how necessary it is to help those in need. It is far too easy for us to just sweep problems under the rug and pretend they do not exist. I now know how important it is for people