A group of Villanova University students traveled to Vanceburg, Ky., the week of October 6, 2002, to volunteer at The Glenmary Farm, an immersion program of the Glenmary Home Missioners. Glenmary is a Catholic society of priests and brothers who, along with coworkers, is dedicated to serving the spiritual and material needs of the people throughout Appalachia and the rural South and Southwest. Located in Lewis County, an Appalachian county in the northeastern region of Kentucky, The Farm raises not crops, but consciousness in the hundreds of young people who volunteer in the program each year. The program began in 1972 as an attempt to interest young men in joining Glenmary as priests or brothers. Although young men pursuing religious vocations through Glenmary have often participated in work at The Farm, the program today has an even broader mission. Each year hundreds of men and women come from all over the United States to experience rural, and specifically Appalachian, culture. For many, it is the first time they have experienced a simple, community lifestyle. Dozens of college and high school groups spend a week each year at The Farm involved in home construction for low-income families and in other service to the poor of the area. It is through reaching out to those in need that the volunteers apply their Christian values and learn that there is more reward associated with giving than receiving. Group member Courtney Graham told The Farm managers she expected “For the group to grow together as they experienced the mission service trip together and for the community to open up and welcome us. All expectations were met!” Persons working with young men and women who would like to bring a group of volunteers to Eastern Kentucky should contact Susan Hellmann, Glenmary Home Missioners, PO Box 465618, Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618; (513) 881-7411; [email protected].

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