Volunteer in Appalachia – West Virginia Coal Country

“Our bodies are a bit sore but our spirits shine brightly. Good work, great people,
terrific food. . . what’s not to love? Our hearts are grateful for new friends and such kind hosts.”
Wendy Guiles-Trombett, West Virginia Volunteer

Volunteer in Appalachia with the resilient people of Fayette County. We’ve worked deep in the “hollers” – memorialized by American songwriters – since 1999. Contribute your time and skills in West Virginia’s “empowerment zones,” characterized by high poverty and low employment. Work one-on-one with children, teens and adults and share a world largely misunderstood by casual visitors. Review a standard volunteer work schedule here.

FAQs: How to Volunteer in Appalachia

Dates & Contribution

Your service program contribution is tax-deductible when you follow our itinerary. Select date for a specific program and register to volunteer in Appalachia with your $350 deposit. Available volunteer abroad discounts are explained here. If you prefer, you may print a text registration form and submit it by mail or fax. Children under age 18 must register as a minor and travel with a parent or adult legal guardian. Please call a volunteer coordinator at (800) 487-1074 for help if needed for any of these steps.

Upcoming Volunteer Dates in Appalachia, West Virginia

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Team Leaders

Your team leader is a Global Volunteers staff member or alumni who has completed our comprehensive team leader training and is skilled in leading diverse groups of people. All team leaders are certified in CPR and First Aid, and have served on or led multiple service programs – some up to 50 times and more! Further, they’re evaluated by the volunteers on each service program, and must consistently achieve a high level of performance in order to continue leading Global Volunteers teams. All of our team leaders are exceptional and delightful people. You’ll receive background information on your team leader approximately four weeks before your service program begins.

Arrival & Departure

Plan your flight to arrive in Charleston, West Virginia (airport code CRW), before 4:00 PM on Saturday and departure after 11:00 AM on the following Saturday. We will meet you and your teammates at the airport and transport you to the host community of Beards Fork, and return you to the airport at the end of the service program. Optionally, you may also drive independently to the community either from home or the airport. Whether you are driving or flying, if you are delayed, please contact us with your updated arrival plans. Global Volunteers’ service program officially begins with the Saturday evening meal and ends with breakfast on the following Saturday. Your volunteer orientation materials include directions to your team meeting place in Beards Fork.

Health & Safety

Your health, safety and security is our top priority. Your lodging, food and transportation are provided always with a mind to help you ensure your health, safety and security while at the work site and lodging facility. Your team leader is trained in CPR and first aid. Read more about health and safety here.

We urge you to pack sunscreen, insect repellant, a wide-brimmed hat and a water bottle for outside work. It is unlikely that you will encounter wild animals or poisonous insects or snakes at the work sites or lodging facilities. However, stray dogs may be present and we encourage you not to pet them due to fleas. We strongly recommend you consult your physician, public health clinic and/or travel clinic for detailed travel health information, and to make sure your tetanus and other vaccinations are up to date.

Free Time

Ample time is provided after the work day to enjoy local natural and culture attractions – which include local concerts, museum visits, souvenir shopping, hiking trails, swimming, and participating in community events and celebrations. As a Global Volunteer, you have the unique opportunity to experience the community as a “non-tourist” and participate in daily activities with local residents. While our non-profit status prevents us from organizing free-time activities, tours of the area can be arranged for the weekend the service program concludes.

Family Opportunities

Appalachian culture and history are engaging for families of all backgrounds and ages. Children 8 and older can fully participate in work projects, team meetings and free time. As Global Volunteers, your family obtains a direct, “hands on” experience of life in rural coal country – and gains respect for those living within the limitations of economic poverty. Stereotypes are dispelled, assumptions are challenged, friendships are made. You learn first-hand about the myths and legends that formed the spirit-rich Appalachian culture spanning multiple generations.

Each day, you provide a needed service, working with children, teens and adults – who share their own struggles, hopes, dreams and challenges. Together with your teammates, you learn that despite our differences at birth, we’re all far more alike than different. Children return with an authentic, age-appropriate point of view which informs their future life choices.

Service programs are conveniently scheduled during spring and summer breaks from school. Parents and guardians are expected to supervise their child volunteers, and collaborate with our team leader and local partners to maximize the service experience for everyone. In this way, youth form a rare, personal perspective of this unique culture beyond textbook depictions and legends. What’s more, they may gain life-long friends in one of the country’s least-understood populations.

Group Opportunities

Student and corporate groups of all kinds have served in the hollows of West Virginia – contributing needed skills while strengthening their commitment to effective teamwork. Our proprietary orientation and team building processes have been refined over three decades, enabling you to optimize your contribution. Because of the wide variety of volunteer projects, every member of your group can fully engage their unique skills and interests in meaningful service. We work with you to customize your program to learn about each other in a non-traditional way as an intact volunteer team. With advanced preparation, you can be certain that your unique contributions on genuine development projects advance the futures of those you serve.

For instance, students from an American pharmacy school worked with their healthcare counterparts in Beards Fork and learned about prevailing conditions in the county, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and the like. A group of student nurses from the Community College of Philadelphia taught school children about dental hygiene and hand washing with soap and water while other team members helped unload food trucks to distribute groceries to local families in need. An employee group “blitzed” a rehabilitation project to clean and convert an elementary school building into a community center.

At the end of the work day, you can gather together for folk songs, museum visits, or group reflection on local culture from various perspectives.

Opportunities for high school and college groups

Read on for details on group volunteering

Appalachia Volunteer Community Projects

BUILDING REPAIR AND REHABILITATION
Help rehabilitate dilapidated and energy inefficient homes, classrooms and other buildings in economically devastated rural coalfield communities. Trades professionals are especially helpful, but everyone who can wield a paint brush or pound a hammer can work alongside and mentor participants in the local “Youth Build” program—young people who are working on-site to develop their trades skills and earn their GEDs.
AFTER-SCHOOL AND GED TUTORING
During the school year, help children of all ages study and comprehend lessons, complete homework assignments and study for tests. Help teens and young adults study for their GED tests and learn computer basics so they can successfully compete in college or enter the work world.
SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
Help kids in grades 1 to 5 practice reading and engage their creativity and personal expression at Energy Express, a summer school program in June and July. This part-time project enables you to observe and work with local teachers to encourage students who may struggle in the classroom during the school year.

RADIO BROADCASTS
Employ your technical knowledge and experience in daily radio broadcast operations! Or share the story of your personal career development on SALS’ own radio station at the Oak Hill Community Center. If you’re willing to be interviewed about your professional skills, education and your experience on your service program, you have a ready audience!
COMMUNITY GARDEN
Plant, weed and harvest in the local community garden. Assist with the maintenance and upkeep of a small demonstration garden.

Appalachia Volunteer Program Snapshot

1 week programs available

Contribution:
$1,045 – $1,095

Projects Include:
Teaching, Labor

Local time:

Request Information

Request Program Catalog

Download Full Program Schedule

Visit Program Blog

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Food and Lodging

Your health and safety as a volunteer in Appalachia are our top priorities. Lodging is dormitory style in the Beards Fork Southern Appalachian Labor School dorm, with large rooms and shared bathrooms divided by gender. Smaller private rooms may be available for families with young children if requested in advance.

Bunk beds with provided bedding
Shared bathrooms with showers
Community TV room
Industrial kitchen for meal preparation
Wi-fi available at some work sites

Breakfast is self-serve at the lodging facility, with packed or provided lunch at the work sites. Evening meals are prepared by a local cook at the lodging facility. Specialties are typical Appalachian and Southern American “soul food” – greens, fried chicken, sausage, cornbread, green and pinto beans, squash casserole, mashed potatoes and the like. Strict vegetarian and other restrictive diets may not be easily accommodated. Local water is safe; bottled water is available.

“I definitely know more about the Appalachian culture now – how black and white populations mix, and how customs extend back through many generations. I developed an appreciation for the challenges local people face in order to get ahead.”

Jefry Machesky West Virginia Volunteer

“When asking co-workers what volunteering means to them, I came up with the list of: educating, love, teaching experiences, useful, eager, caring, giving, generous, beneficial, humanitarian, free-hearted, and that they had fond memories of helping others, themselves, or of being helped by someone as a friend locally or abroad, but most of all, it is a service that is very needed in our communities.”

Barbara PainterSouthern Appalachian Labor School, Community Partner

“In this community, everyone looks out for one another. They’re more than just neighbors, they’re family. We as volunteers have helped each other, embraced our neighbors, learned new things, had fun, and most of all, we’ve made a difference. Our new goal is to continue making a difference.”

Baheejah MahdiWest Virginia Volunteer

Be The Change.

Through important, full-day volunteer assignments and free-time activities, you learn about Appalachian culture and the significant ways you improve children’s and families’ lives. Our time-tested and proven philosophy of service ensures your efforts help advance the host community’s development vision and goals. You contribute to genuine community-based projects, and in doing so, you’re accepted as family. Our commitment to engage short-term volunteers on long-term community projects in partnership with local people enables you, in just a short time, to serve as a critical link in a chain of volunteer support spanning three decades.