Hello friends, family, and supporters,

Thank you so much for helping us raise $147 so far- that is over 10% of our goal! We appreciate your support and ask that you continue to share our project with anyone you think would be interested in learning more.

Gratefully,

Sarah Minney-Graduate Student Leader of the CCME Appalachia trip

Hello supporters- in just a few hours not only have we met 25% of our goal, we've now surpassed 50% of our goal!! Thank you so much to all of you for helping us make this fundraiser so successful so far. 

With gratitude,

Sarah Minney-Graduate Student Leader of the Appalachia CCME trip

Hello donors- check out this video expressing our gratitude for having reached 75% of our goal!! We're so grateful for the amazing support we've received from our friends and family.

Sincerely,

The CCME Appalachia trip staff and students

Hello Appalachia CCME Supporters,

Yesterday, the Spiritan Campus Ministry staff who will be travelling to Mullens, WV over spring break took a road trip down to the site where we will be working to discuss our projects and check in with our contacts there. We met with Dewey Houck, President of the Rural Appalachian Improvement League, as well as organizers who help run the local food pantry. This year, they have asked that we focus on donations/projects that will benefit the whole community and not just a few individual families. While in the past we have done home repairs for families, this year we will be doing something a little bit different.

We will be focusing our attention and resources on breaking ground on the first (of hopefully many) “high tunnels” which are greenhouses specially designed to extend the growing season and allow people to grow fruits and vegetables year-round. It is Dewey’s dream that every opportunity for Mullens residents to utilize their own natural resources be taken, and these high tunnels are a perfect place to start. Dewey took us to one of the sites upon which the high tunnels will be built, and we can’t wait to get down there to start prepping for them! The money we raise will be used to purchase all necessary supplies and materials. We will also be working to help organize clothing and food donations so that they can be sent out to those in need.

We had a great visit with our friends in Mullens and now that we know exactly what projects we will be working on, we are even more excited for our trip!

Thanks for your support and stay posted for more updates.

Peace and love,

Spiritan Campus Ministry Appalachian Trip Staff

Thanks everyone!! In just a little over 24 hours we've reached our goal of raising $1000. All additional donations will be put towards building even more high tunnels, so keep sharing our project with those that are interested!

Thank you!!

-CCME Appalachia trip staff and students

Hi everyone- we've officially raised double our initial goal of $1000 and are currently at a total of $2067! Thank you all for your help and generous donations, especially CCME trip alumni! We'll have updates from our second pre-trip meeting soon, and until then, keep sharing our project with others who would be interested in supporting us.

Thank you again,

The CCME Appalachia trip staff and students

Hi everyone- we just had our last pre-trip meeting this past Sunday....our trip is approaching fast!! We're very excited for our week in West Virginia and to help get the Mullins Opportunity Center's high tunnel project off the ground. We received news from Dewey Houck, President of the Rural Appalachian Improvement League, that there will be an official kick-off event for the Wyoming County Farm to School Program while we are in West Virginia. Local and state goverment officials, local journalists, and farmers/agriculturists from across the state will be invited to check out the high tunnels we will be building!! We're excited to provide a running start for this project. Read the article here: http://www.register-herald.com/news/high-tunnel-greenhouse-planned-in-mullens/article_23d65f97-aac9-5d60-b93c-95328aabca16.html 

You can check out their Twitter page for live updates https://twitter.com/theMOC

and of course check back on our blog!

Thank you all for your support!
CCME Appalachia 2015 Staff and Students

Thank you to all of our donors for helping us raise a whopping total of $2372!! Because of the large amount of money we raised, the RAIL organization will be using our funds to build a 40 ft. by 12 ft high tunnel (talk about huge!) right in the Mullins Opportunity Center's backyard to serve as a model for farmers, agriculturists etc. to come check out. It will also serve as a community garden and source of jobs. Thanks everyone for your support and check back after our trip for updates!! We won't have regular wifi service but promise to take lots of pictures for when we return.

Gratefully,

The CCME Appalachian 2015 staff and students 

Hello everyone- our group returned yesterday from our trip to Mullens. We had an amazing experience and are grateful for the kindness and hospitality we were shown while staying at the Mullens Opportunity Center. We worked with the local St. Vincent de Paul to sort through clothing donations, we attended mass in nearby Pineville and had breakfast with local community members there, and we successfully built a tool shed and the main frame for the high tunnel greenhouse. We're thankful that the rain held off and that we were able to accomplish so much while we were there. We are looking forward to seeing how the high tunnel project progresses and hopefully we'll be seeing fruits and vegetables growing soon!! Check out RAIL/MOC's twitter feed and website for updates on the project. 
https://twitter.com/themoc
http://www.railwv.org/mullens_opportunity_center.htm

Thanks again to all our supporters.

CCME 2015 Appalachian Trip Staff and Students