Farm Volunteer Program Continues
Despite Devastating Flood
Glenmary Recommits to Farm, Programs, Location

Farm Manager Janel Aleson works to remove the soaked drywall from the Staff House.

CINCINNATI (April 3, 2000)—For the second time in less than three years, the Glenmary Farm in Vanceburg, Ky., site of Glenmary's Appalachian Volunteer Program, has been totally devastated by flooding. But the 25 groups of school and parish volunteers scheduled to spend time at the Farm over the summer have nothing to fear, says Volunteer Manager Susan Hellmann.

"The Catholic Community of Vanceburg has rallied to provide alternative sleeping and dining accommodations for our volunteers until a new Volunteer House can be completed at the Farm sometime in June," says Hellmann. The Farm Volunteer Program is designed to give participants a firsthand experience of mission by reaching out to local people at various work sites.

No volunteers were at the Farm when the flood struck on Friday, Feb. 18. The first volunteers to arrive on the scene in early March assisted with clean-up efforts. This first wave of assistance was provided by groups from St. Anselm College ( Manchester, N.H.), South Dakota State University (Brookings, S.D.), St. Thomas More University Parish (Bowling Green, Ohio) and the Newman Centers at the University of Wisconsin (Oshkosh and LaCrosse campuses).

This year's flood completely destroyed the contents of all Farm buildings. New drywall installed after the 1997 flood had to be ripped from rooms filled with up to seven feet of water from the Kinniconick Creek which runs through the 56 acres Glenmary has owned since 1972.

Flooding was never a problem in the Farm's first 25 years. "No one was even aware that part of our property was in a flood plain," reports Glenmary Finance Director Bob Knueven.  "We only found that out when we tried to renew our insurance after the first flood in 1997.  We're in a so-called '100-year' flood plain, but we've now been hit twice in less than three years."

The recent flooding has forced Glenmary to seriously reevaluate its continuing presence at the Farm. The 1997 approach of repairing the damage, replacing the contents and restoring the Farm to pre-flood condition was no longer an option, says Knueven. More radical—and expensive—measures would be necessary for Glenmary to stay on Lower Kinney Road where, as a favorite saying puts it,  "peace came and stayed."

"After weighing all the options," says Glenmary President Father Jerry Dorn, "we are recommitting to the Farm, its current location, its meaning, its programs. The Farm is just too important to too many people across the country and in Lewis County." He points to the many unsolicited offers of help and financial assistance that have been pouring in to prove his point.

Rebuilding and flood-proofing the Glenmary Farm is an ambitious project for which the total costs have not yet been determined. "While some insurance money will be received," Knueven says, "it will no where near cover even the costs of replacing the lost contents of our buildings."

Rebuilding will proceed in three stages: First, a new two-story Volunteer House, with sleeping and eating space for 40 people, will be constructed so that any future flood waters will pass through specially constructed doors and windows on the lower level. This "bunk room" will be used only for sleeping, and nothing of value will be permanently installed at this level. All utilities, appliances and furnishings will be on the second level.

The second phase will focus on the existing Staff House. It will be jacked up eight feet to rest on posts, similar to beachfront homes constructed to ride out high tides.

Third, the original Farm House, previously used by volunteers for sleeping and dining, will be converted to a simple multipurpose space and its wood floor replaced with concrete. The age of this building and its log construction preclude raising it to a higher level. Finally, a portion of the Farm House will be converted into a quiet room for prayer and meditation.

The goal, reiterated Father Dorn, is to keep the Farm available as a place for future generations of young Catholics to explore what the call to be missionary means in their lives, to reflect on the importance of service as a lifelong component of every adult Christian life, and to see what the world looks like through the lens of another culture, in this case Appalachian culture.

Over the past 28 years, more than 10,000 volunteers—mostly high school and college students—have passed through the Farm, many of whom now testify to the pivotal role a week at the Farm played in shaping their future lives and careers. Today, groups from all over the U.S. vie for the 500 spots available in this year-round volunteer program.

As longtime Farm Director Brother Virgil Siefker points out, "The Glenmary Farm doesn't grow crops. We grow people."

For more information about the Glenmary Farm Volunteer Program contact Susan Hellmann at 513-881-7411 or e-mail at volunteer@glenmary.org. The Glenmary Web site will also carry updates on the Farm rebuilding effort.