Interview with Jeanne C. Lafond, June 25, 1986

Partial Transcript: I thought we might start by you telling me a little bit about yourself before you went to Kentucky with the Christian Appalachian Project.

Segment Synopsis: Lafond was a high school teacher and had majored in sociology before she joined the Christian Appalachian Project. She had studied over several summers and wanted to spend one summer volunteering in Appalachia. She taught about social issues in her classes and she wanted the experience of helping the less fortunate in America. She was teaching in the Boston area. She heard about the Christian Appalachian Project through a flyer and a friend who talked about it to her. She took her first plane flight ever to Lexington, Kentucky and went with another Sister, Judy Curley. Lafond is part of the Sisters of the Assumption order and was the first to go to Appalachia from her order. She joined the Christian Appalachian Project in 1977. The only thing she knew ahead of time was that Appalachia had impoverished areas and CAP was trying to fix it. Since this was after the War on Poverty era, she knew about the issue of poverty.

Keywords: Christian Appalachian Project (CAP); Great Society; Nuns; Sisters of the Assumption; Sociology; Teachers; Teaching; Volunteerism; War on Poverty

Subjects: Appalachia.; Boston (Mass.); Christian Appalachian Project; Kentucky--Social life and customs; Lexington (Ky.); Poverty--Appalachian Region; Poverty.; Religious communities; Sociology.; Voluntarism; Volunteering; Volunteers.

Partial Transcript: So what did you do when you arrived at CAP? What were your responsibilities?

Segment Synopsis: During her first week at CAP, Lafond helped with The Attic, a thrift store in Lancaster, by sorting clothes. During the second and third weeks, she taught Bible school to some children, but during the fourth week, she taught Bible school to Catholic children. She taught many Black children from the town during her first week teaching Bible school, and she taught many white children from more rural areas during the second week. She said it was not always organized this way, but transportation might have made the situation that way. Other teachers included Rosemary Brennan and Peggy. She remembers a woman named Taffy being in charge of The Attic, Cathy O'Donnell being in charge of volunteers, and Cathy Ford working at the childcare center. She lived in the basement at the church. She got to know Father Beiting a little while there and found him to be charismatic and well-respected.

Keywords: Appalachian people; Bible schools; Child development centers; Christian Appalachian Project (CAP); Father Beiting; Father Ralph W. Beiting; Kathy Kluesener; Kathy O'Donnell Kluesener; Summer camps; The Attic; Volunteerism

Subjects: Appalachia.; Beiting, Ralph W.; Christian Appalachian Project; Communities.; Community development.; Education.; Kentucky--Social life and customs; Lancaster (Ky.); Rural conditions.; Voluntarism; Volunteering; Volunteers.

Partial Transcript: Did you do home visits?

Segment Synopsis: Lafond says they did not do home visits often because they were strangers and did not want to make people feel uncomfortable. Sometimes, though, they would visit and talk to people on their porches, which allowed Lafond to become familiar with the roads. They did not teach the Catholic children that much differently than non-Catholic children. She traveled to other CAP sites such as the ones in Berea, Mount Vernon, and Camp Andrew Jackson in McKee. Father Beiting had given a pep talk at the camp. He mentioned the importance of permanent and full-time volunteers at CAP, which meant spending a year or more there. Lafond remembers some of the children and local people. One memory is of her teaching the Parable of the Sower and asking the children if they had gardens at home. The children remained quiet because they did not realize for a while, with her Boston accent, that she was saying "garden." Children who forgot their lunch would get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and one girl said her mother said it was not worth going to the camp unless they provided lunch. The children ranged from first grade to fifth or sixth grade.

Keywords: Accents; Appalachian life; Appalachian people; Camp Andrew Jackson; Children; Christian Appalachian Project (CAP); Communication; Father Beiting; Father Ralph W. Beiting; Food; Home visits; Kids; Lunches; Relationships; Teachers; Teaching; Volunteerism

Subjects: Appalachia.; Berea (Ky.); Catholicism; Catholics; Christian Appalachian Project; Education.; McKee (Ky.); Mount Vernon (Ky.); Summer camps; Voluntarism; Volunteering; Volunteers.

Partial Transcript: When--while--the month you were there, do you think you had a chance to get an overall sense of CAP's work and whether or not it benefited the people and was worthwhile?

Segment Synopsis: Lafond thinks CAP's influence was impactful on the Appalachia community. The Child Development Center at St. Williams and The Attic helped people a lot. Some people entered The Attic looking despondent while others would come in with bravery on their faces. She remembers a woman getting baby clothes and Taffy, the shop manager, telling her the clothes would be a dollar and fifty-seven cents, but the woman asked for it to be put on layaway. She mentions another memory of a family telling Father Beiting that they have no food left and needed help. Her ideas about Appalachia changed in that she realized Father Beiting's urging that long-term volunteering was needed was right. She feels many problems were political in nature and difficult to change, but the only way to change it was to get involved.

Keywords: Appalachian life; Appalachian people; Child development centers; Christian Appalachian Project (CAP); Father Beiting; Father Ralph W. Beiting; Impact; Influence; Kathy Kluesener; Kathy O'Donnell Kluesener; The Attic; Volunteerism

Subjects: Appalachia.; Appalachian Region--Economic conditions.; Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachian Region--Social life and customs; Beiting, Ralph W.; Christian Appalachian Project; Communities.; Community development.; Kentucky--Social life and customs; Poverty--Appalachian Region; Poverty.; Regionalism--Appalachian Region; Rural conditions.; Voluntarism; Volunteering; Volunteers.

Partial Transcript: So did you incorporate your work in Kentucky into the classroom when you returned?

Segment Synopsis: Lafond used her experiences in Kentucky in her classroom. She taught that poor people in different regions are not all the same. She also realized there were poor people right where she lives in Boston and she could help them. When asked how urban and rural poverty compared to each other, Lafond allowed a man named Jack to answer the question. He said he learned from his experiences in West Virginia that in rural places, the isolation makes it worse. Urban populations have better transportation and are less isolated, but they lose touch with nature. People living in rural poverty retain their connection to nature. People living in urban poverty can go to a hospital and get treatment easier than the rural poor due to the lack of transportation. The schools in Eastern Kentucky have to close when there is the slightest amount of snow on the ground, so the students have to attend school further into the summer when it is hot.

Keywords: Appalachian life; Appalachian people; Christian Appalachian Project (CAP); Education; Experiences; Kentucky; Poverty; Rural poverty; Schools; Teachers; Teaching; Urban poverty; Volunteerism; West Virginia

Subjects: Appalachia.; Boston (Mass.); Christian Appalachian Project; Poverty--Appalachian Region; Poverty.; Voluntarism; Volunteering; Volunteers.

Partial Transcript: Now one thing, when I was talking last night with Mimmie Krauss who was there in seventy-two, some of the things that struck her were a little different from what struck me.

Segment Synopsis: A friend of Lafond's, Mimmie Krauss, remembers more positive memories such as a visit to a small shack where a father and son lived. They lived in desolate conditions, but the son could play guitar and they were able to still feel happy. Lafond says if she ever returned, she would need to do so long-term. She did not feel ready to do so yet. She gets newsletters from CAP called Ave. The interviewer discusses the image that CAP puts out of Appalachia, which is controversial because it can reduce Appalachia to one image, that of poverty. Lafond had not kept in touch with that many people except Rosemary Brennan. Something else that impressed Krauss was the dedication of the permanent volunteers who met every morning for prayer and had mass every day. Lafond says Catholicism was able to persist in Appalachia despite the few people who are Catholic there because of their respect for the people of Appalachia and the help they provided.

Keywords: Appalachian life; Appalachian people; Attitudes; Catholicism; Christian Appalachian Project (CAP); Happiness; Image; Stereotypes; Volunteerism

Subjects: Appalachia.; Catholics; Christian Appalachian Project; Kentucky--Religion; Poverty--Appalachian Region; Poverty.; Religious communities; Voluntarism; Volunteering; Volunteers.

Partial Transcript: Is there anything else you can remember that you'd like to, um, share?

Segment Synopsis: Lafond does not remember the food from Kentucky very well, but she remembers taking turns in the kitchen rather than having things be organized. The bishop from Covington joined the CAP volunteers for lunch one day, which was different from what Lafond was used to because bishops are more distant in Boston. Lafond's memories of Father Beiting are of his big van and of his optimism but also his insistence on what he wanted to accomplish.

Keywords: Appalachian life; Appalachian people; Attitudes; Bishops; Catholicism; Catholics; Christian Appalachian Project (CAP); Cooking; Covington (Ky.); Father Beiting; Father Ralph W. Beiting; Food; Volunteerism

Subjects: Appalachia.; Beiting, Ralph W.; Christian Appalachian Project; Voluntarism; Volunteering; Volunteers.

Partial Transcript: Did you take any photographs or keep anything from that time period?

Segment Synopsis: Lafond says she has slides from her time at CAP and shows them to the interviewer. She took the slides so she could use them while teaching her high school sociology course in Salem. She works full-time in the Hispanic community in her parish now, which numbers 1,000 to 1,500 people. Lafond remembers taking the children to a frontier town, but she cannot remember which one. She shows pictures of a home she visited, pictures of the grounds of St. Williams, and the first week of Bible school.

Keywords: Appalachian life; Appalachian people; Christian Appalachian Project (CAP); Hispanic community; Latinx community; Nuns; Pictures; Sisters of the Assumption; Teachers; Teaching; Volunteerism

Subjects: Appalachia.; Christian Appalachian Project; Photographs; Salem (Mass.); Voluntarism; Volunteering; Volunteers.

Partial Transcript: One of the other volunteers who I've interviewed remembered the children as being very loving and affectionate and wanting to--she was at the camp and how they didn't want to leave the camp after they'd had a week or five days at the camp because it was such a, I guess, a change in environment for them and such a treat.

Segment Synopsis: The children enjoyed the camps that CAP put on, and there was frequent singing that they liked. Lafond continues to show pictures such as of homes in Appalachia. As far as employment in the area goes, Lafond did not remember what people did. She took pictures of outhouses and cars so her students would be able to see them. Clothing in The Attic came from all over the country in loads. She shows a picture of Father Beiting's van.

Keywords: Appalachian life; Appalachian people; Children; Christian Appalachian Project (CAP); Donations; Employment; Father Beiting; Father Ralph W. Beiting; Houses; Kids; Outhouses; Songs; The Attic; Voluntarism; Volunteerism

Subjects: Appalachia.; Christian Appalachian Project; Summer camps; Volunteering; Volunteers.

Partial Transcript: From the permanent volunteers that I've spoken to it seems as if this is, and probably you've learned this from being there for a month, it's a full-time twenty-four hour job almost.

Segment Synopsis: Lafond agrees that the job at CAP is almost 24/7. The interviewer explains that Father Beiting moved to Floyd County and started a Christian school there. Though he retired, he is still involved in the operations of CAP. Lafond shows a picture of an outdoor theater and the interviewer says there are outdoor theaters in Berea and Harrodsburg. Lafond says it's from Fort Harrod, and they saw a play there about Appalachia. She shows a picture of Thomas Merton's monastery. She took a picture of a dirt road to use as an example. She also took a picture of a grandmother with her grandchildren on the condition that she send them copies of the pictures.

Keywords: Appalachian life; Appalachian people; Christian Appalachian Project (CAP); Father Beiting; Father Ralph W. Beiting; Fort Harrod (Ky.); Retirement; Teachers; Teaching; Theaters; Thomas Merton; Volunteerism

Subjects: Appalachia.; Beiting, Ralph W.; Berea (Ky.); Christian Appalachian Project; Floyd County (Ky.); Harrodsburg (Ky.); Merton, Thomas, 1915-1968; Voluntarism; Volunteering; Volunteers.