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DESCRIPTION:Learn how to become part of this summer&rsquo\;s local Appala
 chia Service Project &ndash\; a weeklong outreach to make homes warmer\,
  safer and drier &ndash\; during an informational session on Thurs.\, Fe
 b. 9.\nThe ASP introductory slide show will start at 7:30 p.m. at Jesse 
 Lee Memorial United Methodist Church\, 207 Main St.&nbsp\; Meet in the c
 hurch&rsquo\;s Carriage House\, the Tudor-style building at the west end
  of the parking lot.\nThis no-obligation night will introduce high schoo
 l students and their parents &ndash\; and any other interested volunteer
 s &ndash\; to the Appalachia Service Project overall\, and especially to
  the Ridgefield ASP group based at Jesse Lee and the developing plan for
  this year&rsquo\;s trip June 30-July 8.\nAdults are also encouraged to 
 volunteer for the trip &ndash\; both those who have children coming alon
 g and those who don&rsquo\;t.\nASP is a national Christian volunteer org
 anization founded by Rev. Glenn &ldquo\;Tex&rdquo\; Evans\, a Methodist 
 minister\, in 1969. Since then\, more than 260\,000 volunteers from acro
 ss the nation have repaired 14\,000 homes in West Virginia\, Kentucky\, 
 Tennessee and Virginia.\nASP is open to anyone age 15 and up. You don&rs
 quo\;t have to be a member of Jesse Lee or any church\, you don&rsquo\;t
  have to live in Ridgefield\, and you don&rsquo\;t need to be an expert 
 with a hammer. Basic construction skills and safety rules are taught in 
 training sessions prior to going on ASP. There&rsquo\;s also a fund-rais
 ing component. And it helps if you like ice cream.\nThe Jesse Lee ASP gr
 oup is in its 27th year. Last summer\, 117 students and adults from Jess
 e Lee ASP worked for a week to restore the homes (and hope) of folks who
  needed it in three counties in West Virginia and one county in Virginia
 .\n&ldquo\;But ASP is more than a construction program &ndash\; it's a r
 elationship ministry\,&rdquo\; said Peter Seirup\, a member of the Jesse
  Lee ASP Council. &ldquo\;Everyone who goes spends a lot of time interac
 ting with the family they've serving and that &ndash\; more than the con
 struction work &ndash\; is something that impacts you for the rest of yo
 ur life.&rdquo\;\nSeirup said the week in Appalachia is an eye-opener fo
 r teens raised in Ridgefield.\n&ldquo\;They often go wondering what the 
 residents will be like and what on Earth they&rsquo\;re possibly going t
 o talk about with them\,&rdquo\; Seirup said. &ldquo\;And\, by the end o
 f the week\, there&rsquo\;s hugging and crying and posing for pictures a
 nd sharing of emails and addresses because of connections that have been
  made.&rdquo\;\nYou don&rsquo\;t have to pre-register for the Feb. 9 int
 roductory slide show. For more information\, call Jesse Lee&rsquo\;s chu
 rch office at (203) 438-8791.&nbsp\; Or go online to www.jesseleeasp.org
 .
URL:http://ridgefield.patch.com/events/introductory-slide-show-for-2012-a
 ppalachia-service-project
SUMMARY:Introductory Slide Show for 2012 Appalachia Service Project
LOCATION:Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church: 207 Main St\, Ridgef
 ield\, CT
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