Dear Mr. Elkins-Williams,

Blue Ridge Opportunity Commission (BROC) was formed in 1966 as a result of the enactment of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and was designed as a community action agency to help the low income citizens of Ashe, Alleghany, and Wilkes Counties. BROC continues to work toward its original goal. The agency attempts to direct its efforts to the elimination of "poverty in the midst of plenty in this nation by offering the opportunity for education, training, the opportunity to work, and the opportunity to live in decency and dignity."

Our office (an old school building) in Ashe County is located on the banks of a gentle stream, surrounded by gigantic mountains that turn a shade of green in the spring that only God can provide. In the fall these same mountains are painted orange, gold, yellow, and red, again by God's hand. We look at this beauty and wonder how such a majestic area can produce a people less than wealthy. Unfortunately, poverty hides behind the beauty in these mountains. The Chapel of the Cross and Reverend Stephen Stanley's students have been a great friend to the people in need in Ashe County. They came; built porches, handrails, steps, decks; and painted. We were all grateful for that first year; and we were blessed again last year when they returned to work from early morning until late evening helping put in a shower for a widowed lady, building porches and steps, and even installing an air conditioner at the BROC Office! (Thank-you!) This year Reverend Stanley came with more students and funds for supplies. They were ready, willing, and able to make the lives of these mostly elderly people better.

Garfield Hamilton, a 75-year old gentleman, has steps that are no longer dangerous and a new door on his modest home. Ollie Clark has a porch that is stable to walk on; Dollie Perry, a widowed lady has new steps, and a restructured porch; Joseph and Mary Roland have a deck on a mobile home that was donated by Oakwood Mobile Homes and they also have mulch instead of mud in their front yard. There are others, but these are some that come to mind as I remember the gratitude of the clients. The students and supervisors not only mend the structural building needs of the people in Ashe County, but they offer friendship and a caring spirit that is long remembered in the eyes of these mountain people. The need is here and the Chapel of the Cross responded to that need.

BROC would like to thank everyone that is involved in the Ashe Mission Project and we ask for your help in our war against poverty. We are already looking forward to the coming year and the arrival of Reverend Stanley and the students. This is a very uplifting time for the BROC staff. The energy, the love, caring, and the great results give a great deal of meaning to the work that we do here each day.

-- Joan Hinson, Case Manager

Dear Members of the Chapel of the Cross,

I want to give a big thank you to all our Chapel of the Cross Parish families and all our Chapel of the Cross Preschool families for their hard work shoveling 12 tons of new sand for the church playground last Saturday morning! We had 48 hours' notice and were able to gather 13 adults and 7 children who worked very hard all morning to get the job done. Thank you to our Parish families: David and Sharon Kolk, Christine Kolk, Caroline Kolk, Dean Kolk, Reid and Margaret Conrad, Adams Conrad, Matson Conrad, Lucille Conrad, Paul and Miranda Hodgkins, Thomas Hodgkins, and Wilborn Roberson, (and thank you to Martha Shütz and Donald Lo for the equipment when we really needed it!). And thank you to our Preschool teachers and families: Lynn Voss, Valerie Hausman, James Tucker, Sean Wilson, and Greg Hoffmeyer. And thank you to our unknown Marine soldier.

The Preschool at the Chapel of the Cross built and maintains the playground for use by all the children of the Parish as a way of saying thank you to the Church for sponsoring the Preschool. But since there is such an overlap between our Preschool and Parish families, almost two-thirds of the people shoveling sand were parishioners. We are truly blessed to have such an active and supportive Church family!

We need to extend a very special thank you to David and Sharon Kolk, who arrived just as we were beginning to realize we were not getting the job done. David brought serious help and serious equipment which enabled us to really move that mountain of sand.

A final thank you goes out to our unknown Marine soldier on leave from base and in Chapel Hill for a day off. When he saw us struggling with our huge pile of sand, he immediately jumped in and shoveled and wheelbarrowed that sand in the hot sun for three hours straight. When all the sand was in the playground, he simply said goodbye and continued on his way. What an example of love he was for us all.

Working together as a community you truly see the best in everyone!

Faithfully submitted,
Susie Holloway
Parishioner and President of the Board of the Preschool at the Chapel of the Cross