by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org
DUNLOW, W.Va. — Grace Garrison still remembers her first trip to Appalachia as a freshman at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park in 2007.
“It was back in the day where you couldn’t get cell service or anything like that — no GPS,” said Garrison. “You had to use paper maps through these winding hills.”
But it was a chaperone on the trip who left a lasting impression on her life and inspired her to return to Dunlow, West Virginia, for years to come.
“Richard was an awesome and a super-wholesome role model,” said Garrison. “That was really nice at that point in my life.
“I know I’m not the only kid that he made a big difference in their life, giving a little bit of purpose and structure and something to look forward to each year and feel like you’re doing something for the world.”
Richard Sulzen, a parishioner at St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee, chaperoned Miege’s spring break trip to Dunlow for the first time in 2002 when his daughter was a freshman.
He hasn’t missed a trip since.
“I think it speaks to him, but also his love of the trip and the people there and the tradition he’s created,” said Bill Creach, director of campus ministry.
Heart for service
Sulzen’s life has changed over the past 24 years.
But his heart for the Miege and Dunlow communities has remained a constant.
He believes the power of a service trip like Dunlow lies in the nature of the gift being given.
“When we think of donations,” said Sulzen, “we think of money, clothes that we outgrew, food that we don’t need, stuff that we always replace.
“But [the students have] given up their time and energy that they’ll never get back.
“I think the locals understand that and are so appreciative to see the young people doing something and creating something so wonderful for them.”
Meeting the need
For four days, the Miege students and chaperones work in small groups at various homes, building and repairing decks, ramps, roofs, flooring and more for the elderly or those with disabilities.
Sulzen also takes a small group to Dunlow each summer to serve for five days with people from around the country.
The unincorporated community in the Appalachian region is home to a resilient, close-knit people with a unique set of challenges, said Sulzen.
“There are really no developments as far as housing,” he explained. “It’s a house here or there along the road — very sparse.”
Over the years, Sulzen’s motivation has shifted from wanting to fix their problems to meeting them in their needs.
“Early on, we tried to teach the locals to get an education and get a good job and realized that meant they were going to have to leave the home,” he said, “because there are no good jobs locally.
“They have to travel 45 minutes to get a good job, which is at Walmart.”
“Over the years, I realized that I would be helping them move away from family who need them,” he continued, “because there are no nursing homes there.
“It’s pretty much generation taking care of the last generation.”
New perspectives
The encounters in Dunlow have the power to transform the perspective of the youth who serve there, said Nancy Miller.
A parishioner at St. Elizabeth Parish and theology teacher at St. Teresa’s Academy, both in Kansas City, Missouri, she began chaperoning when her daughter attended the trip in 2016.
“We tell the kids this: that they’ll forever be changed when they go,” said Miller.
“We are not here to save anybody,” she added. “We are here to walk with them, because every one of these people is really proud of where they are and what they have.”
Miege sophomore Quin Chaffee-McClure was impressed by the people he encountered on this year’s trip from March 15-21.
“They were so happy to be how they are, and they’re very proud of how they live,” he said. “That was really eye-opening to me. I really respect that.”
Sulzen believes taking a road trip to a different part of the country is a valuable part of the experience.
“So many people say you can do the same thing here in Kansas City,” he said, “but why do you go so far?
“And I say because it takes that long for the students to get out of their comfort zone to then become truly who they are instead of the way they are at school or at home or at work or with their friends.”
Powerful influence
Miller believes that chaperones like Sulzen and Richard Vogt teach the students practical skills with patience and, as a result, instill valuable lessons.
“Those are two men who truly walk the walk of what we’re here to do,” she said. “And they model every day how you treat others and how you should expect to be treated.”
That influence is particularly powerful for the girls on the trip, she said, who usually make up a much smaller number than the boys.
“They will call on you,” Miller tells them ahead of the trip. “They will make sure that you are not pushed to the side.
“They want you to learn what they have to teach you.”
Junior Kayla Lueckenotto appreciated Sulzen’s example.
“He has a really big goal of putting others first before himself,” she said.
“For me, my work was really impactful,” she added. “It made me feel really good inside that I was doing something really important for someone else.”
Senior Ethan Reyes said he learned something new every day, and that the Miege group felt more like family by the time they left.
“That’s what I always find beautiful about this community that I have grown to love so fondly,” said Reyes. “It’s something that I will never forget.”
The time away from their typical routines was also satisfying.
“It’s so good to take a pause for a week and have your eyes opened by the pure beauty of the world and of people,” said senior Joseph Charles.
“You get a new sense of joy and of happiness out of that trip, having your batteries recharged,” he added. “You see life through a different lens after.”
Role model
Sulzen won’t take credit for the part he’s played in making the Dunlow trip what it is.
But those around him know better.
“His character is what you would strive to be,” said Miller. “He is a prayerful, contemplative kind of a person, but then he also has that faith in action.”
“For me, [the trip] gave me something that I had been looking for,” she added. “That’s what I’ve been missing in my life.
“And that’s all from Richard being the model for it and walking the walk.”
