Day 33

Along this relay journey, people have continuously asked me to pinpoint my most memorable encounter. The entire experience has been so meaningful and so important, that I can’t define one particularly outstanding moment. I have met so many wonderful people and have made connections with so many areas and organizations. In my most recent experiences, I have developed a renewed appreciation for Appalachia and the people who work to serve the area.

Today Amy Harmon of College Relations and her husband, John, joined the relay. Together we delivered a proclamation of thanks and friendship to Scott County Tennessee. The County Mayor gladly welcomed Berea College, as students in Huntsville have attended the College. Additionally, they invited us to attend their employee appreciation barbeque at the County Building. Due to time constraints, we couldn’t join them, but were grateful to have been invited.

We continued over the mountains along highway 297 into Newcomb, TN. We visited Crazy Quilt Friendship Center. We were awed by their fine crafted quilts, which are primarily made by women who live in surrounding mountain communities. We learned very quickly that the Center is more than great crafts and beautiful quilts. They serve the area by offering second hand clothing items at a low cost, as well as provide between 80-200 people with food through their in house food bank. Around the holiday season, they provide gifts for about 600 children, including families in eastern Tennessee and Kentucky. It was an honor to meet the Crazy Quilt staff and volunteers who devote their lives to the area through providing quilt making jobs and serving the children, children that may someday attend Berea College.

Today, on my last day of writing the blog, I’d like to thank everyone for reading. I’ve had both an enjoyable and enlightening voyage. I’ve seen the peacefulness of the countryside by driving the windy roads from 10 mph to 50mph. I’ve noticed the deep beauty within so many of the people who inhabit the area. The most rewarding of all my encounters tied to the relay are the ones that involved you. I’ve been stunned by Berea College alumni and friends in elevators, at gas station parking lots, at restaurants, in local grocery stores, at shopping centers, in city halls and at county office buildings, etc. Everywhere we have been on this relay journey, Berea College and our mission has been positively received with familiarity, excitement, and friendship. It has become clear to me within traveling 1,855 miles that because of the support Berea College has from the community, another 150 years of providing education to the Appalachian community and beyond is feasible.

Best to all of you!
-From Jellico, TN
Crystal, '04