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Oak Park’s Ascension and St. Giles parishes sent almost 200 teens and adults to Appalachia last month as part of the Appalachia Service Project (ASP), a national youth service organization that provides home repairs using volunteer labor. Both parishes have sponsored ASP trips for more than 20 years. “The ASP is a relationship ministry that does some construction on the side,” said Paul Kraft, who has led 13 Ascension trips. Chris Goetz, who organized St. Giles’ program, stepped up to lead the trip last year when it was in jeopardy of being discontinued. The St. Giles team worked in Knott County in eastern Kentucky, repairing homes devastated by last summer’s flooding. The Ascension team worked in Clay and Wyoming counties in West Virginia. The demographic profile of both areas is similar, with high unemployment rates and about a third of the residents living below the poverty line. ....

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