The goal of Alderson Hospitality House is to provide housing for family and friends who come to visit the women inmates at the nearby Alderson Prison Camp. Lodging and meals are offered without charge on the weekends. This provides support for the families and friends and supports the women at the camp. Frequent visits are shown to directly reduce the rates of recidivism.
In between running the house for guests and painting, Julia, Kayla, and I played. We went to New River Gorge National River. We went swimming at Glade Creek and had great pizza at Fayetteville. It was a great day.
Kathleen, Julia, and Kayla grow vegetables in the community garden for great meals for the House!
Brian, Kathleen, Julia, and Kayla all are involved with the food pantry, which provides bags of food to the community once a month.
It has been an amazing month of getting to know dedicated, caring, and fun people helping to run the Hospitality House and the families and friends who show their love for their daughters, wives, girlfriends, or friends by their regular visits to their loved ones at the prison. I enjoyed it is tremendously!
Alderson hospitality house is in an old, beautiful building built in 1888 as the dorm for the Allegheny Collegiate Institute. The house is on 3 floors, has 13 bedrooms, and 7 bathrooms. Guests are welcomed by a great staff: Kathleen and Brian DeRouen and their two boys, Micah and Vitale, Julia Means, and Kayla Wiser.
The Hospitality House is a busy place and I was soon washing sheets and towels, making beds, and cleaning bathrooms! And climbing endless stairs! There are many stairs to get to the front door, plus the 3 flights of stairs in the house!
Alderson has a train going through at least 15-20 times a day (and night). Amtrack drops off passengers 3 times a week.
We had lots of fun together too! I arrived just in time to enjoy Alderson's multi-day Fourth of July celebration. Alderson claims the best Fourth of July celebration in the state! It started on Thursday, July 2, with the town coming out to cheer for the fireman's rodeo! Volunteer firefighters from the surrounding area, including the women firefighters from the prison camp, competed in several competitions. It was great fun!
The next morning was a 5K run to benefit a school program. Brian, Julia, and Kayla ran.
Micah and Vitale ran in the kid's races.
Then on the fourth they had a parade!! Politicians, beauty queens from babies on up, almost every fire truck in 3 adjoining countries, churches, roller derby, baton club, businesses, bands, horses, and whoever wanted to march!
On the night of the Fourth there were fireworks! And a music group brought thousands to this small town of 1200 for a night of music and fun. I watched the fireworks from the Alderson bridge with some guests.
The next day there was a rubber ducky race with nearly 3,000 ducks released into the Greenbrier River. There were lots of prizes so everyone was watching!
Brian and Kathleen and the boys left for a vacation in California, leaving Julia, Kayla, and I to run the house. I started my project of painting the kitchen yellow with white trim. It took a while, but turned out great. Kathleen, who is the wonderful chef for the House, was pleased.
We also went to a concert at the park.
Brian, Kathleen, Julia, and Kayla are involved in the community of Alderson. Julia tutors a neighbor for his GED.
Kathleen was instrumental in starting a community co-op grocery store, the Green Grocer, when the only grocery store closed. Basic food necessities would have been impossible for older folks or those without a car. Kayla works at the Green Grocer.
Brian wrote a grant to bring recycling to Alderson and he is often there sorting recyclables.
Kayla is working as many hours at the Green Grocer as she can because she will soon be starting a nursing program in Lewisburg.
Hospitality House is lucky to have you! We are jealous, though, so time to come back to SafeHouse! We miss you :)
ReplyDelete