Applications for Emergency Home Repairs will be accepted beginning in February 2020.
Guidelines:
Please call Audrey Collins (Outreach Director) with the Piarist School Outreach Ministry at 606-789-1967 for an application after January 31.
Please remember that all work is done through the generosity of volunteers.
PiaristSchoolOutreach@gmail.com is our new email address for the Outreach Program. We do not ask for money in any way as this hack email has done and we apologize for this inconvenience.
Our outreach email has been hacked and a dummy account has been created to mimic it. If you receive any email from piaoutreach@bellsouth.net or piaoutreach@gmail.com that is from our Outreach Director Audrey Collins asking for a favor, please disregard it. We will be creating a new email address shortly.
PIARIST SCHOOL YARD SALE
The yard sale will take place in the gym at the back of the school, located across from Porter Elem. & Davis Produce in Hager Hill, KY.
Backpacks, Shoes, Household items, Blankets, clothing, Dishes and much more will be available.
3 shopping bags of clothing for $5.00
All other items will be priced individually.
Shopping bags will be provided for your convenience.
If you have questions please contact our school at 606-789-1967
We are hard at work in the final stages of the annual Christmas Program. Thanks to the generosity of multiple parishes and individuals throughout the country, over 800 kids will be receiving store-bought presents that they otherwise could not afford.
We will post pictures as the dates draw nearer.
Anyone wishing to help purchase gifts may contact Outreach Director Audrey Collins at 606-789-1967
We are currently scheduling groups for the 2019 Emergency Home Projects. Any group that wishes to volunteer, please send your availability to Audrey Collins by email or phone as soon as possible: 606-789-1967.
Four mission groups have already scheduled for the 2019 year.
The need is great and we hope to see many this year.
This summer, we welcomed Helping Hands Christian Missions to the Piarist Outreach Emergency Home Projects. This is a wonderful group dedicated to their Mission and always giving a hand up to those in need. They completed work on two separate homes for families in need this year.
Thank you to our wonderful friends from Holy Spirit at Geist in Fischer’s, IN. This summer, they built a beautiful ramp for an elderly man in need and painted over half of the school’s gymnasium. We could not provide the help we do without the help we receive from the generosity and spirit of others. Thank you to all who worked so hard to help a wonderful man be able to access his home safely.
June 10-15th we welcomed St. Timothy Catholic Church Mission group. They built a ramp for a family in need in Martin, KY and organized our Outreach Room.
This was their first trip to our mountains and we would like to thank everyone for the wonderful gift of serving others. Welcome back anytime guys!
Audrey Collins, Piarist Outreach Director, is hard at work organizing names of families and children in the surrounding counties who will receive two store-bought gifts from our many volunteers and benefactors around the country. Collins organizes hundreds of names of children by location and coordinates with various organizations and volunteers from multiple states to ensure that children who are living below the poverty line and would not otherwise receive a Christmas gift, will be able to celebrate Christmas this year.
The program is in its 15th year under her guidance and each year it increases in size.
Collins states that she has already received the names of around 900 kids for this year but she expects that number to increase before November.
If you are interested in sponsoring children for the Christmas Program, please contact Audrey Collins at the Piarist School – 606-789-1967.
The following is an article from the Painstville Herald.
JCSO “Full Baskets, Full Bellies” feeds 300 kids
A Paintsville Herald staff report
For the second year, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department oversaw the “Full Baskets, Full Bellies” project to ensure more than 300 children in need would not go hungry while they are home for two weeks on Christmas Break.
The sheriff’s office began taking donations as far back as October, with volunteers collecting donations at Walmart and Food City.
“Last year, when we began this project, we weren’t sure how many students we would be able to impact,” said Sheriff Dewayne Price. “This year, we were more prepared and aware of the number of students that we would need to impact. With the summer mobile lunch program implemented this past summer, we knew we wanted to reach many of the students that had taken advantage of the summer lunch program. With the help of the family resource center directors, I was able to obtain contact information for many of those students’ parents or guardians. Either Deputy Clark or one of the volunteers contacted those folks and advised them of the project.”
The students received their baskets at one of several giveaway events, including a swimming party, personal deliveries or a day long event at the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Price said that, in addition to getting the baskets into the hands of the students, he wanted to spend this year meeting them personally.
“Some have never met an officer, others may have had parents arrested,” Price said. “I wanted them to know I, or one of the Johnson County Sheriff’s officers, are always a phone call away.”
Program organizers worked with Audrey Collins of the Piarist School Outreach and Ramanda Penix at the First Methodist Church in Paintsville, and were able to use extra food from the program to help stock the church’s Blessing Box
“Our community projects touch hundreds of people each year,” Price said. “However, this project is the most meaningful to me. We feed kids.”
The following is a note of thanks from Outreach Director Audrey Collins.
2017 was a wonderful year for some families in eastern KY. This year we welcomed a group from Louisiana led by two women. They tore off a porch and replaced it with another complete with a new roof. Thank you for your donation to the camp.
Next we welcomed a group from ‘Helping Hands Ministry’ from Loogootee, IN. They built two wheelchair ramps for families in need and have already rescheduled for next year. Thank you for all of your hard work and for always helping us with Christmas gifts for the kids.
The third group came to us from Fischers, IN. They built two wheelchair ramps and also helped out at the school and camp with various projects. This is one group that has already rescheduled for next year. We would like to say thank you for your donation to the camp, which helps keep us running and thank you so very much for helping us at Christmas for several years.
A large group of students led by Deacon Mike from Michigan arrived next. They painted at the school and worked at the camp cleaning the grounds and doing necessary work. Three parishes were represented in this mission trip. It was wonderful to meet you all and we thank you for all of your hard work.
This year- we welcomed one of our largest group ever for the first time. Around 47 young men and women representing two Parishes arrived from St. Louis, MO. They built a beautiful deck, planted a flower garden, and worked on many other projects with the kids in the community. Thank you for your donation to the camp, which helps keep us running, and for all of your work.
Next, we welcomed a group from Cathedral High in Fischers, IN. They built a wheelchair ramp and completed several other projects in their short time they got to spend with us. Thank you for your donation to the camp, which is necessary for us to continue! Your hard work is very much appreciated.
Last, we welcomed our friends from Columbia City. They are a small, but hard working group and a lot of work was accomplished. Flooring, building a ramp, repairing a porch and several other projects were completed while they were with us. Thank you for your donation to the camp and for all of the work that you did for families.
Groups that come to Kentucky to work on Emergency Home Projects, do so as servants of God on a Mission trip. They raise money for projects and they are working for the people in need.
I will repeat this again…They are not working for me or The Piarist Outreach. I get the names and addresses of families in need and look at the projects before our volunteers arrive. That’s as far as my job goes with them.
We have a camp that the volunteers stay at when they arrive. Nothing fancy…but accommodations are there. We are thankful for the donations we receive because we pay all electric bills, upkeep on cabins, and repair a gravel/dirt road weekly. No one helps us with this. Most of the time it is coming out of our pockets.
Please know that we are very grateful for all of the help we receive here from amazing groups like these. The families helped by their generosity and hard work are forever changed. We could not do this without you.
The following is a letter written by Jennifer Bollich, the Youth Minister at St. Mary of False River Catholic Church, on what brought their parish to work with the Piarist Outreach Program and the aftermath of their mission trip to eastern KY. The volunteers who come to eastern KY to donate their time and efforts do so out of a calling from God to help those in need. These volunteers stay at the Piarist Frontier Camp. This was the old Oddfellow’s Camp and was renamed after Audrey and Ed took over as caretakers and managers of the property. The Piarist School Outreach is eternally grateful for the help volunteers provide. We could not do our work without theirs.
August 28, 2017
In 2014 Fr. Tom Carroll, a priest from the Piarist order, visited our church parish in New Roads, Louisiana, and spoke to the congregation. His visit wasn’t announced prior to his celebrating mass with us so I was a little surprised to see an unfamiliar priest in the procession. He said mass in a very quiet, calm manner and delivered his homily the same way. It was through the quiet and calm voice of this humble priest that the Holy Spirit began to speak. He told us of His children suffering in eastern Kentucky. He spoke of the traditions of the Appalachian people, and of their joys and sorrows. He told us of the economy, and lack of educational and job opportunities that kept His people in this cycle of generational poverty. He spoke of His Piarist order that had been sent out to the poorest parts of the world to teach. He spoke of the conditions in rural Appalachia that seemed like a third world country when compared to the rest of our nation. Finally, the Holy Spirit called us to help. He called us to reach down deep and give of our money, resources, time, and talent.
At mass that weekend, our parishioners gave the largest sum of money ever collected that wasn’t pre-announced—and they kept giving in the weeks to come. But more, they kept talking about Fr. Tom’s words, and the Holy Spirit kept moving. Soon, I was prompted to contact Fr. Tom by telephone who then gave the phone to Audrey, his Outreach coordinator. Through emails and Facebook messages, our first mission trip began to take shape for the following summer.
Twenty-three youth and adults made plans to travel to Kentucky in July of 2015. We spoke after mass, placed a multi-page insert in the bulletin, and again the Holy Spirit began to move. Donations began pouring in and enthusiasm continued to build. We rented a small U-haul trailer and packed it with donations: school supplies, bedding, first aid kits, cleaning supplies, and bottled water. Not quite knowing what to expect, or what Christ was going to ask of us, we headed to Kentucky and the Piarist Frontier Campground. (In hindsight, had some of my drivers known the road they had to drive to get to the camp, they may have cancelled. But God is good, and asks us to trust Him one step at a time even when we can’t see the whole journey.)
It’s hard to comprehend the range of emotions I experienced on that trip. Nervousness—I was in charge and had never done anything like that before. I had never even stepped foot in Kentucky and had no idea what to expect. Terror—I was driving a large van full of teens up, down, and around a narrow and steep dirt and gravel road into a mountain wilderness. Relief—the first time I safely navigated to the camp. Exhilaration—when I could drive the road without blinking an eye–even in the rain. Shock—at the amount of work that needed to be completed before the tuition-free Catholic school could open at its new location in just a few short weeks. Awe—at the amount of work our teens and adults accomplished in just a few short days. Exhaustion—at the amount of work we did in just a few short days. Gratitude—at the prayers, meals, and financial support our faithful parishioners sent with us. Heartbreak—at the living conditions of the beautiful children and families the Outreach serves. Admiration—for the way our teens embraced the mission and the people of eastern Kentucky. Wonder—at our teen’s abilities to look at these poor children and see the joy, and value in each of them. Reverence—for Christ shining in each face I encountered during that week.
Each of the 23 missionaries from that first trip returned home to Louisiana changed in some way. Friendships were built. Eyes were opened. Hearts were touched. But most of all, the Love that is Christ grew in each of us as it was poured out on others.
Unfortunately, due to necessary repairs on our home church and catastrophic floods in our own area, we were unable to return in 2016. However, in 2017, I and my good friend, Kim, were able to take 9 youth back to the Piarist Outreach to work again. Again, I was nervous. This time not because I didn’t know what to expect, but because I did. And I wasn’t quite sure how Kim and I could pull this off with 9 kids on our own. Of course, we weren’t really on our own. (Never discount the work of the Holy Spirit. He can magnify your meager efforts to supernatural proportions if you simply say “yes” and get to work.)
He provided us with willing hearts, enthusiastic youth, prayer support back home, and Ed. Ed is Audrey’s husband and helps her run the Piarist Frontier Camp, manage the groups, and do whatever else Audrey and Fr. Tom need. Ed got “stuck” teaching us carpentry skills on the jobsite. Somehow through the intercession of St. Joseph, the miracle worker, and the help and guidance of this man, our motley crew built a new deck with steps and a roof for a family on Audrey’s list in three-and-a-half days. (To say this was a miracle is a vast understatement and I’m still amazed at God’s faithfulness.) All the experiences from the first mission trip were again present, but in many new faces as well as many I recognized from before.
The impact the Piarist Outreach has had on my family and me is hard to put into words. I originally wanted to take my children on a mission trip to show them what true poverty looks like. I didn’t expect for Christ to show me what He really looks like. And yet, isn’t that what He asks of us all? Mother Teresa (St Teresa of Calcutta) said, “I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus, this one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.”
We each must ask ourselves, “Where is God calling me to serve today?” Service starts in our families, spreads into our communities, and out into the rest of God’s vast creation. I’m thankful for the time God called me to serve in Kentucky and I hope, with His help, I will be able to return many, many times in the future.
God bless you,
Jennifer Bollich
Youth minister,
St Mary of False River Catholic Church
One of the most important parts of the Piarist School’s mission is our Outreach Program. This summer Outreach Director Audrey Collins has been gearing the program up once again. Currently, she and volunteers have been working with St. Albert the Great and Helping Hands Christian Missions to put together food donation packages for 100 kids in need in eastern KY. St. Albert the Great and Helping Hands Christian Missions generously donated the food items and transported them to the school. From there, Collins has been working with volunteers to separate the items into packages to be delivered soon to the 100 families.
Currently, the Outreach Program is also working with volunteers from New Roads, LA who are donating their time, materials, money, and hard work to assist in emergency home repairs by building a porch for a family.
The Piarist School Outreach Program works with numerous groups to help provide needed items like food, clothing, emergency home repairs, etc… throughout the year. The work it does for the community is invaluable and wouldn’t be possible without the generous help from multiple groups.
For more information on the Outreach Program, contact the Outreach Director Audrey Collins at the school at 606-789-1967.
2015 was very big year for us. As you know, we had to move our school from the building we had occupied since the 1990’s. After a long and uncertain process, we acquired an old alternative school in Johnson County that was in major disrepair. With the new school year looming, we had a strict deadline to meet to get the school ready for students and faculty. There was no way this would have happened without the amazing contributions of several groups who traveled to eastern Kentucky to help us repair and build classrooms, offices, and the outreach area.
We would like to acknowledge the tireless work of Helping Hands Christian Missions from Indiana. 2015 was their 10th year of working with us, and I cannot say enough how much we value their friendship. Multiple people from the mission helped move the school to its new location in addition to putting in many hours doing construction and repair at the new school. Each year, they also buy and deliver over 200 Christmas presents for children living below the poverty line in our area, as well as bringing a truckload of turkey from Purdue Farms to be distributed to various families in need.
The Church of the Resurrection from Rochester, MN continued their yearly mission trip to help move the school from its old location, while also contributing countless hours to the construction of the new school, as well as building a ramp for a family in need and a porch and railing for another family. This was their 6th year of helping the families in eastern KY and we look forward to many more years of cooperation and help.
We also welcomed back St. Paul of the Cross from Columbia City, IN for their sixth year of help to our mission. They worked tirelessly to construct rooms in the school’s new location, while generously doing any projects that sprang up.
This year we welcomed four new groups: Most Holy Trinity from Wallingford, CT; St. Dominic Church from Bremen, IN; Holy Spirit at Geist from Fischers, IN; and St. Mary of False River from New Roads, LA. All of these groups generously donated their efforts to replace tile, paint rooms, fixing ceilings, building the cafeteria, and any other project that allowed us to finally move into the new school location. Holy Spirit at Geist also purchased emergency gifts for the outreach Christmas drive for families in need.
We could not have hoped to achieve our move or any of our outreach work without the help of these groups and more.
Speaking of the Christmas Drive, we would like to take this opportunity to thank those who generously donated their time, funds, and gifts to allow over 600 children in need to have a Christmas. Thank you Helping Hands Christian Missions for the purchase and delivery of 200 gifts and a ton of turkey.
Thank you to St. Alberts the Great of Louisville, KY who purchased over 200 gifts for the Christmas Drive. Their help every year is integral to our work.
St. Patrick’s of Havanna, IL and Immaculate Conception of Manito, IL worked together to provide over 200 gifts for the drive. This marks another year in a long friendship between the Piarist School and these parishes.
St. Michael’s of Greenville, PA held yard sales and raised money for the John Shearer Foundation in order to purchase gifts for families in need in eastern KY. Words cannot express our gratitude for all of those who participated in the raising of these funds.
Our Lady of the Assumption from Strafford, PA purchased over 100 gifts for the Drive and their help was much appreciated and needed.
A final thank you to the Holy Spirit at Geist from Fischers, IN for stepping up and provided emergency gifts for over a hundred kids when their original donor could not follow through. We were so thankful for their generosity and grace.
Our mission would not be possible without the generous donations and help that we receive from mission groups and parishes. Our thanks can never be enough.
In early June 2026, eastern Kentucky once again experienced catastrophic flash flooding triggered by multiple rounds of torrential thunders...
