Christmas Miracle Offering - South West Virginia Ministry

One of the recipients of this year’s Christmas Miracle Offering is the South West Virginia Ministry Outreach of Peace, benefiting the people of Dickenson County, VA. Dickenson County is listed as the second poorest county in the United States. A group of Peace members have traveled to Dickenson County and feel God’s call to serve there: to share God’s love and be a blessing; to make a difference in lives that have known so much poverty, despair, and hopelessness.

Thus far, Peace is working through the Binns-Counts Community Center in this area to provide winter clothing for area residents; to provide new socks and underwear for approximately 500 children; and to supply gently used computers to upgrade the community center’s computer lab where classes are offered to help people build new job skills. Peace is also taking a group of adults and youth down to Binns-Counts the week of July 20-26, 2010, primarily to work on housing repairs. Funds from the Christmas Miracle Offering will be used to help meet additional needs uncovered by the ministry team as they continue to work closely with the Binns-Count Community Center Program Coordinator. 

Dickenson County is truly an impoverished area.  Here are a few statistics taken from the 2000 U.S. census:

    * Total population of the county – 16,395
    * In labor force (16 years+) – 41.7% (as compared with U.S. 63.9%)
    * Per capita income in 1999 $12,822 (compared with U.S. $21,587)
    * Household income less than $15,000 – 33%
    * Families with income less than $10,000 – 548
    * Families below poverty level – 16.9% (U.S. 9.2%)
    * Families below poverty level w/children under 18 yrs – 24.2%
    * Individuals below poverty level – 21.3% (U.S. 12.4%)

"Binns-Counts Community Center sits in the Cumberland Plateau region of Appalachia in Dickenson County—one of the coalfield counties of Virginia.  Located on Route 63 between Nora and McClure, the center serves residents of Dickenson County as well as some in nearby Russell and Wise. The Mission of the center states: We are a non-profit grassroots organization established in 1974. We are committed to education, health care and decent housing for all. We are directed by a board of community people and staffed mainly by volunteers. We work in partnership with college, community and church groups."