A History of Morgan-Scott Project

Mission and Organization

Since 1972 theMorgan-Scott Project for Cooperative Christian Concerns(MSP)has formed a base from which the needs of low income families in Scott andMorgan counties in rural Tennessee can be addressed. MSP functions as both asocial services agency and as a community development organization.Activities sponsored directly or indirectly by MSP have included a school for children with learning disabilities, free tutoring programs, healthcare clinics,libraries, a homeless shelter, thrift stores, a home garden program, a Habitat for Humanity chapter, education and job training programs, community centers for children, youth, and the elderly, legal aid services, emergency aid, disaster relief,and home repair.As an underlying principle, MSP has sought to organize concerned citizens of these two counties into small working groups which serve the elderly anddisabled with compassion while providing assistance to those who have losthope by providing a hand up instead of a handout. These groups are often“spun-off” to form independent service organizations.MSP was organized in 1972 by executives of theUnited Methodist ChurchandtheUnited Church of Christ, who were concerned with developing spiritual,emotional, and physical resources to meet the needs of an area that had beendevastated during the previous twenty years by the loss of human and economicresources. Their efforts were soon supported by representatives of Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, and Episcopal Churches.

Leadership

Originally, the leadership consisted of a Resource Board of representatives fromthe supporting denominations, a Project Council composed of local citizens, andan Executive Director who ran the day-to-day operations. In approximately 1988the Resource Board was dissolved and MSP was governed by a local Board of Directors. More recently, the board has been composed of both local andoutside members in order to provide a broader range of resources and talents.Eight people have served as Executive Directors since the inception of MSP.The first Director, Bob Butziger (1972-1979) was an ordained PresbyterianMinister who supplied threeCongregationalChurches at the same time as heserved as Director of MSP. He was followed by Bob Geyer (1980-1983), aformer member of Holy Cross Church in Clarence, NY, who came to MSP viaCalifornia where he directed a home for the Developmentally Disabled.The first local director was a young man from Scott County, Bobby Ellis (1983-1987). Ralph Pemberton (1987-1988) served as interim director until Meta Potter (1989-1998), a business woman from Fentress County was hired. Richard

Schumpert served from 1998 to 1999, and the Director’s job was vacant fromJanuary, 2000 until May, 2002. Jill Potter (2002-2007) was a trained socialworker who had worked at the Department of Human Services and for FamiliesFirstin Scott County.Ella Smith (2007 – present) is a retired businesswoman from Sunbright who hadbeen very active in the community, assisting in such worthy projects as theHighland Health Center in Elgin, theScott County Women’s Shelter ,the Children’s Center in Scott County andCASA(Court Appointed Special Advocates for abused and neglected children) before joining MSP.In 1973 Mrs. Ann Smith was hired as secretary of MSP, a position she held untilshe retired in 2003. It was Mrs. Smith along with several volunteers who keptMSP running during the 16 months that the directorship was vacant.

The Early Days

Many enduring initiatives marked the tenure of Rev. Bob Butziger. He organizedgrass root committees, chaired by local members of the MSP Council, to achievesuch goals as economic development, education of youth, full time pastoralleadership in as many local churches as possible, quality medical care, day carefor children, home care for adults who needed it, Senior Citizen Centers, andemployment for as many as possible.Butziger also organized a summer volunteer program with volunteers living withlocal families, and brought in interns from universities to work on projects in thecommunity.Rev. Butziger was soon joined by Jim Romer, a Roman Catholic layman with abackground in theology and research, who worked as a counselor, and whoinvolved MSP in CORA (Commission on Religion in Appalachia). In 1976 fundingfrom CORA was used to form a Legal Justice Team.Later supported by the United Presbyterian Church, the Legal Justice Teambecame known as the Equal Justice Team and employed a paralegal (MillieWalters) and an attorney (Ross Alderman) to counsel people on the benefitsavailable to them and to provide legal services for those who were unable toafford them.Hundreds of people from both inside and outside Morgan and Scott countieshave served on the Board of Directors of MSP or volunteered in one or more of the programs. Some of the outsiders felt so called by the ministry that theymoved to the area. One such couple, Rick and Eunice Graafsma, retired andmoved to the area from Chicago after serving on a mission team. Rick was aleader in the formation of theScott-Morgan Community DevelopmentCorporationwhile Eunice was a member of the MSP board and taught at PlateauHome School.

Development and Housing

In 1974 MSP was instrumental in the formation of the Scott-Morgan CommunityDevelopment Corporation. Their first project was to develop a business plan for a furniture factory. Though studied at least until 1979, that project never came tofruition. However, the Corporation joined with Habitat for Humanity in 1976 withRick Graafsma as interim director. Support from MSP continued until 1982 whenHabitat became independent of MSP under Director Mark Frey.Appalachia Habitatbuilt their first home in 1978 for Johnny and Mary Hawn.That year theInternational Board for Habitat for Humanity(72 people) met inRobbins, Tn., and the founder of Habitat, Millard Fuller, spoke at the dedication of the Hawn’s home. In 1981 Eva and Ada Goad moved into their new home builtby Appalachia Habitat. Since its inception, Appalachia Habitat has completed158 new homes 11 acquisition rehabs and 300+ repairs.

Education and Literacy

In 1978 the median education level attained was 8-9 years in both counties.Those who received the most education frequently moved away because therewere few jobs locally. Prior to this the best paying jobs were in surface coalmining and oil drilling. Timber offered seasonal employment, but at low pay.Recognizing the need, MSP played a significant role in improving education andliteracy in Morgan and Scott counties.In 1973 MSP established the Plateau Home School to help meet the needs of children in Morgan County who, often because of learning disabilities, werebehind in school. This school taught children free of charge, often on anindividual basis, until they could be successfully integrated into the publicschools.Plateau served the community until 1983, when this responsibility was assumedby the public schools. At that point Plateau became a free tutoring program,which was directed by Sisters Rita Bray and Julia Marie Jacomet of St. AnnParish in Lancing until 2006. Plateau continues its tutoring program today and issupported by several churches.In 1978 Plateau Home School gave birth to a counseling and human servicesagency now known as CHOICE (Changing Human Opportunities in CooperativeEffort) which offered counseling services for individuals and families that reachedbeyond school problems.In 1981 the Highland Hope School opened in Scott County to provide remedialeducation for students who were behind in grade. It was modeled after thePlateau Home School. In 1983 the Highland Hope School began operating afree tutoring program in Scott County.