We started day 2 of our West Virginia adventure with hopes
of completing half of the job before day’s end.
With that in mind, the crew quickly donned their fall protection and
climbed back onto the roof. We were
making great progress until the sun broke through the morning fog and the
temperature started rising. We enjoyed
the cloudless sky after days of rain at home, but there was little relief in
sight. Our crew downshifted about an
hour before lunch and never got back into high gear even after a break. Nonetheless, we believe we came close to
meeting our goal and should be able to start on the front early tomorrow.
The project manager at Hopeforce International has left us to attend a graduation in New Jersey and so we are on our own for the remainder of the week. Before leaving, he shared some interesting information about the organization that we are supporting. Hopeforce is fighting a war on poverty by providing assistance while trying to minimize entitlement. We have met some nice young men who had to work to qualify for the program; one in particular returned to school at age 28 to earn his GED. They are now officially employed by the organization and are required to attend classes at a technical school (they get a small stipend for doing so) and participate in counseling sessions. These men are very interested in what we are doing and Brightbill was honored when they asked his opinion of their work.
The highlight of our day was an evening trip into War, the southernmost town in West Virginia. This town is full of empty storefronts, railroad tracks and churches. We were able to do some shopping at the Dollar General and Rite Aid along with some of the more entertaining residents of the town. 
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