By Mary Catherine Brooks
Sam Petsonk spends his days studying what drives poverty in a community and what can be done to change it.
“Entrenched poverty flies in the face of the American dream,” he explains.
Petsonk is about halfway through his one year of service at Rural Appalachian Improvement League (RAIL), as part of the VISTA program. He works at the Mullens Opportunity Center, which, at one time, was the community’s elementary school.
On this day, he walks the halls of the former school building, explaining how each of the numerous rooms is now being utilized, and that includes everything from classes for non-violent offenders to a community exercise room to offices.
His cluttered second-floor office overlooks the railroad track as well as the Guyandotte River, which has engulfed the building on more than one occasion. The flood waters of 2001 put the high water mark at the second floor. Volunteers cleared the mud and made the building useable again.
“This is a place people can come together to celebrate and foster a sense of community,” he emphasized of the community center.
Petsonk grew up just outside Morgantown, on a small farm. In the future, he hopes to own a small farm just outside a large city, also in West Virginia. For the 22 year old, however, graduate school — most likely a law school — will come next.
Also, in his future, the young man sees more world travel.
“I want to experience the variety of human experiences,” he said.
“I’m not the kind of person who has an insatiable appetite for things or power. I’m thoroughly content with my days here — dinner at the Coffee Pot, spending time with my friends in Corinne Bottom.”
He’s studied at West Virginia University, at Hyderabad University in India, and is a graduate of Brandeis University.
“This is a great place to learn,” Petsonk said of Mullens. “It’s really beneficial to me.”
While he was searching for a place to complete his service, Petsonk said he kept making connections with people from southern West Virginia.
“I started to realize, the economics of West Virginia — the economic situation of southern West Virginia — is as complex as that in southern India.”
Through his studies and travel, Petsonk interacted with a “lot of wealthy people who are so far disconnected from the real world, they don’t realize what life in America is actually like.”
He felt like a fish out of water and believed he needed to get away from that type of environment before going on to graduate school.
“I wanted to deal with real problems,” he explained.
While Petsonk studied economics, liberal arts, and philosophy, working in Mullens has helped him to get a first-hand look at issues that affect people in real life.
“I’m learning about the coal mine industry from real coal miners,” he said.
“I get to work with my hands every day. In this building, we’re always working on the plumbing, the pipes, the ceiling, something. I may be helping to fix up a house for someone.
“I really love this place,” he emphasized.
“There wasn’t anywhere else... no place I would be happier or make more of an impact,” Petsonk said.
“There is so much to love in this area.”
He also enjoys playing bluegrass music, and the Mullens Opportunity Center is becoming home to up and coming musical talent throughout the area during the open mic nights.
Petsonk believes cooperative projects linking government with the private sector may help address some of the poverty issues in southern West Virginia.
“That really hasn’t happened here as much as in other places,” he said, noting it is beginning to happen in Mingo County.
Officials also need to create a plan to determine how to take advantage of the Coalfields Expressway, once it is constructed in Wyoming County, Petsonk believes.
“Without a plan, this may just be a faster corridor out of West Virginia,” he said. “This is a concern that people here have voiced.”
Petsonk believes his role is to create a healthy place in which people can thrive, and come together for discussions about local issues.
“If people who come through here don’t have the opportunity to go out and get jobs, then all the discussions won’t amount to a hill of beans,” he emphasized.
