Appalachia

Appalachian Voices
A Spirit of Service in the Mountains
By Molly Moore

Davis Wax can be a hard man to find — if he isn’t spending a week camped along the Appalachian Trail guiding volunteers through trail-repair projects, he’s likely off on mountain adventures. A former editorial intern with The Appalachian Voice, Davis is as comfortable writing an article about electricity transmission as he is teaching diverse groups of new volunteers the ins and outs of trail building.

A native of Concord, N.C., Davis studied professional writing at Appalachian State University in Boone, where he explored the mountains and trails in his backyard. Midway through college, his connection to Appalachia deepened when he began to volunteer with regional organizations.

He joined fellow volunteers with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for a week of camping and outdoor work, and witnessed how people from all walks of life share a need to contribute to causes they care about. “[People] need to get some volunteer work in, not expecting to have any kind of reward but just doing it because they feel like it’s the right thing to do or they want a new experience,” he says.

While in college Davis also joined an Appalachian State University fall break trip to Williamson, W.Va. He helped build community garden structures with the local initiative Sustainable Williamson, and learned about efforts to move past the problems associated with coal and build a more diverse economy. He wanted to stay engaged with these issues upon returning to campus, and contacted Appalachian Voices....

MORE at http://appvoices.org/get_involved/spotlights/davis-wax/