ABOUT US!
Friends of Appalachia, Inc. (FOA) is a Trumbull, Connecticut based Public Charity 501(c)(3), and is registered with the State of Connecticut. FOA is a community organization, open to all, which strives to educate and sensitize youth and adult volunteers to address the needs of the impoverished people in Central Appalachia.
FOA's 2026 Board Members
Lisa Peters - President, T-Shirt/Trip Coordinator
Avery Peters - Vice-President, Communications Coordinator, Center Director, Trip Coordinator
Vera Dosky - Treasurer
Kyle Peters - Secretary, Construction Training Coordinator, Trip Floater
Paul Angelucci - Devo Co-Coordinator, Trip Coordinator
Katie Boland - THS Liaison, Taste of Spring Coordinator
Chris Capobianco - Coffee Coordinator, Construction Training, Trip Coordinator
John Dosky - Parent Liaison
Nicole Trommelen - Community Outreach, THS Liaison
Wynn Haslam - College Liaison
Risa Hilinski - College Liaison
Zach Parente - College Liaison
Anusha Ragupathy - College Liaison
Luke Verna- College Liaison
Katie Pollack- College Liaison
Riley Connelly- College Liaison
In the years since FOA has participated in ASP each summer. Our participation and amount of money committed to the region is growing steadily. Thank you to all!
FOA Towns/States/Counties we have served
2010 - Butler, TN - Carter County
2011 - Jackson, KY - Breathitt County
2012 - Chapmanville, WV - Logan County
2013 - Boone, NC, - Watauga County
2014 - Whiteburg, KY - Letcher County
2015 - Newport, TN - Cocke County
2016 - Huff Creek, WV, - Wyoming County
2017 - Evarts, KY - Harlan County
2018 - Clay, WV - Clay County
2019- Johnson City, TN - Washington County
2022- Floyd, KY - Floyd County
2023 - Rupert, WV - Greenbrier County
2024 - Shady Valley, TN - Johnson County
2025 - Carrie, KY - Knott County
2026 - Elizabethton, TN - Carter County
2027 - FOA's 16th Trip
Floater Kyle's FOA 2026
Trip Volunteer Reflection & Thank You
To my FoA family, Welcome home.
The trailers are unpacked. The tools are put away. Everyone is back to work, back to summer vacation, and back to everyday life.
This trip wasn’t just about building wheelchair ramps, repairing bathrooms, replacing siding, or making homes warmer, safer, and drier. Those are the things we can see. The things we can’t see are what matter most.
A homeowner who felt forgotten now knows someone cares. A family who had lost hope found a reason to smile again.
A volunteer discovered they are capable of far more than they ever imagined.
That’s why we do this.
This was our 15th Friends of Appalachia trip, and standing back this week, I realized something that has nothing to do with the number.
I watched people who barely knew each other become family.
I watched experienced volunteers invest in the next generation, teaching them the skills, confidence, and heart that have always been the foundation of FoA.
I watched teenagers put down their phones and pick up drills.
You build it by choosing people over comfort, every one of you made that choice.
To every donor and supporter: thank you for believing in something bigger than yourselves. None of this happens without you.
Friends of Appalachia has never been about the number of homes we’ve repaired.
It’s about the people we’ve met. The friendships we’ve made. The lives that have changed—including our own.
If this was your very first trip, I hope you know something…
You didn’t just volunteer with us.
You became family.
And once you’re part of this family, you’ll always have a place here.
So wear that FoA shirt proudly. Not because it tells people where you went, but because it reminds you of who you became while you were there.
Never forget the laughter around the tables.
Never forget the tears when it was time to say goodbye.
And never forget why we do this.
Because home is more than four walls.
Hope is more than a feeling.
And love is something you build with your own two hands.
Where ever we go. We are Friends of Appalachia.
15 trips. Countless lives changed. One family.
Can’t wait to see what mountain we move next!
Kyle
In the fall of 2009, A group of committed and experienced individuals came together to form an independent 501(c)(3) with a simple purpose: to Help. Build. Hope. in Central Appalachia. This organization would enable us to work unrestricted for the people of Central Appalachia. Our single largest initiative was the ASP trip that many of us had made in the past, as well as some new initiatives to focus on more year-round help for this impoverished region.
FOA's 2009 Founding Board Members
Anna Henry, President John Dosky, Vice President
Lisa Peters, Treasurer Val Collison, Secretary
Doug Doyle Sandy Fraser
Joe Henry John Henry
Sean Jackson John Nigro