Charlotte Osher Wins 2026 John Ward Award

Jesse Lee ASP is excited to announce that the winner of the 2026 John Ward “Love in Action” Scholarship Award is Charlotte Osher.

Charlotte is a recent graduate of Ridgefield High School and a 4-year participant of Appalachia Service Project.

At RHS, Charlotte was involved in the American Sign Language Club, Theater, Student Government, Science Olympiad, No Place for Hate, Home for Humanity and the Arts and Crafts Club.  She also was a member of the Chamber Orchestra and National Honor Society.

Outside of school Charlotte volunteers with SPHERE and works at the Ridgefield Playhouse.

This fall Charlotte will be attending the University of Maryland where she plans to major in Hearing and Speech Sciences.  We are very pleased to present her with this award.

The John Ward Love in Action Award was established by Jesse Lee ASP in 2017 to honor John Ward’s 30th Appalachia Service Project Trip. It is a $1000 grant given each year to a high school senior who has participated in ASP and dedicated themself to other forms of community service.

John Ward

Winners of the John Ward Award have been:

  • 2026 – Charlotte Osher
  • 2025 – Natalia Feliciano
  • 2024 – Abby Seal
  • 2023 – Henry Idone
  • 2022 – Parker Etzbach
  • 2021 – Kate Fleming
  • 2020 – Matt Carpenter
  • 2019 – Miles Tullo
  • 2018 – Gillian Retter
  • 2017 – Petros Papadopolous

310 Volunteers Head to Appalachia

Ridgefield’s Jesse Lee Appalachia Service Project (ASP) departed in a raucous send-off this morning, with 310 high-school students and adults off on a weeklong mission trip to make homes in West Virginia and Virginia “warmer, safer and drier.”

Based out of Jesse Lee Church, Jesse Lee ASP is in its 42nd year and is the largest local ASP group in the country. The total of 310 volunteers means that more than 1 percent of Ridgefield’s population is away on the trip!

The volunteers departed early Saturday morning after a commissioning ceremony at Jesse Lee with family and friends. They will split up, working next week in Clay, Fayette and Greenbrier counties in West Virginia, and in Scott County, Va.  Crews of two adults and five students team up to repair, build or replace roofs, foundations, floors, mobile-home underpinning and wheelchair ramps, while also developing relationships with the homes’ residents. They’ll eat and sleep in “centers” organized and operated in schools and churches by the national ASP organization.

Saturday’s departure celebration includes recognition of 13 teens who have participated in ASP during all four years of high school. They are: Will Anderson, Tess Coakley, Audrey DeMatteo, Patrick Foley, Jake Gillan, Zach Harper, Lucas Mathews, Casey McClellan, Will McKinstry, Ben Olsen, Charlotte Osher, Lauren Uecker and Ben Zonder.

Additionally, Charlotte Osher was named the recipient of the John Ward Love in Action Award, a $1,000 scholarship established in 2017 that honors John Ward, who is in his 38th year of participating in Jesse Lee ASP. The scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior who has been on ASP at least once and who has committed to ongoing community service in other arenas besides ASP.

The Jesse Lee ASP volunteers will return to Ridgefield in a long honking caravan on Sun., July 5 around 4:30 p.m.  For an updated time of return, watch the website www.jesseleeasp.org that Sunday afternoon.

Funds to support Jesse Lee ASP’s work were raised through car washes held at Jesse Lee on Saturdays this spring, from “stock” sold by participants, and through gifts from the Jesse Lee congregation.

Natalia Feliciano Wins 2025 John Ward Award

Jesse Lee ASP is excited to announce that the winner of the 2025 John Ward “Love in Action” Scholarship Award is Natalia Feliciano.

Natalia is a recent graduate of Ridgefield High School and a 3-year participant of Appalachia Service Project.

At RHS Natalia was involved in sports, playing lacrosse and swimming.  She also founded the school’s first Latino affinity group, leading bi-weekly meetings and planning cultural events.  She established a connection between Jericho partnership (Christian nonprofit in Danbury) and Ridgefield High School, starting an initiative for students at RHS to tutor middle schoolers at Jericho biweekly.  She was an Ambassador/Panelist for No Place for Hate and was elected to speak on identity and inclusion in school-wide panels sharing experiences to address bias and increase cultural awareness.  She was also a member of National Honor Society.

In the community Natalia was secretary for the Youth Against Cancer Society and a founder of the Weekender Bags Program at Jericho supporting food insecure students.  She also was a swim coach at Lakeside Field Club.

This fall Natalia will be attending Boston University (Kilachand Honors College) where she plans to major in International Business and minor in Spanish.   We are very pleased to present her with this award.

The John Ward Love in Action Award was established by Jesse Lee ASP in 2017 to honor John Ward’s 30th Appalachia Service Project Trip. It is a $1000 grant given each year to a high school senior who has participated in ASP and dedicated themself to other forms of community service.

John Ward

Winners of the John Ward Award have been:

  • 2025 – Natalia Feliciano
  • 2024 – Abby Seal
  • 2023 – Henry Idone
  • 2022 – Parker Etzbach
  • 2021 – Kate Fleming
  • 2020 – Matt Carpenter
  • 2019 – Miles Tullo
  • 2018 – Gillian Retter
  • 2017 – Petros Papadopolous

312 Jesse Lee ASP Volunteers Head Down South

A record 312 high-school students and adults from Ridgefield depart on Sat., June 28 on their annual Appalachia Service Project (ASP) mission trip, working to make homes “warmer, safer and drier” in West Virginia and Kentucky.

Based out of Jesse Lee Church, Jesse Lee ASP is in its 41st year and is one of the largest local ASP groups in the country. The total of 312 volunteers means that more than 1 percent of Ridgefield’s population will be away on the mission trip!

The volunteers will depart early Saturday morning after a commissioning ceremony at Jesse Lee with family and friends. They will split up, working next week in Fayette, Kanawha and Nicholas counties in West Virginia, and in Leslie County, Kentucky. Crews of two adults and five students team up to repair, build or replace roofs, foundations, floors, mobile-home underpinning and wheelchair ramps, while also developing relationships with the homes’ residents. They’ll eat and sleep in “centers” organized and operated in schools and churches by the national ASP organization.

Saturday’s departure celebration includes recognition of 21 teens who have participated in ASP during all four years of high school. They are: Alyssa Bello, Trevor Chojnacki, Emmet Deacy, Sullivan Dunn, Austin Etzbach, Alex Glenn, Rose Idone, Adam Janzon, Theo Janzon, Magnus Manley, Ella Margolus, Aidan Mignano, Lloyd Mills, Shawn Overlock, Parker Prokopczyk, Lucas Reiner, Emily Seal, Dakota Smith, Charlotte Suozzi, Julie Uecker and Betsy Vanni.

Additionally, another recent RHS graduate, Natalia Feliciano, was named the recipient of the John Ward Love in Action Award, a $1,000 scholarship established in 2017 that honors John Ward, who is in his 37th year of participating in Jesse Lee ASP. The scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior who has been on ASP at least once and who has committed to ongoing community service in other arenas besides ASP.

The ASP volunteers will return to Ridgefield in a long honking caravan on Sun., July 6 around 5 p.m. for a welcoming reception at Jesse Lee. For an updated time of return, watch the website www.jesseleeasp.org that Sunday afternoon.

Funds to support Jesse Lee ASP’s work were raised through car washes held at Jesse Lee on Saturdays this spring, from “stock” sold by participants, and through gifts from the Jesse Lee congregation.

Jesse Lee ASP will celebrate its 2025 work in two ways: with an ice cream social at the church on Sat., July 12 at 6:30 p.m. featuring a slide show of all the crews’ experiences; and a special Sunday-morning service on July 13 at 9:30 a.m.  All are invited to both.

Appalachia Service Project is a national Christian volunteer organization whose participants make an annual weeklong mission trip where they work to make local folks’ homes “warmer, safer and drier.” Since its founding in 1969, more than 465,000 volunteers from across the nation have repaired 20,500 substandard homes in low-income areas of central Appalachia.

Jesse Lee ASP is open to anyone who has completed their freshman year of high school.

Background Verification Forms

Background Verification – Required for Adults & College Students

In accordance with the Safe Sanctuary Policy of the Jesse Lee Memorial UMC, all adult and young adult volunteers (anybody out of high school) need to submit to a background check once every three years. The background check form and a copy of our policy and procedure can be downloaded here.

ASP Volunteer Trip Agreement

ASP Volunteer Trip Agreement – Required for All Volunteers

All volunteers will need to complete the ASP Volunteer Agreement form. If you have not done so, please download the form below, sign it and bring it to one of the orientations or form drop off meetings listed on the events page.

Jesse Lee Waiver Form

Jesse Lee ASP Waiver Form – Required for All Volunteers

You will need to turn in your Jesse Lee ASP Release and Liability Waiver form prior to participating in Basic Skills or Ramp Building. If you have not done so, please download the form below, sign it and bring it to one of the orientations or form drop off meetings listed on the events page.