LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After sorting and packing the gifts, 17 Sacred Heart Academy students and their chaperones began the drive from Louisville to Kermit, West Virginia, to deliver Christmas cheer to rural Appalachia.

Students in Sacred Heart Academy’s Valkyries for Appalachia Club have collected more than 1,300 donations in recent weeks for the 30th annual Sister Brendan Appalachian Gift Drive.

Thirty years ago, Ursuline Sisters Mary Brendan Conlon and Janet Marie Peterworth recognized a growing need in rural coal towns in West Virginia.

They wanted to work with agencies to combat emergencies that people faced, like severe poverty in the area.

Since then, Sacred Heart Schools and the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville have supported the community through Christian Help of Mingo County and AB

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