LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE
Helen Aylsworth when she first arrived in Indiana.

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This Article appeared in the
Springs Valley Herald
(June 9, 2010)

Helen Aylsworth honored for years of community service

By: Special from the SV Herald
http://www.springsvalleyherald.com

INDIANAPOLIS - Helen Aylsworth was honored for her years of service to the community on June 10 at Ball State University’s Emens Auditorium in Muncie. Aylsworth received the prestigious Bread and Basin Award during the Indiana Conference of United Methodist Church’s annual gathering.

“I can hardly believe it,” said Aylsworth. “I’m sure that somebody else is more worthy of it.”

Aylsworth was nominated for the award by the Reverend Linda Watson of Springs Valley United Methodist Church, where Aylsworth attends. Watson stated that when she heard about the Bread and Basin Award, she immediately thought of Aylsworth.

“She is always doing some kind of mission work and always has for 99 years,” commented Watson.

Aylsworth, who is 99 years old, has made a lot of contributions to the Springs Valley community, including helping form the Springs Valley Band and missionary work with the homeless, orphans in Haiti, hospital work and work with Springs Valley United Methodist Church.

Aylsworth was born to a farm family and was one of nine children. She described her father as a farmer and a “local preacher.” Her family has been servants of the community with her sister, Olivia Dickhaut, becoming a full-time medical missionary with the Methodist Church and having served in China and Mexico. Her brother, Walter Dickhaut, became a district superintendent in Ohio, while her brother, John Dickhaut, helped to found the Methodist Seminary in Ohio and became its first president.

Helen wanted to do ministry and help people by doing mission outreach.

When she met and married Gilbert Aylsworth, she decided that as a married woman, she could pave her own path of mission work, which she did. She went to college and became an English and music teacher. Gilbert was also a music teacher.

Together, their mission became starting a music program in French Lick.

Gilbert and Helen moved to French Lick during the Great Depression of the 1930s and started a band. It was something new to French Lick. The parents did not have money for the instruments or the uniforms, so Helen sewed the uniforms and Gilbert repaired old instruments in their basement. The students paid a small fee to rent the instruments from the school.

Helen gave free music lessons to students after school. This is on top of becoming a mother to John and Mary Kay, teaching at the school, and getting her master’s degree from Indiana University.

She always saw her role at the school as a form of mission outreach, giving the “kiddoes,” as she calls them, something positive to do in their lives by playing music and belonging to a group that gave them pride in what they were doing.

After Helen retired from teaching, she continued helping the band students as her son, John, became the band director. Helen sewed more than 100 band uniforms for the kids and several flags for the color guard.

When John was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, he directed the band from a wheelchair for 25 years. Helen was always willing to help out in whatever way she could.

Currently, John’s son, Luke, is the band director and Helen could not be prouder to see the legacy continue on for three generations.

“Helen and Gilbert were the original ‘Music Man and Music Woman’ right here in French Lick,” said Watson.

Even though Helen viewed her work with the band as mission work, she also did a vast amount of church mission work. She directed an after-school junior children’s choir, and she continues to sing in the Springs Valley Methodist choir. She played piano and pipe organ. She continues to play the pipe organ, having played last on Palm Sunday.

Helen has bought Christmas cards in bulk and sold them, giving all of the proceeds to missions. She is the secretary of the administrative council at Springs Valley Methodist Church, and got a fund started in the budget for mission work. She continues to bring up ways to donate to missions.

Helen encourages her church to join her in donating to the Heiffer Project. When she encouraged the congregation to buy mosquito nets for Africa, Springs Valley United Methodist received one of the largest mission offerings ever.

Helen sews sun dresses and little boy shorts, which are given to orphans in Haiti each spring. Helen encouraged Springs Valley United Methodist Church to make health kits and take an offering after the Haiti earthquake.

Helen also makes baby blankets for the hospital in Greencastle, where her granddaughter lives, and for the L.I.F.E. Pregnancy Center in Paoli, where members of Springs Valley United Methodist volunteer. With the scrap fabric, she sews scarves for the homeless shelter in Indianapolis. (Her daughter lives in the Circle City.) Often in the fall, Helen helps a group of ladies from her church to fix up old dolls for Kentucky Mountain Mission for Christmas. She also has made bed rolls for a homeless shelter.

“If you go to the local Springs Valley Food Pantry, you will see Helen passing out food as she volunteers there,” said Watson. “She asks to go with me on visits to Medco [Health & Rehabilitation Center] to see some of the ‘old folks,’ even though she is much older than most of them.”

For years, Helen sent cards to each individual in the nursing home, just so they would know that somebody was thinking of them.

Helen is in charge of starting the church prayer chain when a need arises. She also organizes the dinners when the church has a funeral and she is in the church kitchen helping to cook and serve.

“Helen Aylsworth is an example to our church and our community of a person who gives to help others,” said Watson. “Whenever I am out in public with her, former band students and people that she has helped along the way often stop to thank her for the difference that she has made in their lives. I believe that she deserves to be honored for her 99 years of Christian service.”