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ARC NEWS ROUNDUP | SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 | VOLUME 2, ISSUE 39
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Empowering and Educating Girls in Appalachian North Carolina
The Partnership for Appalachian Girls’ Education (PAGE) provides innovative learning opportunities for adolescent girls in western North Carolina. This program, a collaboration between Madison County Public Schools and Duke University, is dedicated to increasing rates of high school completion and college matriculation. According to ARC’s 2017 Chartbook, 13.6 percent of people ages 25 to 64 in the 29 counties of Appalachian North Carolina have less than a high school diploma, compared to 12 percent in the entire Appalachian Region and 11.8 percent in the country as a whole. A larger proportion of Appalachian North Carolina also has a high school degree with no post-secondary degree (50.4 percent compared to 48.1 percent in the U.S.). With ARC support, PAGE has established web-based resources for educators, scholars, and community advocates who seek to understand and improve education in rural communities across Appalachia. The heart of the PAGE program is a six-week summer enrichment program for middle school girls in the Spring Creek Township area. Activities focus on leadership, self-esteem, critical thinking and expression, as well as literary reading, remedial reading for those who need it, and digital literacy.
Over 144 middle school girls have participated in PAGE since June of 2010. All students said they expected to graduate from high school and apply to college, and all believed they would be successful while attending school. Recently, North Carolina Public Radio broadcast “Postcards From Madison County” featuring personal stories that were written, edited, and narrated by girls as part of the PAGE summer program.
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The Corner Market’s 24-foot trailer is outfitted as a one-aisle grocery store to serve residents in Appalachian Alabama’s food desserts.
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Investing in Appalachian Alabama
For many residents living in economically distressed rural communities, the drive to the nearest grocery store may be more than thirty minutes away. This distance places an incredible burden on those who cannot afford gas or do not have reliable transportation. The USDA often designates these towns as “food deserts” because they lack access to healthy food choices. The Corner Market project, supported by ARC, is a mobile grocery store that travels to economically distressed communities in Appalachian Alabama and offers fresh produce, lean proteins, grains, and other healthy foods at affordable prices, and even accepts SNAP benefits. The mobile grocery store will also be used as a platform for wrap-around services, such as nutritional education, cooking demonstrations, and health screenings for residents in these at-risk communities. The aim is to improve these communities’ health by making healthy food choices both available and affordable.
The Corner Market is one of 64 ARC projects in Appalachian Alabama between October 2015 and January 2017. In partnership with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), ARC invested $11.2 million into these projects that will also create or retain nearly 900 jobs, train and educate more than 14,000 students and workers, and benefit the 3 million residents in Alabama’s 37 Appalachian counties. These investments have been matched by $24 million and will attract an additional $21.6 million in leveraged private investments. Last week, ADECA held a workshop for more than 100 northern Alabama leaders to build on the momentum from projects like the Corner Market, and continue to create economic opportunities with strategic investment support from ARC.
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Opportunities Await At Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center, Tribune Chronicle, Warren, Ohio
Grant For Old Belk Building Renovation Aims To Boost Harlan Economy, WYMT, Eastern Kentucky
Career Center Begins CDL Course, Marietta Times, Marietta, Ohio
Media Partnership Brings Reporting Power Back to Southern W.Va., Eastern Ky., West Virginia Public Broadcasting
U.S. Community Development Lenders Look To Expand Impact, Footprint, Next City
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2017 CAHA Conference
Lexington, Kentucky
October 4–5
Create Your State Tour
Various Locations Throughout West Virginia
October 9-13
TechConnectWV: West Virginia Coding and Cyber Summit
South Charleston, WV
October 12
SOLD OUT: Transforming Appalachia: Embracing Change to Drive Progress:
An ARC Conference Hosted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
October 17–19
The Transforming Appalachia Summit is now sold out as we have reached capacity at the facility. Thank you for your support.
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