KISRA Micro-Loan Program Supports Small Businesses

From the great folks at the West Virginia Community Development Hub: Small businesses looking for a boost can find an incredible resource in a micro-loan program from the Kanawha Institute for Social Research and Action, Inc. (KISRA). KISRA’s program provides $1,000-$50,000 to disadvantaged small businesses. The program is open to entrepreneurs who often do not quality for conventional loans or other, larger Small Business Administration-guaranteed loans. “We started the program to increase access to capital for disadvantaged businesses,” said KISRA’s Chief Executive Officer Michelle Foster. “Loan funds can be used for working capital, inventory, supplies, furniture, fixtures, machinery, renovations, and equipment.” The program provides loans for a long as 6 years, with an interest rate of up to 8.5%, depending on credit. Eligible businesses must employ 25 or fewer people or have self-employed workers. Businesses must be for-profit and have a current business license. Foster explained that the program seeks to spark job creation and economic development in West Virginia. Along with micro-loans, the program also provides a wealth of technical assistance for small businesses, including: one-on-one business counseling on a variety of topics, business plan classes, start-up classes, marketing support, bookkeeping, financial management, and computer and internet training. From lawyers to laundromats, a number of businesses have flourished, thanks to the program. A sampling of success stories includes: graphic/web designer L.Freeman, LLC; Super Suds Coin Laundry, LLC, the Law Office of Tracie L. Greene, Too Good Floring, and Befine Designs (manufacturer/wholesale and retail for pocket pen holders). For...

Small Farm Success Story: Green Edge Gardens

In the hills of Appalachian Ohio is Green Edge Gardens, a 120-acre organic farm near the small town of Amesville (pop. 184). This thriving business is the focus of the first in a video series produced by the Central Appalachian Network, called "From the Ground Up," profiling successes in the Appalachian local food economy. Green Edge Gardens is owned by the Rondys, an older couple who initially rented out some bottomland to a farmer while they ran another business. When that farmer planned to move away, the Rondys examined his sales numbers and realized the potential for the farm to really grow. Now the farm employs 6 people year-round and has grown 10-fold in the last eight years. They sell about equally to the Athens Farmers Market, to their community-supported agriculture customers, and to restaurants in nearby Athens and Columbus (about an hour and a half away). They also have an internship program for young people interested in the business of organic farming. From the Ground Up: Green Edge Gardens from Central Appalachian Network on...

Kentucky Community Team Scholarships: 2011 Brushy Fork Annual Institute...

Kentucky Community Team Scholarships are available again this year for the 2011 Brushy Fork Annual Institute.  Community teams from economically distressed 2010 ARC counties will be eligible to receive scholarships.  These scholarships are made possible through funding from the Appalachia Regional Commission. Under this scholarship program, the first three team members pay only $250 each. Any additional team members pay $100 each. Lodging will be reimbursed at 50 percent of actual upon submission of receipts, up to a maximum of $500 per team. Scholarship applications will be reviewed as they are received and applicants will be notified as soon as possible. Because a limited amount of scholarship funding is available, any applications received once the scholarship funds are all committed will be placed on a waiting list in the event of cancelations. Scholarship Criteria The community must be classified as an economically distressed Kentucky county.  These counties are:  Adair, Bath, Bell, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Elliott, Estill, Floyd, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Powell, Robertson, Rockcastle, Russell, Wayne, Whitley and Wolfe. A community team must have at least 3 members. Team members must be residents of the distressed county. Teams must be committed to working toward community improvement. No more than 50 percent of the team members can be part of the same organization. Please see the scholarship form for more information: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=1FNzI2ImlmcbT8Vqn0s5d6gYBSChzu5u6sazFaJNBZyg If you have any questions regarding your team...

STAY Summer Institute — Sign Up Now!

ATI Partner the STAY Project (Stay Together Appalachian Youth) is hosting a summer institute in August to be held in Harlan County, KY.  This is a great opportunity for youth throughout Appalachia to join together, build relationships, share skills and perspectives on community issues. It is also a great opportunity for those who support youth to help secure funding and travel logistics, encourage submitting session proposals, and supporting the empowerment of our region’s youth more broadly.  If you have a specific skill – grant-writing, storytelling, public hearing and lobby events – consider working with youth in your community to propose a workshop during the Institute.  Details about how to do so are below. From STAY: We are now accepting registration forms and session proposals for the 2011 STAY Summer Institute. STAY Summer Institute @ the Pine Mountain Settlement School in Bledsoe, KY August 9th-12th   The STAY Summer Institute will focus on empowering young people through a sense of place, promoting leadership development, upholding our Appalachian identity through cultural arts and storytelling, and building personal relationships to sustain each other through our efforts. The leadership trainings will focus on organizing, popular education, grant writing, small-business skills, financial/budget management, anti-oppression workshops, etc. Participants should be between the ages of 14-30.  Session presenters can be all ages. Registration fees are $50-$150 (sliding scale) per participant.  Scholarships and travel stipends are available on a first come, first serve basis. To propose your own or collaborative session, return the proposal form by July...

Friends of Sol: Upcoming Intro and Advanced Solar Training Classes...

From our friends at Kentucky Solar Partnership and Appalachia -Science in the Public Interest, a schedule of upcoming introductory and advanced solar design and installation trainings you might be interested in:  Upcoming Solar Photovoltaic Trainings in Frankfort, Kentucky The Kentucky Solar Partnership and Appalachia – Science in the Public Interest, with the support of the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED), the Franklin County Cooperative Extension Service, and Kentucky State University, present a series of introductory and advanced training classes on solar photovoltaic system design and installation practices. Full workshop descriptions and registration information can be found at www.kysolar.org. Financial support covering up to 100% of registration fees plus expenses is available to residents of eastern Kentucky, thanks to the support of MACED. Introduction to Solar Photovoltaics August 16 – 17, 2011               8:30 am – 5:00 pm                    Fee:   $275 Instructor: Chris LaForge, ISPQ Certified PV Instructor, NABCEP Certified PV Installer Location: Franklin County Cooperative Extension Office 101 Lakeview Court, Frankfort, KY 40601 Solar Site Assessments and PV System Design         August 18, 2011 8:30 am – 5:00 pm        Fee:   $140 Instructor: Chris LaForge, ISPQ Certified PV Instructor, NABCEP Certified PV Installer Prerequisite: Introduction to Photovoltaics or equivalent prior training or experience Location: Franklin County Cooperative Extension Office 101 Lakeview Court, Frankfort, KY 40601 Solar Photovoltaics & the National Electric Code  August 19, 2011  8:30 am – 5:00 pm                    Fee:   $140 Instructor: Chris LaForge, ISPQ Certified PV Instructor, NABCEP Certified PV Installer Prerequisite: Introduction to Solar Photovoltaics or equivalent prior training or experience (Code...

Whose Coal Severance is it Anyway?

There has been a fair bit of talk lately about coal severance tax — the fee charged for mining coal, intended to ensure funds are available to coal producing areas after the coal is gone.  This past legislative session in Kentucky, some representatives wanted to use severance tax money to pay for efficiency improvements to homes in Eastern Kentucky bearing the high electricity costs of a particularly cold winter.  Severance tax funds are often offered up as a budget solution for holes in the larger state budget, rather than explicitly being directed for use in the coal producing counties. The Herald-Leader has a piece in today's paper about the on-going story of the City of Lynch's firehouse restoration project.  The Harlan Daily Enterprise reports that Lynch Mayor Taylor Hall says he was recently told by Harlan County Judge-Executive Joe Grieshop "that if we didn't give in, then he would make sure that we would never get a penny of money." Lynch has been seeking funds from Harlan County's share of severance tax proceeds to match a grant for restoration of an old firehouse. The county judge-executive and fiscal court control the local portion of the severance tax. According to the Harlan paper, as quoted in the Herald-Leader article, the County Judge-Executive replied: "I just told them that the coal companies are where the money comes from. If you're not willing to work with them and you're anti-coal, then the fiscal court members are not going to support you. They...

Appalachian Ohio County a Haven for Local Food Economy

You might not expect Athens, Ohio to be a focal point for a thriving local food economy, but this Appalachian county (ranked "Distressed" by the ARC with a poverty rate of 32.8%) is getting regional and national attention for its efforts. The "Thirty Mile Meal" project connects consumers, Farmer's Markets, restaurants, and, of course, farmers and ranchers in a challenge for folks to source all their food from a thirty-mile radius. While this might seem like a daunting task, the plethora of local food resources in the Athens area are making it work. And Athens is becoming a destination for foodies because of it. As the Athens News reports, both the Cleveland Plain-Dealer and Audubon magazine have cited Athens as a place to be for locavores. "We came to realize," wrote the writer of Plain-Dealer's article, "while spending a couple of days in this Appalachian enclave, that one of Ohio's poorest counties is a blossoming destination for food lovers and a glimmer of hope for sustainable living." Check out the entire Athens News article below to learn more about the 30 Mile Meal and all the great things happening to boost the area's economy. This article is the first in a series about the local and regional food system in Appalachian Ohio, so stay tuned!   Athens proudly sits near the top of locavore food chain By David DeWitt Photo Credits: Photo by Julie Van Wagenen. Photo Caption: Rich Tomsu sells his organic produce at a recent Athens Farmers...

Life Expectancy Declines in Appalachia

On the heels of the health data we posted about last week comes a study showing life expectancy declining for much of Appalachia (among other rural areas). While the average life expectancy for America as a whole increased between 1987-2007 (from 73.7 to 75.6 years for men, and from 79.6 to 80.8 years for women), rural areas are not faring nearly as well. As this interactive map shows, nearly all of Appalachian Kentucky has seen a decline in life expectancy, along with southern West Virginia, far southwest Virginia and southeastern Ohio. Women in particular face the most decline: in Owsley County, KY, life expectancy for women dropped 1.1% (to 76.1 years, more than four years below the national average), while for men it stayed the same – though considering they die 7.4 years earlier than the average American man, that's still nothing to crow about. The Rural Blog has an excellent summary of the report, which is posted below.   Life expectancy declining in some counties; trend seems common in Appalachia and the Black Belt   Life expectancy is declining in an increasing number of U.S. counties, and some rural areas stand out, according to a study covering the two decades from 1987 to 2007. In the first decade, life expectancy declined in 314 counties; in the most recent decade, it dropped in 860. "The region where life expectancy is lowest, and in some places declining, begins in West Virginia, runs through the southern Appalachian Mountains and west through...