Video: Bringing Main Street Back

We're sharing with you today a video from MACED featuring a young entrepreneur from Hazard, KY. After moving home after college, Jennifer Noble felt like "an outsider," so she opened the Treehouse Cafe and Bakery as a place for folks to gather, promote the arts and share a healthy meal. "I hoped from the beginning that maybe opening a businesse of my own would inspire other people who had dreams of becoming what they want to be, that they can do it too," says Jennifer in the video. "If I can do it, anybody can do it…. You just have to do what makes you...

Mark Your Calendars: “A Bright Economic Future for the Mountain State”...

If you don't know what you're doing on September 4, you do now. You'll be in Charleston, WV for "A Bright Economic Future for the Mountain State," a one-day conference being put together by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Here's the event description from the website, where you can also register (it's free!):  Join Anne Barth of TechConnect, the Honorable Alan Mollohan, Charlotte Weber of the Robert C. Byrd Institute, Chris Yura of SustainU Clothing, and other speakers for a series of engaging and vital discussions of West Virginia's economic future. In an effort to focus on moving West Virginia forward, the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and the Union of Concerned Scientists will convene a forum seeking to spark an honest, objective, and open discussion about the potential for future economic development in the state. Our goals are threefold: to provide a relaxed atmosphere for diverse perspectives and exchange of views; to identify needs and pathways for moving the state forward; and to celebrate the successes of local communities in creating new economic opportunities. Attendees will include local community leaders, elected officials, industry executives, academics, policymakers, union leaders, and advocates. The event will be held at the Walker Theater of the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, One Clay Square, Charleston, WV,...

“Love Can Build a Bridge”

What does it take to build a community of giving and support when it's in transition? According to a beautiful, thoughtful essay by Ethan Hamblin, an intern with the Foundation for Applachian Kentucky, it takes a love of place, a love of self, and a love of community. Three things that sound simple but in reality are far more complex and challenging. How can we build up these "loves of" in our own lives and towns? I've posted an excerpt from the essay below – be sure to go to the Babcock Foundation website to read the whole thing. In December 1990 country music legends The Judds released their 22nd career single, “Love Can Build a Bridge.” The hit song’s lyrics encourage audiences to engage in acts of love that will inspire hope over despair and solidify justice and compassion. As Appalachia continues to seek economic and social transition, there could be no greater means of empowerment than the call to action from “Love Can Build a Bridge.” Communities and individuals must dedicate themselves to “whisper love so loudly every heart could understand.” Through love-charged giving of our time, talent, and treasure we can actively pursue opportunity, eradicate social barriers, and build healthy, thriving communities for all people. Love of Place The greatest affection of a community is its sense of identity, its purpose or calling. Thus, the charge behind community-based action must be rooted in a strong sense of place. In simple terms: one must love a place to see it change....

Health care and entrepreneurship: A good match for Appalachia?...

Amid the hoopla surrounding health care reform, Making Connections News looks at what it could mean for small business owners in Appalachia. How many people would take the leap to start their own businesses if they could afford health insurance without relying on their current employers? Will more small businesses be able to offer coverage to their employers? And what of the opportunity in the medical field once more are able to seek care? Here's what Making Connections has to say about the report: While small business owners are key to building the local economy here in the mountains, not being able to afford health insurance is a huge challenge faced by many. The Affordable Care Act – some call it “Obamacare”- will offer tax credits for businesses with less than 25 employees to help with the cost of providing health coverage. WMMT reports on how this in turn could encourage new entrepreneurs to start businesses, and increase job mobility which is good for the economy. Increasing the number of insured Kentuckians through Medicaid Expansion and a health insurance exchange will also open up new business opportunities and jobs in health care. To listen to the report, click...

New tourism projects growing in Central Appalachia

While most of us have known about the beautiful outdoors opportunities in Central Appalachia for some time, it seems that recently the region's tourism efforts have been really stepping it up. And according to research out of Oregon, capitalizing on the eco-economy is a good idea. The Daily Yonder reported recently that mountain biking events in one Oregon community brought in "$2.6 million in direct tourism spending, $3.7 million in sales and 52 local jobs. This comes only weeks after Travel Oregon issued a report showing a $400 million annual economic impact from bike-related travel."  Elkhorn City, in Pike County, KY, has also seen the benefits of cyclists. The town sits on the TransAmerica Trail, which runs from the Virginia coast all the way to the Pacific in Oregon. It's also capitalizing on its world-class whitewater, which attracts paddlers from places as far away as New Zealand, according to one town leader at a session on tourism at the Appalachia's Bright Future conference in April. It might seem like just paddling along a river or biking through town might not bring in the big bucks, but as the town leader pointed out, if you've got the resources to fly halfway across the world, or to take six months off work to bike across the US, you've got money to spend. Recent data from the state of Kentucky on tourism spending showed that in 2012, Pike County raked in over $100 million in tourism spending.   Letcher County, KY and communities on...