South Eastern WV

In Southern West Virginia, Small Business Recruitment the Key to Bringing New Life to Abandoned Buildings

06.22.17

Hinton, West Virginia. Photo by OZinOH/FlickrCC

Our HubCAP program helps communities in West Virginia redevelop abandoned or underused buildings, and to identify, recruit and support sustainable enterprises to occupy those structures.

The Hub is on the third installment of HubCAP, the Communities of Achievement Program that has already partnered with many communities across West Virginia.

Supporting efforts in Hinton, Matewan, Princeton, Richwood, and Whitesville to build vibrant downtown business areas.

Over the next 18 months, HubCAP III will see The Hub and our partners supporting efforts in Hinton, Matewan, Princeton, Richwood, and Whitesville to build vibrant downtown business areas.

HubCAP III meets communities where they are at in their work addressing an abandoned property process, and emphasizes community capacity building.

Each community is provided with a community coach, who works with teams to grow their already-existing networks to increase community engagement in downtown redevelopment. The coach connects the teams with service providers, subject experts, funders, and developers who have experience in downtown building redevelopment. The team works toward their goal of recruiting and securing businesses to set up shop in the rehabilitated space.

The team works toward their goal of recruiting and securing businesses to set up shop in the rehabilitated space.

Many of these communities in HubCAP III have already identified buildings to focus on for this effort through the Northern Brownfield’s Assistance Center’s Downtown Appalachia Program.

The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation funds this program, which invests in studying economically feasible opportunities, and also provides appraisals, artistic renderings, and site assessments for possible future building uses, in order to promote business. HubCAP III is also funded by a USDA Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) Grant.

The communities of HubCAP programs I and II are Mullens, Martinsburg, Chester/Weirton, Belington, Fairmont, Shinnston, Belington, Buckhannon, Ansted, Mullens, Williamson, Clay, Lincoln/Logan, Wayne, McDowell and Doddridge counties.

In Southern West Virginia, Abandoned Rail Lines Emerge As New Tourism Opportunity

06.13.17

Photo: www.facebook.com/railstotrails/

Hey southern West Virginia! Does your community have abandoned rail lines?

Well, now might be the time to look at convert those unused rails into valuable recreation and tourism assets.

And, if you are already pursuing a rail-trail plan, now is also the perfect time to connect with other people in southern West Virginia to share ideas and information, and explore the possibility of a connected rail-trail network.

Rail-trails are an available and affordable way to diversify the local economy, build communities and improve health.

A new working group is looking to see if there is interest in forming a southern West Virginia rail-trail organization, and they have a survey that you need to take. Here’s the survey link: https://goo.gl/forms/Ta4gvrVzRcbC3uTv1

They are looking for partners across the more than 13 counties of southern West Virginia that are interested in building a vibrant network of folks who care about trails, are building trails, and will advocate for trails.

Rail-trails are an available and affordable way to diversify the local economy, build communities and improve health.

The decline of coal will result in the discontinued use of numerous railroad corridors in southern West Virginia, providing a great opportunity to preserve our railroading and coal mining heritage.

The Industrial Heartland Trail Coalition, which extends into northern West Virginia, illustrates how building extensive networks can enhance trail acquisition, development, and promotion. Working collaboratively, rather than competitively, across southern West Virginia will be more productive and will encourage shared resources and collective marketing.

Please take this simple first step by filling out the short survey: https://goo.gl/forms/Ta4gvrVzRcbC3uTv1

“Change Isn’t Easy,” But Still Jenny Totten Has a Huge Vision For McDowell County

05.10.17

A lot of people think that I’m absolutely nuts for wanting to work in such a remote area of Appalachia.

But McDowell County has felt like home since the first time I set foot on the grounds of the Five Loaves and Two Fishes Foodbank, more than 4 years ago.

Since then I’ve gotten myself into several projects, ranging from economic development and business creation to community agriculture projects.

In order to do work in McDowell County, you have to believe in community development principles that put residents first and individual egos last.

You have to whole heartedly realize it is important to make small towns resilient and economies diversified while also paying homage to the deep roots coal has in central Appalachia.

You have to 100 percent understand that every single person is doing the best they can, and the best they know how to do.

And you have to whole heartedly realize it is important to make small towns resilient and economies diversified while also paying homage to the deep roots coal has in central Appalachia. Change isn’t easy, and it’s even harder here.

I am a boomerang child of West Virginia – a term used for natives who left the state but found themselves back for whatever reason. I grew up right outside of Charleston, in a small, tight-knit community near Kanawha State Forest called Loudendale. Im a proud graduate of GW High School, a Virginia Tech Hokie and a rocket scientist, by degree and practice.

After spending some time in Haiti, I chose to work on development projects in my own state because the best way to affect change is to return to a place that you intimately know and love. I have always been devoted to West Virginia and am so excited to get my hands dirty doing work in a community that I have fallen madly in love with.

My vision for McDowell County’s future is huge. I see small vibrant downtown areas in Kimball and Welch, a blossoming small scale local food economy, and a world where Welch does not close at 5 p.m.

In my spare time I coach an all-girls Lego Robotics team, farm on a postage stamp size piece of property, explore the outdoors, and create things that border between craft and middle school attempts at an art project.

My vision for McDowell County’s future is huge. I see small vibrant downtown areas in Kimball and Welch, a blossoming small scale local food economy, and a world where Welch does not close at 5 p.m.

I see organizations coming together to help the people of McDowell design their own solutions. Music, visual arts, and theater all play a role in McDowell’s future. I see the natural resource economy blossoming with increased usage of the Hatfield McCoy trails, Berwind Lake, and Panther State Forest.

And most importantly, I see a county where, when a high senior class is asked about their future, the easiest answer is not “Leave the area.”

Hello, Jenny

First Ever Open Mic Night Sparks a New Creative Community in McDowell County

05.09.17

Photo by Terry Bartley/The Hub

As I pulled into the lot, I could already hear music coming out of the building.

I walked in and saw a packed room, buzzing with positive energy. Everyone was there, at the Sterling Drive-In in Welch, West Virginia, to hear creative people express themselves.

This open mic night in McDowell County was one of several efforts in southern West Virginia to support a burgeoning local arts and cultural community funded through our Innovation Acceleration Strategy program, or IAS.

This first piece of their project involves a series of open mic nights as a way to pull artists together. Lori McKinney, of the Riff-Raff Arts Collective in Princeton, was pretty instrumental in putting this first event together. She strongly believes that open mic nights are essential in building a creative community.

“Creative people need to discover each other, and they need a reason to come together,” Lori says.

McKinney teamed up with McDowell County locals Craig Snow and Derek Tyson to pull it together. It was McKinney’s idea to use a place that people are familiar with, like the Sterling Drive-In, so that artists would feel more comfortable coming out.

I think this is a key reason this open mic was so successful – the environment was low-key, and everyone felt at ease.

Then it hit me. This really could work in basically any other community that wants to bring out creative folks.

In community development circles, we talk a lot about the idea of a “third space” – a location that isn’t work or home that the community can get together and casually talk about their community.

When I first started working with IAS, I thought that many of our communities didn’t really have a third space. I wouldn’t have even really thought of Sterling’s as one. The community seemed to think of it just as a place to grab food.

But the open mic night transformed a quiet little diner into an energetic third space. There is no reason this couldn’t happen in every other IAS community, or any other small town in Appalachia for that matter.

This first event cost them $100 for a sound engineer. That’s a small price to pay to provide a space for creatives to get together.

Now, I’m looking forward to attending another open mic night at the next small town in West Virginia that wants to follow Welch’s lead. Who’s up next?

You can keep up to date with the all the of news coming out of our IAS communities
at The Hub’s IAS blog feed!

In Alderson, Co-Op Artisans Gallery a Model for Community (and Commercial Sustainability)

04.27.17

Photos courtesy Alderson Artisans Gallery

One of the downsides of turning entrepreneurship into a career can be a sense of isolation.

This is especially true for working artists, who spend long hours in their workspace, alone, crafting art.

But in the small town of Alderson they’ve found a way for their artists to be a part of a larger community.

The Alderson Artisans Gallery functions like a co-op. They have seven working artists that showcase their work, and also spend time working behind the counter, sweeping the floor, keeping the books or managing its social media pages.

While they refer to themselves as a “shoestring operation,” they manage to keep the lights on without outside funding.

They also showcase the work of other local artists, that pay a slightly higher fee to be a part of the gallery.

The gallery was originally a project of Alderson Main Street, which provided funding for their first year of operation. Now the gallery is totally self-sufficient.

And while they still refer to themselves as a “shoestring operation,” they manage to keep the lights on without outside funding.

They integrate themselves more deeply into the community through partnerships with the local schools. The gallery provides space to showcase the work of local students throughout the year. The member artisans also pass on their knowledge through the form of classes.

The actual gallery space features regular gallery fare, like paintings, photography and sculptures. But they also feature works that are distinctively ‘Alderson.’ These pieces range from woodwork and stained glass to hooked rugs and clothing.

Alderson Artisans Gallery demonstrates that working together can really create something incredible. They’ve created a place to showcase the culture of Alderson while providing an income to local artists.

The Giving Tree: Pineville Students Launch Website To Support Their Friends In Need

03.13.17

Photo by Pineville Middle School

When a class at Pineville Middle School (above) started working on a project for the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, they already knew what problems that wanted to solve.

It is no secret that southern West Virginia is struggling with a lack of jobs and access to basic necessities.

“Many families struggle, and their children suffer and often can’t concentrate in school because they are hungry, dirty or cold.”

“The biggest problem that we have is the number of students who do not have their basic needs met every day,” says teacher Amanda Mullins. “Many families struggle, and their children suffer and often can’t concentrate in school because they are hungry, dirty or cold.”

And so, her class imagined the Pineville Giving Tree, a student-built website, where kids can ask for the things that they lack. And they can do so anonymously.

Local community groups then work to provide those things, and deliver them to the student in need.

“We wanted to make sure that our friends have the food, clothes and supplies they need,” the class said in their entry video.

This system has really gone above and beyond. They created shortcuts to the Pineville Giving Tree website on every school device, and have created an app to keep track of what supplies they have in stock.

The school donated a room in the basement, which they refer to as the dungeon, where students keep the supplies.

The project has gathered a lot of attention. Not only did the class win the state round of the Solve for Tomorrow contest, which came with $50,000 worth of Samsung technology for their school, but they are also currently one of 10 national finalists in the running to win $150,000 of technology.

They created shortcuts to the Pineville Giving Tree website on every school device, and have created an app to keep track of what supplies they have in stock.

Two students and their teacher will be heading to New York City to present their project to Samsung executives!

And there is something you can do to help them out. Head over to twitter and let Samsung know you support them by shooting out a tweet featuring the #SamsungSolvePVMS tag.

If you want to make it even easier for yourself, you can click on this link to pre-fill your tweet! They’re currently in 3rd place, but we have until March 17 to push them to the top.

If they win the community vote, they’ll receive $20,000 worth of extra Samsung technology.

Go Pineville!

Alderson Explores Feasibility of Vintage-Themed Downtown

03.13.17

Photo by OZinOH/FlickrCC

The people of Alderson have a lot of pride and belief in their community, which has been a terrific starting point for our Innovation Acceleration Strategy (IAS) work there.

But those leading the IAS effort in Alderson also understand they have work to do to fill up the businesses on their main street. Both of the IAS mini-grants we awarded them hope to bring new life into downtown.

Small Business

When we started conducting IAS meetings in Alderson, we began hearing about Jim Russel’s idea to create a vintage-themed downtown.

Jim envisions a town with vintage murals on buildings, period lighting along the street and a restaurant housed in a train car.

Jim envisions a town with vintage murals on buildings, period lighting along the street and a restaurant housed in a train car. His team has challenged him on the feasibility of this, which leads us to their mini-grant.

We have awarded Alderson $2,000 to conduct a market feasibility study. They believe they can use this study to sell the idea of opening a new business downtown to potential entrepreneurs. The team hopes this can be the first step to attracting more people to live and play in Alderson.

Community Beautification

Fawn Valentine understands the importance of aesthetics. She has a B.A. in Art, works on the planning commission for Alderson and is the leader of the IAS Community Beautification team.

This may seem a little off-base for an economic diversification program. But creating a more attractive downtown is almost always an important piece of the broader economic development process.

Valentine’s team has been awarded $525 to paint the former Ashland station. This station is the first thing anyone sees when they enter Alderson.

As a part of this plan, they are going to paint a mural on one of the windows, featuring the river. They hope this will create a visual emphasis on the flora and fauna of Greenbrier River that flows through their town.

Learn more about what our other IAS communities are doing to diversify their local economies
at The Hub blog.

In Nicholas County, 5 Local Dreams Come Down to 5 Minutes At The Mic

03.09.17

FlickrCC

You’ve got 5 minutes to sell me your idea. At stake: potentially thousands of dollars to make your dream come true.

What are you going to say?

On the evening of Thursday, March 30, the Nicholas County Community Foundation will host “Pitch Night,” where five local nonprofits will take to the stage and compete for one of three grants. Each nonprofit has 5 minutes to make their pitch – Shark Tank style – and the winners will be decided by a group vote of panelists.

Want to get in on the fun? You can vote on Pitch Night!

Want to get in on the fun?

You can contribute to Pitch Night by becoming a member of The Community Catalyst Fund – a powerful way to give for the improvement of Nicholas County. Members pool their resources to make larger, collective grants to nonprofit organizations.

Your membership requires only a $100 tax deductible donation which will be used to provide these grants. As a member you are entitled to vote on Pitch Night!

For more information, email Stacy Raffo, the Executive Director of the Nicholas County Community Foundation, at nccfwv@gmail.com

Big Projects and Big Dreams

There is a lot at stake for the five organizations competing at Pitch Night.

High Rocks hopes to expand their base providing more services to boys and the community with a non-profit gym in Richwood.

Summersville Elementary School hopes to instill positive behavior through a reward program for students.

Young Life hopes to expand their operations by purchasing a new wood router.

These pitches are important. They represent efforts to improve the arts and culture, health and human services, recreation and youth services in Nicholas County.

The Faltis Shelter hopes to teach residents a life long skill of gardening by establishing a community garden.

New Hope Community Center hopes to add stationary exercise equipment around their new gravel walking track to provide better physical activity options for locals..

These pitches are important. They represent efforts to improve the arts and culture, health and human services, recreation and youth services in Nicholas County, and we expect them to have an immediate impact on the community.

You can be a real part of this effort, making a tangible investment.

Your membership requires only a $100 tax deductible donation which will be used to provide these grants. As a member you are entitled to vote on Pitch Night!

For more information, email Stacy Raffo, the Executive Director of the Nicholas County Community Foundation, at nccfwv@gmail.com

In McDowell County, the Princeton Renaissance a Natural Ally to Redevelopment Efforts

03.03.17

Photo by Princeton Renaissance Project

It has been really inspiring working in McDowell County and seeing the motivation of these active citizens to make a positive change in their community.

Through our Innovation Acceleration Strategy (IAS) program, we are pleased to fund two projects to help spur new economic opportunities in their economy.

Agriculture

Seth Coen has a background in Environmental Engineering. Like many that live in Appalachia, his skills led him to a job connected to the coal industry, with a consulting firm on the reclamation of mine sites.

Seth spent much of his time in Kentucky and West Virginia. As he traveled to mine sites, he was taken back at the drastic amount of job loss.

Seth saw thousands of acres of underutilized land on former mining sites, and knew this was an opportunity in these economically depressed areas.

About seven years ago, Seth realized there were many thousands of acres of underutilized land on these former mining sites, and knew this was an opportunity in these economically depressed areas. And so he decided to start a grassroots effort to help the community identify and create innovative post-mine uses for this land.

When we met Seth, he was working on turning a former mining site in McDowell County into a demonstrative project. He wants to explore the range of things these sites can be used for.

Seth plans to use the $2,000 award to create a flower garden, teach composting in five schools, and engage students in gardening. His hope is that this will spur economic development and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Arts and Culture

It’s no secret that Lori McKinney and the Riff-Raff Arts Collective has been doing amazing work in Princeton. Through focusing on arts, music and culture, they have basically created an economic sector from scratch. Why not try it in other places?

That’s a big reason Lori created the Create Your State concert series, traveling with her band to struggling communities around the state to teach them about creative placemaking through performance. Lori shows other communities that they can create amazing things as well.

Through focusing on arts, music and culture, they have created an economic sector from scratch. Why not try it in other places?

It was through this performance that Lori met Craig Snow of Warrior Creek Development, who has been renovating a blighted building in downtown Welch. Craig also has a passion for the arts.

Craig is working with Lori to develop an arts plan that can work for McDowell County. They were awarded a $2,000 mini-grant to start hosting regular open mic nights in town, create an Artist’s Alley mural series, and add a space to display art in the very building Craig is working to develop.

McDowell County has loads of creative and artistic people living there already – perhaps this project can pull them together.

Is This The # 1 Shortcut To a Happy Buzz?

03.02.17

Photo by Active SWV

Our friends at Active Southern West Virginia (Active SWV) are eager to hear from energetic folks interested in leading local physical activity groups.

Active SWV’s Community Captains are some of the most positive, passionate and engaged people you will meet.

Active SWV’s Community Captains program is looking for volunteers to get Walking, Trail running, Meditation, Swimming, Bicycling and Mountain Biking, Tai Chi and Climbing groups going in southern West Virginia, specifically volunteers from Rhodell, Sophia, Coal City, Lester, Bolt, Shady Springs, Jumping Branch, Cliff Top, Gauley Bridge, and Richwood.

If you’re interested, or just want to learn more, contact the ActiveSWV Volunteer Director at Becka@activeswv.com or (304) 254-8488.

Here’s the bad news. Well, there isn’t any bad news.

The good news is that Active SWV will train and help you. Not only that, you’ll have a ton of fun.

Don’t take my word for it. Take a look for yourself. Active SWV’s Community Captains are some of the most positive, passionate and engaged people you will meet.

Who would have thought that a little activity to go such a long way?

Go on. Get involved. You’ll thank me.