As part of the HubCAP V cohort work, community teams are developing blogs to share what they are learning and hoping to accomplish during their time in the program. This blog is authored by members of the Smithers HubCAP team, located in Fayette and Kanawha Counties, WV.
Smithers jumped into the HubCAP V cohort with a kickoff meeting hosted at the Gateway Center Gym. The community gathered to learn about the HubCAP program with the backdrop of a bouncy house, cornhole, toy riding cars for children, and decorations all highlight the theme: Racing for Success!
About 40 people attended Racing for Success! including invited guests Terrell Ellis of Advantage Valley Inc., Susie Salisbury of Charleston Area Alliance, Montgomery Mayor Greg Ingram, and Delegate Elliot Pritt.
“It’s so very rewarding to see so much interest in planning and working toward a new future for our family, friends, and neighbors in the Upper Kanawha Valley,” Smithers Mayor Anne Cavalier noted as she greeted the group. “Especially encouraging are representatives from so many area communities in addition to Smithers. With the designation of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, our area has become geographically critical as the western gateway to the Park, and we have a unique opportunity to participate in the remaking of our futures. What’s past is past and I’m so very excited about the future.”
Smithers carried the energy from the kickoff session into a second meeting the following week filled with a training introduction, which included group discussion at each table led by Stacy Thomas, Community Coaching Programs Coordinator. Jennifer and Willie Washington served dinners featuring fried fish they cooked just outside for attendees, and a slide show of Smithers’s recent achievements and current programs and projects was shown to start the meeting.
A small group representing Smithers attended a HubCAP V group session in Buckhannon, West Virginia on April 20 – 21st connecting with the other HubCAP Communities: Montgomery, Oak Hill, Weston, and New Martinsville. This Smithers team consisted of Larry Bostic, Jill Hill, Willie and Jennifer Washington, and Jerome and Gretta Hairston.
At this session, communities were connected to Hub staff, local, and regional experts. Community teams also received technical resources, training, and knowledge to achieve identified project goals.
“It was amazing to hear panel discussions and topics that were important for understanding group processes, community buy-in, leadership development, and prioritizing projects,” Gretta Hairston recalled.
Our group was able to quickly identify our why, which meant our common values, beliefs, and themes came together. Our group centered around family and relationships. So, we agreed to center our work around heritage, family, safety, and leadership. Larry Bostic presented to our larger group what we agreed to prioritize after Jennifer Washington wrote the summary. We worked together quickly and beautifully.
Everyone in the area is invited to get involved in HubCAP. Smithers may be one of the Communities of Achievement, but we have learned we are stronger when more get involved, so we want the broadest participation possible.”
Smithers will take part in the HubCAP Program through September 2025, the community will host engagement events and in-person coaching sessions each month in Smithers. HubCAP is open to anyone to take part in the betterment of Smithers, to get involved reach out to Beach Vickers at bvickers@smitherswv.gov or the HubCAP Program Coordinator, Stacy Thomas at s.thomas@wvhub.org.