The West Virginia Community Development Hub (The Hub) is thrilled to announce the second cohort of communities chosen for the Accelerate WV program. The Accelerate WV program is part of the Community and Business Resilience Initiative (CBRI) work as part of the larger Appalachian Community Transformation Coalition (ACT Now Coalition).

The Hub, along with our partners at Advantage Valley, AFV Educate, WV Brownfields Centers, and The WV Hive, part of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA), will work alongside ten new communities over the next two years. Accelerate WV will be working in Logan, Gilbert, Kimball, Williamson, Highlawn, Summersville, Hinton, Mason County, Madison, and Kermit.

“I’m very excited for the next round of Accelerate WV and to work in 10 new communities throughout Southern West Virginia who are passionate about transforming their hometowns,” says Brianna Hickman, The Hub’s CBRI Project Director. “We had an incredibly competitive application pool, and after completing site visits and multiple review team meetings, I’m thrilled to finally launch this next cohort.”

Eleven communities submitted applications in a competitive process each identifying key projects they want to move forward as part of their community’s overall revitalization goals.

Cohort 2 teams will participate in monthly community meetings, biannual group session trainings, and various informational webinars and trainings to help them navigate the planning process and identify priority areas for their economic resilience plans. These community-led plans will be used to create a road map for economic and community successes through the coming years.

Accelerate WV communities will have access to local, regional, and national experts that will help with planning, implementation, and funding support. The work will build new local community expertise and develop a long-term local leadership team, and will establish sustained partnerships for long-term development.

“We’ve seen Cohort 1 community teams host community engagement events to truly include the community in the planning process, create innovative solutions to long-standing issues, and network with others in the cohort to break down silos to brainstorm solutions and ideas,” says Hickman. “The first year has already been very successful, so it’s very exciting to have 10 new teams join the program.”

The Accelerate WV program supports community leaders who are wanting to work together as a team to make a lasting impact on the economic well-being and quality of life for their fellow residents.