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Nothing to see here, only exciting things happening for Appalachia

So many opportunities and achievements, but not enough room to write them all! If you have something great happening in your community, please mention them in our comments section for this blog on our Facebook post.

Like always, let’s see what is happening in Eastern Kentucky!

Brushy Forks Leadership Program seeking applicants!

There is a great FREE leadership program opportunity for those living in Bell, Clay, Floyd, and Perry counties.

Brushy Fork is recruiting teams of 15 individuals from each of these Kentucky counties for the People Ready Communities Leadership Program.

The 2023 Brushy Fork People Ready Communities Leadership Program involves a six-month commitment with the following activities:

  • A two-hour orientation meeting in your community, in March 2023;
  • An expense-paid Opening workshop at Berea College, April 13-15 (Thursday-Saturday), 2023;
  • Work on a community project, requiring approximately six to eight hours per month;
  • A half-day workshop, between June-August, led by Brushy Fork staff in your community;
  • An expense-paid Closing workshop at Berea College, October 20-21 (Friday-Saturday), 2023.

Whether you are new to leadership or experienced, you have a role to play.

You’ll carry out a project to support a vibrant economy that:

  • Supports residents to stay and thrive in their community.
  • Attracts newcomers, businesses, and tourists.
  • Is inclusive and accessible to all with a contextual focus on flood mitigation and resilience.

Meals, materials, and lodging for the opening and closing workshop in Berea are provided at no cost to participants.

Fellowship stipends are also available.

You can also download a flyer to share with others HERE.

Appalachian Regional Commission Program Opportunities

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is hosting a variety of in-person workshop series that will help you prepare to apply for their ARC grants in 2023. 

The series is called Getting the Grant: Successfully Applying for ARC Funding Opportunities and three different locations are available for any or all of these workshops – Belden, Mississippi; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. 

There are three grants available that you can learn more information about ARC ARISE, ARC INSPIRE, and ARC POWER.

You can read more about these opportunities from one of our blogs HERE.

Not only is ARC offering grant writing opportunities, but they also offer different educational programs throughout the year for both adults and students. 

The topics range from leadership programs to STEM summer programs to entrepreneurship challenges. Through these learning opportunities, participants build networks, hone skills, and cultivate an enduring commitment to Appalachia’s future.

You can read more about these opportunities from our latest blog HERE.

But hurry! Deadlines for these applications are quickly approaching, with the first deadline being February 10!

Lee County High School Student Welds to a Top Finish 

Maggie Johnson from the Lee County Area Technology Center was declared one of the state’s TOP-PERFORMING welders! 

Starting her hobby in middle school, she was inspired by being offered to take a carpentry course at a summer camp.

Maggie earned herself a winning title at the inaugural Future Women of Welding Competition in Louisville recently!

You can read the article on this lifetime achievement HERE.

2023 Rogers Explorer Program Accepting Applications

The Rogers Explorers program is a three-day, two-night program focused on helping 8th grade students learn skills in leadership, math, science, and community service. 

If selected, the students will attend the program in Williamsburg, Columbia, Richmond, Morehead, Wilmore, Pikeville, or Barbourville during the summer before their ninth-grade year.

All lodging, meals, and program expenses (with the exception of transportation to and from the program) are offered at no cost.

The program is developed, coordinated, and supervised by the Center for Rural Development in partnership with the University of the Cumberlands, Lindsey Wilson College, Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, Asbury University, University of PIkeville, and Union College.

The deadline to apply is February 28, 2023.

You can learn more about the program and find the application form HERE.

You can also contact Amy Ellis at, aellis@centertech.com, or call, (606) 677-6000.

Appalachian Health Graduate Fellowship Program

The Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK) at the University of Kentucky is pleased to administer a new two-year Fellowship program for students from Appalachia that are enrolled in graduate education in a health field. 

The fellowships are awarded for two years, for a total of $20,000 ($10,000 will be awarded in the fall of each academic year). 

Applicants must have a permanent address in Appalachia and demonstrate clear intention to return to Appalachia to pursue a health career.

Those awarded a fellowship will be expected to virtually attend quarterly mentoring sessions with CEDIK staff. 

Awardees will also be expected to provide a short written reflection at the end of each fellowship year.

The fellowships are funded by a generous gift from The New York Community Trust.

You can find more information about the program and the application HERE and you can also download the application HERE.

The deadline to apply for this graduate program is March 17, 2023.

Grow with Google at Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College

Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College Workforce Solutions has a fantastic new online opportunity for anyone interested in gaining new in demand skills in Google IT Support or Project Management. 

The program is a free no cost training option for students, employees and community members.

Seats are limited! 

For more information, you can contact Sandra Brown at (606) 589-3007 or sbrown0249@kctcs.edu 

Justin T. Chafin Memorial Scholarship is open for applications

Big Sandy Community & Technical College is offering the Justin T. Chafin Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship is available for anyone who is pursuing an Associates of Science degree, if you live in Floyd, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin, or Pike counties, and if you are a male student.

You can learn more about the scholarship and its meaning behind it HERE.

To see the entire list of scholarships being offered in the Kentucky Community & Technical College System, you can find that HERE.

SPEDA Flagship Innovation Program

SPEDA’s mini-grant series provides strategic investments to businesses currently operating or in the start-up phase in Somerset and Pulaski County, Kentucky. 

Created to enhance assistance available to small businesses and strengthen economic growth and development locally, approved projects must demonstrate their benefit to the local community.

Businesses applying for mini-grants should present their overall plan, specific need for investment and ways in which funds will be utilized. 

Applicants are encouraged to show how their business helps to build community, mobilize local resources and strengthen community institutions and networks.

The 2023 application deadline is Feb. 24, 2023, with winners announced in April or May.

You can find the program guidelines HERE and learn more information about similar SPEDA opportunities HERE.

Big checks handed out to Boyd County

A great day for Boyd County on Monday, January 30, as $4.1 million was presented to its local governments, utilities, tourism agencies, and nonprofits.

Funding was provided by the Better Kentucky Plan’s Cleaner Water Program and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The City of Ashland received two awards from the Cleaner Water Program funds:

  • $719,000 to replace an aging section of water main that serves downtown Ashland and Catlettsburg.
  • $300,000 to improve two aging pump stations and to add a new pump station.

Several other awards were handed to the City of Catlettsburg, the Cannonsburg Water District, and the Boyd County Sanitation District No. 4, you can read about those awards HERE.

The Ashland Tourism and Convention Commission was awarded $121,744 and the Boyd County Tourism and Convention Bureau was awarded $142,916 through the ARPA funding.

That funding is decided by the Kentucky Department of Tourism and awards the money to eligible tourism organizations throughout the commonwealth.

13 awards were announced to several non-profits in the Boyd County area. Those awards include the following:

You can read more about these amazing announcements HERE.

Better Internet Listening Tour

The state will host a 14-stop listening tour beginning Tuesday, Feb. 14, in Hopkinsville as part of the ongoing Better Internet Initiative. 

The six-week listening tour hosted by the state’s Office of Broadband Development, in collaboration with the Education and Labor Cabinet, aligns with planning requirements laid out in the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program as Kentucky develops a state high-speed internet plan. 

Here are the stops you can make sure to be at to discuss the need for better broadband in our Eastern Kentucky region:

You can learn more about these listening stops and other listening dates HERE.

Input needed from businesses & employees affected by the 2022 July Flooding

If your business or employees were affected by the July 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky, your input is needed for a new anonymous business assessment that is will remain live until February 23.

There are a number of partners to gather responses in affected areas. 

Those partners include Kentucky River Area Development District, National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Mountain Association, Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, Community Ventures, and Big Sandy Area Development District.

You can click HERE to complete the survey.

Visit ekcep.org/floodsurvey to complete the assessment today.

Register for our first-ever EKY Gala!

The nomination link may be gone from our website, but there is no need to fret! 

You can register for our first-ever SOAR EKY Gala, presented by Kentucky Power, and celebrate all those making a difference across Eastern Kentucky. 

Join us on April 29, 2023 at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg.  Walk the red carpet, enjoy a reception and networking, and an awards ceremony highlighting the stars of our region. 

Future events to add to your calendar:

February

  • Introduction to Grant Writing and Federal Grants Workshop, Feb. 21- 23

Join us for a Grants 101 and 201 Workshop in Hazard at Hazard Community & Technical College from 9 am – 4 pm. This hands-on introduction to grant writing will provide the steps and resources to compete and secure grant dollars. Registration is just $25. 

A limited number of scholarships are available. Email info@soar-ky.org for more information.

There will be an additional workshop in Morehead in March if you cannot make the first one.

You can register for the grant workshops HERE.

  • P31 Womenpreneur™ Conference, February 25th

Are you a woman who wears many hats and desires to be the best authentic version of herself as she serves others? Then you are a Womanpreneur! This conference is meant for that busy woman who feels like they should be achieving something more, who is always looking for the next adventure.

“Dreaming of that business we wanted to start, that book we wanted to write, or that podcast that we would love to share with the world! The question becomes…when and how? God has called us for such a time as this! The P31 Womenpreneur™ conference was designed to equip women with the network, tools, and mindset strategy to live out a Proverbs 31-woman lifestyle, like a boss! How do we do that? By taking the principles outlined in Titus 2 and turning them into our game plan for success!”

You can buy tickets for the event HERE.

March

  • 4th Annual Bridges out of Addiction Symposium, March 7

The Fourth Annual Bridges Out of Addiction Symposium is an opportunity for community members to build relationships and learn about resources necessary to better address the local substance use disorder crisis. 

The event is planned for March 7, 2023, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Ashland Community & Technical College. 

This important event is open to all and is free!

You can register for the event HERE.

  • 11th Annual Shamrock Shuffle 5k., March 11

The largest 5K in the Lake Cumberland area. After 10 years in Burnside, the race is now moving to Downtown Somerset with The Mole Hole will be hosting an epic after party following the race with an Irish theme.

You can buy tickets for the 5k HERE.

  • Coffee & Tea Week in Ashland, Ky., March 19 – 25

Coffee and tea enthusiasts unite! Ashland will be hosting a week full of caffeinated events for their first-ever coffee and tea week. 

If this sounds like your cup of tea, you can stay updated with announcements HERE.

You can see more Ashland events on their city calendar HERE.

April

  • Morehead Kentucky Proud Expo, April 28 – 29

Mark your calendars for the 2023 Morehead KY Proud Expo!

Kentucky Proud certified vendors from across the state will be on hand featuring woodworking, jams, wines, jellies, and so much more. Open to the public and admission is FREE! 

Show times are Friday, April 28, 5 pm-8 pm and Saturday, April 29, 10 pm-5 pm. We 

*All vendors must be Kentucky Proud certified. If you’d like to be a vendor, please call 606-780-4342, option 1 for more information.

You can learn more about the event HERE.

May

  • 24th Annual Big Sandy Women Symposium, May 2

An action-packed day celebrating women and their accomplishments in the business world, hosted by the Kentucky SBDC.

Register HERE.

June

  • Kiss the Goat Trail Race, June 24

If you enjoy trail running or want to train for something challenging, Kiss the Goat is unlike most races. You will be tested to your limits on a roughly 3.77-mile-long uphill course. Besides, what better way to treat yourself at the top of the hill than to blow a kiss to the goat? Yes, a real-life goat. 

Don’t think this race is for you? Consider volunteering and spectating; you can even walk this course!

You can sign up for the event HERE.

  • Bluegrass Mountain Cup, Perry County Park, June 25

A new and fast-growing trail system just down the road from downtown Hazard, KY, Perry County Park packs a lot of punch in a small area. 

A bit of a climb to the top, but well worth the reward that you get coming down. 

Creator of the Perry County hiking trails, Ben, and crew dedicated year around countless hours to making these trails some of the best in the state. 

If you’ve not been there yet, you have to check this place out.

More details coming soon! 

Registration is live HERE.

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