Two ARC Flex-E-Grant projects

Appalshop has been involved with two Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Flex-E-Grants, which are awarded each year for "small investments in short-term projects that will build community capacity to mobilize local resources, gain leadership experience and strengthen community institutions and networks."

One of the grants was directly to Appalshop's WMMT-FM 88.7 to initiate the Letcher County Emergency Response Network and the other to conduct a county-wide planning process. Letcher County Emergency Response Network or LCERN works to gather residents, elected and other government officials, emergency response personnel, local business owners, health care providers, community action agencies, local and regional media, and other key stakeholders to develop a comprehensive and strategic plan to keep everyone in the county accurately informed in the event of immediate or ongoing emergencies.

Appalshop assisted the Letcher County Convention & Tourism Commission with its ARC Flex-E-Grant to create a community-based plan for using Letcher County's natural,cultural, and creative assets for economic revitalization. More than 225 citizens, including much of the county's elected leadership, participated in a series of eight community meetings that developed the plan, which will be published by the end of the year.