Dear Friend of Appalachia,

What an exciting time! The Appalachian Community Fund is ending 2011 with preparations for 2012, our 25th Anniversary! As we enter this milestone, we will be taking time to reflect on our journey. We are excited to share the coming year with you and are grateful for the relationships that have brought us this far. We definitely believe you should “Praise the bridge that carried you over.” ~George Colman …So….thank you! 

Thank you for your continued support in helping to create a culture of Change, Not Charity in Central Appalachia through the efforts of the Appalachian Community Fund. ACF works to build a sustainable base of resources to support community-led organizations seeking to overcome and address issues of race, economic status, gender, sexual identity, and disability. The Appalachian Community Fund is proud of the work we’ve supported in 2011 and grateful to you for enabling our efforts. These accomplishments would not have been possible without your involvement. Grassroots organizations throughout our region are working hard to define the change and growth in their community. Your support enables them to move forward in their work. 

There are so many powerful success stories and below are just four examples of the accomplishments and changes being won.

Kentucky, the Kentucky Environmental Foundation
If we value our health -- and most folks in our region do, regardless of our income level, race or where we live -- we must address head-on the health impacts of coal and the health benefits of clean energy solutions. Framing our energy choices as irrefutably linked to health outcomes allows all of us, including people who have staunchly defended the coal industry, to engage on the question "how must we protect our kids and our communities from harm?” We'll always be outspent by the polluting industries, but we can make up for that inequity with smarter, more efficient justice based organizing. Under the scope of KEF, a concerned group of moms organized a Stroller Brigade to demand protection from toxic chemicals. Stroller Brigade participants wrote letters to Kentucky Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, urging them to support the Safe Chemicals Act. On August 10, in Woodland Park, moms (and dads) and kids rallied in support of a Senate bill that would take meaningful steps to protect the American public from toxic chemicals. The Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 (S.847) would increase chemical safety, inform consumers on chemical hazards and protect vulnerable populations. Funding from ACF contributed to support Clean Energy, Clean Air, which promotes and develops collaborative strategies such as the Stroller Brigade for clean energy policy in the state. 

Tennessee, the Highlander Research and Education Center
The air is full of unsettling electricity these days but it is also filled with movement and hope. At Highlander, we are supporting the work of workers and unions helping to energize the country and world to demand much needed change, ‘Occupy’ movement groups, Appalachian peoples working against mountaintop removal, and people organizing against repressive immigration laws,. Funding from ACF supports the Highlander's Multilingual Capacity Building (MLCB) Program which aims to strengthen cross-cultural alliances by providing the tools and resources necessary for bridging communication across language. Immigration is changing the face of the southeast. Among the non-English communities currently living in the region are people who speak primarily Spanish, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Mien, Khmer, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, and Sudanese. In this multi-cultural environment, communication between diverse groups is of utmost importance for successful movement building. As a result, the MLCB Program focuses on creating multilingual spaces where language is used democratically and as a tool of empowerment.


Virginia, The Clinch Coalition 
The Coalition started as an activist organization opposing timber sales that threaten our public lands. Though they still monitor the US Forest Service sale of timber land, they have shifted their approach to a more positive one of being for rather than against, at the same time holding the USFS accountable for proposed timber sales. We are for the preservation of our land and water supplies and the many species which inhabit our forests and rivers. The 5th Annual High Knob Naturalist Rally was held on October 1st at Bark Camp Lake and featured hikes highlighting the flora and fauna of High Knob including: a snake and salamander hike; an edible and medicinal plant walk; and, a biology hike. A crash course in outdoor survival skills and a fly tying and casting session were also a part of this year’s rally. “Nature for Kids” activities were held in the morning and afternoon. The hope of The Clinch Coalition is that the experiences shared at the Naturalist Rally inspire people to make the most out of the treasures available in southwest Virginia all year long. The Clinch Coalition received an Alexander Fund grant and Technical Assistance grant from ACF. We encourage you to visit their website and enjoy the photos from the High Knob Naturalist Rally. 

West Virginia, The Alliance for Appalachia 
ACF funds the efforts of the Alliance for Appalachia. Formed in 2006, The Alliance consists of 13 groups working to end mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining in Central Appalachia and focuses on training and developing grassroots leaders, making connections across communities and providing new opportunities for people to take action. In 2011 the Alliance’s continuing campaign for national legislation to ban valley fills with MTR rubble and the annual End Mountaintop Removal Week, will correspond with Powershift, a national conference on global warming. “I think we have shown and continue to show our power with the strength in numbers as we come together as a region with one message. We are Appalachians and we deserve a future for ourselves and those that come after us.”

We are encouraged and inspired by the work these grantees, and many others, are doing in their communities. But the work being done in Central Appalachia is still an uphill battle. There’s so much more to do! ACF needs your help more than ever. As we near the close of 2011, please support the Appalachian Community Fund. Donate Now. Your financial contribution increases our capacity to fund this important work in Central Appalachia. You are the bridge that carries us over. 

Yours in solidarity,

Amy Leigh Hubbard, Development Coordinator
Kathy Johnson, Office Manager
Mary Eva Martin, Development Assistant and Office Assistant
Margo Miller, Executive Director