Over the past four decades, Selena Robinson led struggles to integrate Brevard (North Carolina) High School, bring mail service and housing to Brevard's Black community, and retain the city's successful job training program. While raising 14 children, she worked as an outreach worker and organizer for Western Carolina Community Action, which…

When Oneida, Tennessee's K-12 school was threatened with closure by the state fire marshall, the community mounted an extraordinary effort to save it. Challenged by local philanthropists, the community drastically raised its taxes and built three new schools, furnished with the latest equipment and innovative curricula. (SV)

Citizens' groups in 4 small Mississippi communities banded together to form a water association in anticipation of future development in the area. (JC)

The following are excerpts from "The Report of the President's Task Force on Rural Development," which was released in March. Appointed by President Nixon in September 1969, the Task Force was asked "to review the effectiveness of present rural assistance programs, and make recommendations as to what might be done in the private and…

R. Benjamin Wiley has led the Greater Erie Community Action Committee (GECAC) in Erie, Pennsylvania, since 1969, creating a wide range of human services programs. His passion for education is reflected in the GECAC Learning Center, which offers numerous training and educational programs for residents of all ages, and in the GECAC Community Charter…

Innovative solutions to local problems in Appalachia were highlighted at the 1999 Ideas That Work conference. Presentation summaries focus on computer literacy and access to computers for middle school students, collaborative services for preschool children, youth programs, motivating students to attend college, training and technical assistance…

Uses question-and-answer format to profile Edna Compton, director of Dungannon (Virginia) Development Commission, an economic development group formed and managed by local people. Commission improved education, housing, and employment in area. Compton discusses process, achievements, and goals held by commission and herself. (TES)

In Dalton (Georgia), a day-care center with a history of quality care and community support gets a new building. Discusses features of a quality child care program and the positive impacts that quality child care has on parental pride and self-esteem, the business community, and society in general. (TD)

The Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD), a coalition of community action agencies, takes a regional approach to serving rural communities. Its programs focus on community and leadership development, early education and child care, and services and housing for seniors. Through COAD's Foster Grandparent Program, seniors mentor young…

In Hale County, Alabama, a strong spirit of community collaboration led to the development of a family resource center that provides preschool education, a drug prevention program, center-based and mobile health services, general equivalency diploma (GED) classes, outreach services, and a youth leadership program in which outstanding high school…

The National Cancer Institute created the Appalachia Leadership Initiative on Cancer, composed of four similar projects that focus on increasing screening for cervical and breast cancer among low-income, older women. The program relies on community coalitions that develop innovative grass roots methods to spread the message about the importance of…

Community colleges in Appalachia are helping boost local economies and expand educational opportunities through the national Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI). At the heart of RCCI is a nine-step strategic planning process in which a community group moves from vision to action. Kentucky's Southeast Community College has promoted…