January 5th, 2023
Spending the last several months in Beverly, Kentucky, has been a learning experience that has pushed my capabilities as a professional and a person. Growing up in suburbia in central Virginia to going to school in a small college town in western Pennsylvania neither prepared me for truly “living in the middle of nowhere.” When I first moved to Kentucky in August, I was in Pineville, Kentucky, a charming town. Pineville was significantly smaller than what I was accustomed to. However, it still had amenities like shops and restaurants, even a McDonald’s- which is often used as a global indicator of economic growth and development. Driving to church in Middlesboro was only 20 minutes, and everything was reasonably easy to access. I had a gym that I went to five times a week, and I could quickly get groceries and gas when I needed them.
Then in November, I decided to move out to Red Bird Mission to live and save money on gas and lodging. Driving 40 minutes through the winding Highway 66 was going to be challenging during the winter months- I am still waiting for those months to get here- so I elected to move. Quickly I was made aware of the dramatically increased isolation I faced. Going to church, the grocery store, the gas station, and the gym became a day-long affair. Yet moving to Red Bird has been such a blessing – I can better understand the issues facing them firsthand. Their problems have now become my problems. For example, on November 7th, the internet went out campus-wide for a full day. The lack of internet access affected everyone, from the ability to contact other coworkers to high school students taking college classes being unable to submit work.
Since I could not do anything beyond contacting the internet service provider and waiting, I made myself useful in other ways. When I could not do anything about my work online, I helped be an additional supervisor on a bus route for children at the daycare center. I acted as a chaperon for Red Bird Christian School’s afterschool program. Both were terrific opportunities to engage with the community. Riding the bus route showed me how truly isolated some homes are and the challenging roads to reach driveways- while also dodging at least 7 semi-stray dogs. The afterschool was a genuinely entertaining time talking to 18 K-12 students about their interests, goals, and aspirations while running up and down a basketball court. So, did November 7th turn out the way I expected? No, but it did allow for opportunities and connections that I would not have otherwise had. The key takeaway from that day was one needs to take advantage of the opportunities life presents to them, even if they come under the guise of inconvenience.
Outside of the internet blackout day, November was immensely productive regarding connections and preparations for community-wide events. I connected with local field representatives for the office of Representative Hal Rodgers, Tamra Wilson, and Andrea Begley. We sat down and discussed the issues facing the Red Bird Mission and the people we serve. To raise awareness, we elected to create a Community Action Discussion that was held on December 9th.
The Community Action Discussion (CAD) was my main project throughout November and early December. Gathering local internet providers, government representatives, power, and water companies took a bit of logistical maneuvering to get them all in the same place at the same time- while also encouraging open communication between all groups. With the assistance of Tamra and Andrea, I was able to pull together a crew of experts in their field alongside federal state representatives and recognition from local government.
In total, we had 20 attendants, which included State Representative Derek Lewis, Shaping Our Appalachian Region COO Josh Ball, Center of Rural Development representatives Scott Surber and Hilda Legg, and three Internet service providers, Hyden-Leslie Water, and Kentucky Power, to name a few. I lead them through a brief on Red Bird Mission’s services to the community, the needs in terms of broadband, and where there is room to grow from there. Presenting the numbers and stories of those genuinely affected by the lack of affordable and reliable broadband aided in generating motivation from attendees. After the brief, we opened the floor for discussion, asking questions like “In a perfect world, what partnerships could be developed to further develop broadband access in this region?” The prompt led to an hour-long discussion of creating a broadband action team (BAT) and other partnerships to be included.
As a result of the Community Action Discussion, a Red Bird region BAT is in the process of being created, and the first meeting will be held on January 20th. Additionally, the CAD made me more enmeshed in the broadband network here in eastern Kentucky (hope you enjoyed the pun). From Lead for America conferences in Minneapolis to board meetings, I have quickly been learning the ropes of this crucial work. I have developed friendships and connections that I could never have imagined, and I am so blessed to be a part of both the Lead for America and Red Bird Mission families.
For 2023, I plan to continue to develop and establish my regional broadband action team for Bell, Clay, and Leslie, implement my Seniors4Seniors digital literacy program model and finally install my Little Library literacy project in Clay County. I will not singlehandedly solve all of the region’s broadband-related issues. Still, I am striving to do as much as possible for my community through the tenure of this fellowship.
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