Written by Emma Kelly
Emma Kelly
Emma is our New Economy Program Manager. She is passionate about bringing in as many voices as possible to help build a sustainable and just future for Appalachian communities from the ground up. Emma currently lives in Lee County and loves hiking, gaming, and spending time with her husband, daughter, and furbabies.
From conversation to construction: Building a community vision
The park is the focal point of our community-driven planning process, from the design of the stage to the planned uses of the new space.
Coalfield communities leading in resilience
Engaged local residents in far Southwest Virginia are collaborating with governments and organizations to make their communities more resilient to future disasters.
SWVA leaders advocate for community resilience projects in D.C.
On an extraordinarily hot, humid day in July,…
Investing in what matters: Federal funding to kick off community-led resiliency projects
As spring bursts into bloom in the mountains, Appalachian Voices is officially launching Building Community Resilience in Virginia’s Coalfields, a new project funded through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Grant.
Community, culture and creation: Working to bring new investments into the coalfields
Beginning in January 2023, four local environmental and social justice organizations held a series of community listening sessions, one in each coalfield county in Southwest Virginia.
Creating community-informed economies in the coalfields
The listening session process raises the exciting possibility of building new communal systems that support the workforce and create equitable opportunities for Southwest Virginians.