Located in rural and mountainous Letcher County, the community of Blackey, Kentucky, has deep roots in the coal mining industry. In 1912, just four years after the town’s founding, the Lexington and Eastern Railroad ran a line through Blackey, quickly transforming the mountain hamlet into a booming, modern town. Tragically, Blackey’s prosperity proved short-lived, as the late 1920s ushered in a series of disasters: a flash flood of the North Fork Kentucky River devastated the city, killing 26 residents; just months later, a fire destroyed much of the city’s business district; and finally, the Great Depression struck. Today, the town is home to a small but resilient population, that works hard to revitalize the community despite hardship. Daily survival here is a struggle, and children feel it perhaps most keenly. The depressed economy and the lack of employment make it difficult for families to provide even basic needs and school supplies, a problem compounded by the fact that many youths in the area are foster children or being raised by grandparents.

For this reason, Letcher Middle School serves as a beacon of hope for this community. Its caring and dedicated staff partners with sponsors to provide students with basic essentials that we so often take for granted but that are vital to success in both school and life. Moreover, staff and sponsorships imbue something even more priceless: hope for the future in the form of a well-rounded education – the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and helping children rise above the difficult circumstances.