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Stories written by Shelley Callahan

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Wishing for Work

Knott County Central High School students would love to have after-school jobs — if only they were available

Knott County Central High School is located in the small town of Hindman, Kentucky and is the only high school in all of Knott County. Built in 1974, the high school has been well maintained over the years, serving 622 students in grades nine through twelve. Administrators and teachers at Knott County Central High work hard to help encourage students to pursue higher education. While students’ scores are above state standardized […]

From Higher Education Program Participant to Volunteer Coordinator

At Cordia Combined School in Eastern Kentucky, a former sponsored child is now helping kids in need

Cordia Combined School is in Knott County, in the heart of the rugged wilderness of eastern Kentucky. Despite its beauty and proud history, this region suffers economic troubles that result in widespread poverty and deprivation for many families. Industries such as coal-mining and lumber — once mainstays for employment in Knott County — have dramatically declined, increasing unemployment. Jadea with one of our sponsored children at Cordia Combined School Furthermore, due […]

Working with a Shoestring Budget

At Heritage Elementary School, our volunteer coordinator works hard to make little funding go a long way

The small town of Grayson is located in Carter County, Kentucky and is home to Heritage Elementary School — Children Incorporated’s only affiliated project in this Appalachian county. Missie sorts through donations in the Resource Center. In the 19th century, Carter County was famous for its iron furnaces and thriving clay products industry. Carter Cave — now a tourist attraction — was a significant source of saltpeter during the War of 1812. […]

How Poverty Impacts Academic Achievement

At Beaver Creek Elementary School, students’ test scores lag behind state averages

In our work at Children Incorporated, we often talk about the importance of getting an education. For children in our program, we believe education is the key to finding jobs upon graduation that will enable them to work toward breaking the cycle of poverty from which they come. Unfortunately, statistics show that children growing up in impoverished households often perform less well academically than their peers. The challenges of living below the poverty line

The Hardworking Families of Eastern Kentucky

Generations of parents have struggled to raise their kids in poverty-stricken areas of Appalachia

The Commonwealth of Kentucky comprises five primary geographical regions. Children Incorporated’s outreach is in the eastern third of the state known as the Cumberland Plateau region. As a part of the Appalachian Mountain and Plateau region of the United States, the Cumberland Plateau is characterized by high elevations, mountainous terrain, ridges and deep and narrow hollows. Over the last 30 years, our U.S. Division has focused on working in this region due to its historically […]

Time to Depart

During his last project visits in South Korea, Luis Bordet reflects on his travels

After spending nearly a month visiting all seventeen of our affiliated projects in South Korea, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, visited the Yung Shil Ae Yuk Children’s Home and the Yong Jin Children’s Home as his last stops before returning to the United States. The Yung Shil Ae Yuk Children’s Home Located in Okcheon, the Yung Shil Ae Yuk Children’s Home serves 34 underprivileged and orphaned children. The home itself is made up […]