A State of the Art School

The new Crum PreK-8 School replaces two older schools in West Virginia

Wayne County lies nestled amid the vast natural beauty of the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia and is home to the small town of Crum. Crum was once a bustling community with a vibrant economy, bolstered by the now-struggling coal mining industry. In recent years, mining companies have been forced to lay off workers or shut down altogether, and unemployment in this region has risen dramatically. Like many small towns in this rural part of […]

A Small School with a Family Atmosphere

Jones Fork Elementary School students benefit academically from the support they receive at school

Jones Fork Elementary School — which began as a one-room schoolhouse and was expanded in 1964 to accommodate more children — is located in Knott County, Kentucky in the small community of Mousie. The smallest school in the county, Jones Fork educates just 165 children in grades kindergarten through eight. According to our volunteer coordinator at the school, Deb, children at Jones Fork have above average test scores. Deb attributes this to what she calls […]

Insufficient Food for Growing Kids

Many children at Cannonsburg Elementary School rely on the school’s weekend feeding program

As the name suggests, Cannonsburg Elementary is located in the isolated and rural town of Cannonsburg, Kentucky in Boyd County. Like many of Kentucky’s Eastern Coal Field communities, Cannonsburg has suffered dramatically from the decline of the coal mining industry. At the height of the coal operations, Boyd County was an essential and active port city for the transport of coal along the Ohio River. Today, many of its residents live in abject poverty. Illiteracy […]

A Decline in Enrollment

Emmalena Elementary School has felt the effects of job loss due to mine closures

Emmalena Elementary School is located on State Highway 550 in the western part of Knott County, Kentucky just west of the community of Clear Creek. “The community of Clear Creek was the site of a 1970s women’s occupation and protest against strip and surface mining, especially the practice that allowed coal operators to tear up private land to reach underground minerals,” explains Renée Kube, Children Incorporated’s Director of U.S. Programs. Renée […]

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 […]