Contributed Report

Tuscaloosa – National representatives of the Appalachian Regional Commission will visit the Hero Family Resource Center in Greensboro on Wednesday, November 30 to assess first hand the impact their grant has hand on the students involved in the Alabama Appalachian Center for Higher Education.

The Alabama Appalachian Center for Higher Education is a partnership between Shelton State Community College, Bevill State Community College and Northwest Shoals Community College and high schools within Bibb, Fayette, Franklin, Hale and Pickens Counties whose primary purpose is to increase the number of high school students pursuing a higher education in these educationally distressed areas. The center encourages students to explore their career interests and to build self-confidence in their ability to succeed in higher education and life. The program also educates students and their parents about college and financial aid options.

The Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life, has provided $150,000 over the last two years. The participating colleges have matched that support for a total of $300,000 in hopes of raising the educational attainment for the citizens of Alabama.

Anne Pope, Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, Guy Land, Special Counsel and Congressional Affairs Director and David Glasgow, Special Assistant to the Federal Co-Chair will visit with Julia Williams, Director of the Alabama Appalachian Center for Higher Education and program coordinators from Hale County schools. For more information on the Alabama Appalachian Center for Higher Education, please contact Julia Williams or Lew Drummond at (205) 391-2347.