Investing in the region’s next generation of community builders

While every Appalachian Ohio community is different, all share a need to retain and attract young leaders. That need inspired the creation of our Growing Home Fellowship, an investment to create a wellspring of future community builders in the region.

In 2022, the inaugural class of 121 fellows, the “Classroom to Community Cohort,” was selected. It includes 18- to 35-year-olds who work with our region’s K-12 population. They are classroom educators, student support service providers, and behavioral and educational programming partners, representing 29 Appalachian Ohio counties. In exchange for committing to live, work and volunteer in the region for five years, the fellows are receiving a financial stipend and access to a leadership program that includes service, skill development and peer learning.

Over the course of the five-year program, Growing Home Fellows will have numerous opportunities to hear from and interact with individuals who are leading in their fields and in their communities and to network and learn from one another.

The goal of the program? To deepen the fellows’ connections locally and regionally, to extend their leadership skills beyond our classrooms and schools, and to inspire the children of Appalachia with whom they work every day to follow in their footsteps – all while investing in the well-being of the communities they serve.

Starting in 2024, the fellows are implementing service projects that are advancing opportunities across our Pillars of Prosperity and our communities.

The Growing Home Fellowship pilot is funded through a public-private partnership, with federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education and private funding made possible by generous donors to the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio.