AFN 2024 in Review

2024 IN REVIEW It has been quite the year at AFN, and for the region. Check out this year in review for all the wonderful work that has taken root in the last 12 months, and what to anticipate as we head into next year.  To our members: Thank you. We are so grateful to be in community with and building alongside you! (click here to enlarge) Other 2024 Accomplishments Launch of Press Forward Central Appalachia and the Rural News Fund Partnership with Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and the TLL Temple Foundation to design an office of philanthropic engagement within the USDA. More to come! Continuation of the Narrative Change cohort The creation of our first Community of Practice Civic engagement work in support in curation of comedy tour  Re-establishment of relationships (CAN and others) Appearances and speaking engagements at regional and national conferences As We Finish the Year Strong... Our Hurricane Helene Response Calls will continue in the new year, with a new format, where we will hold space for our members to self-organize. If you have questions, please contact The Helene Response Project Manager, Willa Johnson.  Please note: our last call of the year is this Friday, and we will be discussing housing.  Register for Our Last Call of the Year Network Highlights and Achievements Read More Here MEMBERSHIP DUES OUT Emails for membership dues have now gone out. If you have questions, please email Jessica Miles, Grants and Membership Administrator.  Look out for information to register and book your lodging early in the new year. We are also accepting Calls for Participation, so let us know if you have a panel, workshop, roundtable, or presentation you'd like to submit for consideration at this years' Gathering, or pitch us your idea! Save The Date Pitch an Idea Call for Participation Sponsorship Packet To learn more if you have questions, please contact Jess Mullins Fullen, Programs and Learning Administrator.  Upcoming Group Meetings Creative Capital | January 14 at 3:30 PM EST Health | January 16 at 3 PM EST Arts & Culture | January 21 at 1 PM EST Place-Based | January 28 at 3:30 PM EST Energy and Natural Resources | March 5 at 2 PM EST Interested in getting involved? Let us know by contacting us!  What's Good In Appalachia? Do You Observe Old Christmas? Also known as Epiphany or Little Christmas, Old Christmas coincides with the Twelfth Day of Christmastide, or the traditional end of the holiday. A holdover from the Julian calendar, observation of Old Christmas followed Scots-Irish settlers to the region during colonization, and has been passed down to today. Other communities in the region and beyond who have been known observe the holiday are the Amish, Mennonites, and some communities in the Ozarks.  Fun fact: Traditional gifts during this time included a poke (brown paper bag) with an orange, chocolate, and walnut inside. Oranges were once scarce in the mountains, and represented a luxury. Read more about this interesting piece of Appalachian culture here, here, and here.  Other News That Caught Our Eye ARC Announces Appalachian Leadership Institute Class of 2024-2025, including our very own Jessica Miles! The region mourns Nikki Giovanni and doris davenport, Black and LGBTQAI+ Appalachian artists, activists , and trailblazers.  Bringing the underground railroad to light in our region The Appalachian Regional Commission is seeking feedback on how to identify capacity-building needs in Appalachia Following Helene, what does it look like for philanthropy to be in solidarity? This article from the Chronicle of Philanthropy spells it out.  Do you have news or opportunities for collaboration you want to see highlighted in the next newsletter? Let us know! Our Contact Information *{{Organization Name}}* *{{Organization Address}}* *{{Organization Phone}}* *{{Organization Website}}* *{{Unsubscribe}}*