Testimonials

The fact that active and experienced practitioners in the field inform and govern the program promotes a boots-on-the-ground perspective with a true understanding of the needs, challenges, and opportunities in Central Appalachia. When you have the Central Appalachian Network backing you, it helps a lot!

Our relationship with CAN has been integral to staff professional development. It is extremely valuable given our remote, rural location to connect with others in the sector and continue evolving our best practices and tactics together.

We felt less alone and more inspired to create connections and develop effective and replicable work.

We found models for specific programs that we are interested in and/or have recommended to others.

We will continue to utilize CAN's network of member organizations and partners by using them as mentors, resources, and sounding boards for our work.

We use CAN anchor organizations as mentors and bounce organizational and strategic ideas off of them.

I appreciate and value the different perspectives the CAN members and partners bring to an issue. It helps elevate the conversation to a regional perspective.

Small groups continue to emerge - first they connect to their neighbors, then their state, and then to the bigger region. It takes time, but it is happening.

CAN made the first ever grant to our sustainable agriculture enterprise: Refresh Appalachia. CAN’s support of Refresh Appalachia highlights CAN at its best: deep, lasting networks that pioneer a new economic reality. CAN does a lot with a little.

This experience was amazing and gave my job, passion, and mission more purpose and guidance.

It was a great space to meet people from across the region and finally interact with people I was either emailing or hearing about through my work.