Recap of Winter ‘18 Downtown Revitalization Convening in Barbourville, Kentucky

By Shane Barton, Downtown Revitalization Coordinator On Tuesday, March 6th Promise Zone Downtown Revitalization partners and stakeholders came together for the Winter 2018 quarterly convening hosted in Barbourville at the Knox County Extension Office.  This convening follows the previous one hosted in Harlan, KY and again provided a dedicated space and time for downtown collaboration … Continue reading →

Regional Differences in Ambulance Service Ownership and Management

By Su Troske and Sookti Chaudhary Emergency care for an individual often begins when Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and/or Paramedics arrive in an ambulance. Communities must find a way to provide this essential service to their residents. Federal legislation has allowed communities flexibility in determining who provides ambulance services. We define 5 models, or ownership … Continue reading →

Looking for a New Perspective on Your Community? Try First Impressions.

By Mercedes Maness It’s a New Year, is your community looking for a new perspective? The First Impressions program is all about gaining a new viewpoint.   First Impressions Program understands the importance of fresh eyes on a project. First-time visitors are an underused resource in determining the strengths and weaknesses of a community. Trained … Continue reading →

Recap of Fall 2017 Downtown Revitalization Convening in Harlan

By Shane Barton, Downtown Revitalization Coordinator On Thursday, December 7th in Harlan, KY, the CEDIK Promise Zone Downtown Revitalization project hosted our quarterly convening of downtown stakeholders engaged in downtown revitalization efforts funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission.  These scheduled convenings provide a dedicated space and time for our downtown stakeholders and partner organizations to … Continue reading →

Chalk and Talk: Next Time I Come to Whitesburg…

By Ryan Sandwick, CEDIK Community Design Specialist There is no better way to learn about a community than to immerse yourself in it, and this weekend CEDIK’s Community Design/Downtown Engagement team did just that in Whitesburg, Kentucky. If you were in Whitesburg you may have seen us there with our portable chalkboards and wondered what … Continue reading →

On Food Access and School Performance in Kentucky

By Simona Balazs, CEDIK Research Director Research increasingly supports the importance of food in learning. When children do not have access to food, they are unable to reach their full potential. Children who have limited access to food and experience hunger on a regular basis, lag in academic performance behind their peers in school and … Continue reading →

BIG Skies, BOLD Partnerships

Early in June, members of the CEDIK team presented on research and outreach outcomes at the joint conference of the Community Development Society, CDS, and the National Association for Community Development Extension Professionals, NACDEP.  The “BIG Skies, BOLD Partnerships; Moving Mountains Together” Conference united two community development associations to engage 300 participants to sharing, learning, … Continue reading →