Monday, April 25, 2016

Voice over

Welcome to good 'ol North Carolina
Home to 100 counties
Since you go to AppState, I'm sure you know you're located in Watauga County.
I could list some quick facts about this county that basically anyone could find with a simple google search. For example; the population is 52,906, then there's little Boone located in the heart of the county with a population of 18,130. That's a little over 1/3 of the population.
As you know, our campus is located in one of the most beautiful areas of the country, The blue ridge mountains, and if you're like me you've explored this amazing space.
It can seem easy to feel connected too this community, but how much do you really know about the county you reside in, and will be part of for the next 4 years...or 5.
It is time to learn a little more about this community outside of the Appstate bubble.
26.2% of county residents (that's 12,227 people) live in poverty and 19.2% of children (that's 1,318 people) live in poverty.
Watauga county was ranked #3 on a list of most impoverished counties in NC, and that ranking is taking in the University, imagine what our ranking would be if this didn't take into account the demographics of the students!
So why does our community face this hardship? There are many factors that cannot be seen from the surface, for starters, residents experience high rent rates and have limited earnings leading to a decrease in housing affordability.
Luckily there are many organizations that aim to address the needs of this community by providing a number of services.

For example: Hospitality house; a non-profit striving to rebuild the lives of those in poverty or homeless situations.
With the motto, "A hand up, not a handout" they serve the 7 surrounding counties, offering long-term and emergency housing. daily meals, and prevention programs, these are just some of the services they offer to the community.

And next door is the hunger and health coalition. Understanding the rising costs of fuel and food, they offer a wood lot where residents can pick up wood to heat their homes, a food pantry program, and they even offer nutritional classes. They also address the need of pharmacy and understand the number of people unable to obtain medication due to high rates of insurance. They also have a professional closet for the community to use who may be seeking employment and need appropriate clothing.

Located directly on King street is FARM cafe, a restaurant thriving on the "pay it forward" system, by providing meals to everyone, regardless of means. Anyone can work for an hour in the cafe to pay off a meal or if you have the means you can donate to the kitchen, potentially paying for a future meal.

This video has only highlighted a few key organizations in the area and there are PLENTY more places that make strides in this area, if you have an interest in volunteering, stop by the ACT office in the Student Union to further your engagement and education!

Learning about your community is one thing, now that you have these resources, find ways to reach out in the community. Be an Active Citizen!