The Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD), a coalition of community action agencies, takes a regional approach to serving rural communities. Its programs focus on community and leadership development, early education and child care, and services and housing for seniors. Through COAD's Foster Grandparent Program, seniors mentor young…

Through the Appalachian Community Learning Project, community teams tackle a range of economic and community-development problems. After participating in leadership forums, teams set modest six-month goals and later report on results and lessons learned. By "chipping away" at local problems, teams have fostered individuals'…

At southwest Virginia's new Appalachian School of Law, students volunteer 25 hours each semester on community service projects. Projects fall into two categories: pure service by sharing a skill or interest, and service that draws on legal skills, such as presenting legal seminars to senior citizens' groups or conducting conflict resolution…

Tennessee's Three-Star Program for Community Economic Preparedness helps rural communities sell themselves as desirable locations for industry. The program emphasizes community planning and improved quality of life; features include adult leadership programs, community action projects, after-school and extracurricular programs for children and…

The North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement promotes the concept of retirement as an active fulfilling time of community service and learning. The center offers college for seniors, matches retired professionals with students as mentors and tutors, brings retirees and community leaders together, and sponsors an annual seniors wellness day.…

Innovative solutions to local problems in Appalachia were highlighted at the 1999 Ideas That Work conference. Presentation summaries focus on computer literacy and access to computers for middle school students, collaborative services for preschool children, youth programs, motivating students to attend college, training and technical assistance…

A cooperative shows how to multiply library resources by sharing them. (PS)

The article describes the county's efforts to promote flouridation and improve the general dental health of its citizens, especially those in the rural areas. It describes the development, philosophy, and growing popularity of Project SMILE, a preventive dental program largely funded by Appalachian Regional Commission grants. (SB)