ISSUED: 29 November 2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Dana Costa
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The Shepherd University Foundation announces the creation of Allies for Appalachia, a group dedicated to supporting the work and community outreach of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities at Shepherd and its campus programs.
The center’s goal is to tell the Appalachian story and enhance the state and region both economically and culturally. Through participation in Allies for Appalachia, community members can support student travel, scholarship, presentations, and the whole range of programs that the center brings each year.
“The educational programming from the center is extensive—from the summer teacher institutes to the West Virginia Fiction Competition, the annual ‘Anthology of Appalachian Writers,’ the Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence project, the Shepherd Speaks StoryCorps project, or any of the Global Appalachia programs that expand the horizons of both students and the community members,” said Dr. Sylvia Bailey Shurbutt, center director. “Everything the center does emanates from the importance of telling the story of Appalachia, a much maligned and often stereotyped region.”
Allies for Appalachia will receive early notification of community programing, access and early invitations to all programs and events, free access to all Appalachian studies’ academic classes, and preferential access to Celtic Roots Global Appalachia travel programs.
Membership is available at the following levels—supporter $50, sponsor $100, sustainer $500, benefactor $1,000, and endower $5,000.
For more information, visit the Allies for Appalachia webpage.
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