WHAT’S GOOD? THIS MONTH, IT’S INVESTING IN APPALACHIA: WEST MARION RESILIENCE HUB
We’re kicking off the series strong with a fan favorite: West Marion Inc., the first and only Black-led nonprofit in McDowell County, North Carolina. Their project is a $24M redevelopment of a former pre-integration school for the Black community to transform into a 66,000 sq ft multi-racial community facility. When complete, the space will house a health clinic, a technology center, local nonprofits and businesses, and a community kitchen. The minority-owned and led project sponsor anticipates approximately 48 permanent and 186 construction jobs - and has recently secured $700K for additional pre-development and working capital, plus pro bono New Market Tax Credit consulting to push the project forward.
The significance of this project is in more than just the numbers, though. Why do 48 permanent jobs matter? Why does the community need the facility? Why now?
Because West Marion is a microcosm of Appalachia. The community has endured repeated natural disasters that underscore, in no uncertain terms, the need for a facility that meets everyday needs and serves as a lifeline in crisis. Throughout the year, the West Marion community needs accessible healthcare, economic opportunity, and places to gather. Resilience happens during those times, before weathering storms, when communities can access the services they need to thrive year-round. This project formalizes, expands, and honors the work the community has been doing to meet those needs.
The planned West Marion Resilience Hub will close a critical regional gap with:
Backup power generation,
a commercial kitchen capable of mass meal preparation,
an event space and gymnasium convertible to emergency sheltering, and
infrastructure designed to stay operational when utilities or transportation fail.
Demand for these services will be high. Recent disasters throughout the region have made it clear that relying on single-purpose facilities leaves households, nonprofits, and local governments dangerously vulnerable.
But what will matter even more is how the hub grows economic opportunity and enhances quality of life with better healthcare access, new opportunities for entrepreneurs and a place for community organizations to collaborate. Our communities deserve more than survival and preparing for survival. Appalachian communities are not simply resilient - they are civically engaged, culturally diverse, creative, intelligent, and booming with potential. West Marion Inc. is building what, in other places, might just be another community center. In this community, though, it’s a long-held dream finally taking shape. A place positioned to “be a durable engine for local wealth-building, cultural vitality, and long-term resilience in West Marion" (Opportunity Appalachia).
AFN MEMBERS INVESTED IN THE WEST MARION RESILIENCE HUB:
