Grassroots Appalachia holds as a core value that our work be structured on the Social Enterprise model, as the best way for us to achieve our purpose. As defined by the Social Enterprise Alliance, a social enterprise is an organization “…that addresses a basic unmet need or solve(s) a social or environmental problem through a market driven approach.”
We measure success not by bottom-line profit alone, but also upon the impact that we and our partners have upon people, communities and the earth that sustains us.
We embrace a market solution because maintaining a strong work ethic in Appalachian communities is essential to their survival. It will help ensure that Appalachian folkways are preserved and cherished as people learn that they can help sustain themselves through their own creative efforts, whether such creativity is demonstrated in song on the fiddle, on wood with acrylic paint or in the soil with seeds. This method of matching experts with apprentices is ancient, proven, and a lovely use of talented people often overlooked.
Grassroots Appalachia 