Community Technical A S S I S TA N C E
T
he RSI hosted a community discussion on the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) on Feb. 27, 2020. The commission was created in the 2008 Farm bill but has not received funding beyond administrative support. One of several statewide conversations across the Southern region that addressed
regional underdevelopment and rural development opportunities within the SCRC, this event was attended by
congressional staff, federal agencies, community representatives, and institutions of higher education. The Black Belt Community Foundation (Alabama), in conjunction with The Rural Studies Institute at Georgia College & State University and Kentucky State University, received a $10,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study the impact of COVID-19 in the Alabama Black Belt and to develop a COVID-19 web portal for COVID-19 information for the region. The Rural Studies Institute developed a survey and held a focus group with community-based organizations (CBOs) in the Black Belt region of Alabama. (Dec. 2020). Dr. Veronica Womack served as co-principal investigator.
$10,000 Grant
$1,250 Grant
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Knight Foundation
The Executive Director of the RSI also serves on the
The Milledgeville Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction
Milledgeville-Baldwin Chamber’s Recovery & Resiliency
with Georgia College’s Rural Studies Institute and Office of
Taskforce and led the development of a Milledgeville
Sustainability, received a $1,250 grant from the Knight
community business survey for the taskforce in June 2020.
Foundation to conduct a study that will assess the theory
The survey was taken by fifty-five business leaders and will
of “brain drain” in Milledgeville. The group hosted two
be used to develop future strategies for recovery within
focus groups with representatives from Georgia College,
our community.
Georgia Military College, Georgia Military Prep School, Baldwin High School, Oak Hill Middle School and Early College. (Nov. 2020) RSI FIRST-YEAR REPORT 3 GEORGIA COLLEGE
