LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Former renowned Cleveland Browns NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar announces the launch of Community at the Core, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the agricultural revitalization of Appalachian coal communities through AgriTech education programs and hands-on training. For more information, visit CommunityattheCore.org.
“When I was given the opportunity to visit the National Guard’s Patriot Gardens, situated on a former strip mine that was being reimagined with carbon-reducing apple orchards, I was inspired to find a way to do my part to help the community, the people and the environment, and the idea of Community at the Core was planted,” said Kosar. “With the revitalization of these former coal mine properties into agriculture centers, we will assist in the reinvigoration of an entire region.”
Community at the Core will serve as an impactful catalyst in the regional agricultural revitalization and economic growth of Appalachian coal communities by providing educational resources through its Education and Learning Orchard programs that will create a talent pipeline, thriving agriculture epicenters to facilitate agricultural job placements, support community partners and open financial opportunities for agricultural entrepreneurs.
While Community at the Core will serve multiple states in the Appalachian region, the initiative will start with education facilitated through apple orchard learning and training programs in eastern Kentucky.
The first Community at the Core Education and Learning Orchard will be located at the AppleAtcha AgriTech Orchards in Martin County, Kentucky. Hands-on training and agricultural education will be provided by AppleAtcha Agritech and funded by public donations.
In addition to AgriTech education and training, Community at the Core is working with the Big Sandy Regional Industrial Development Authority Inc. to further develop a 40,000-square-foot building in the Eastern Kentucky Business Park located near the Community Education and Learning Orchard. Big Sandy Regional Development District and Community at Core will convert an underutilized building to a state-of-the-art atmospheric cold storage and sorting and packing facility to market fresh apples, allowing for a full education program.
“Community at the Core was seeded for a lasting positive financial impact on the community and the families within it, as well as to benefit the ecosystem and planet altogether,” said Kosar.
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