Advocating for Appalachia
By David Reeve, BB2C Intern
This summer BB2C was invited to attend a reception for Celebrating Appalachia at the Ohio Governor’s Mansion. Director of Logistics and Epicenter, Pamela Lankford, and two of BB2C’s summer college interns, David Reeves and Gretchen Lankford, attended on behalf of the organization. The event allowed BB2C staff and interns to network with policy makers and other stakeholders regarding our mission and vision for the region. Surrounded by cabinet members, superintendents, and other community leaders, BB2C was able to hear Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted speak about the great investment into the Southeastern Ohio Region. This all capped off with our group of representatives being able to converse with the Governor and discuss our mission and invite him to come down and learn more about our organization.
The following week Lt. Governor Jon Husted was welcomed to BB2C’s Epicenter. Lt. Governor Husted joined us to discuss the importance of internships, specifically high school internships. The discussion-based format of the meeting allowed for the Lt. Governor to gauge the effectiveness of BB2C’s programing and how it can be effective across the entire southeastern region. With the help of student summer interns working in fields including behavioral health, healthcare, marketing, and manufacturing, the Lt. Governor was able to receive warm reviews of BB2C’s work and the relationship building that is at the core of our mission. Both WTAP and the Marietta Times were in attendance, which allowed an opportunity for the interns and the BB2C staff to further the importance of the organization to the local community as well.
In the second week of August, BB2C also welcomed over half a dozen representatives from legislative offices to discuss incentives that they have been working on over the past ten years. We aim to establish a deeper relationship with elected representatives from the region so that there is a greater understanding on both ends of how we can all work together to support successful students, prosperous businesses, and thriving communities. This event culminated with a ribbon cutting to commemorate our ten year anniversary. Moving forward, we look forward to continued relationships with our public officials as we advocate for our stakeholders.