Our trip to Bland, Virginia will focus on rural poverty in the United States. Bland, VA, like many rural small towns, suffers from poverty as a result of isolation--isolation from job and education opportunities, isolation from government programs, isolation from resources, and most 
importantly isolation from the majority of Americans who have neither heard nor care about the town and its people. Rural poverty, unlike urban poverty, is easy for most of us to ignore, especially for those of us who live in a city, because we do not have to see the results of it day after day. Bland, VA, a town most of us have never heard of, is one of the many places across the nation where we find this “hidden” poverty. The question many of us want to ask people in these towns is, “Why don’t you just move?” But why should people have to move from their homes just because the area is small and unknown to those of us who have grown up in a city? Despite the economic problems and isolation, Bland, VA has a vibrant culture and amazing people. We plan to work with the Bland County government, the Wolf Creek Indian Village & Village, Bland Ministry Center, and Camp Laurel. Our service with community partners will depend on what the town identifies as the need while we are there; which in the past has involved building projects.
importantly isolation from the majority of Americans who have neither heard nor care about the town and its people. Rural poverty, unlike urban poverty, is easy for most of us to ignore, especially for those of us who live in a city, because we do not have to see the results of it day after day. Bland, VA, a town most of us have never heard of, is one of the many places across the nation where we find this “hidden” poverty. The question many of us want to ask people in these towns is, “Why don’t you just move?” But why should people have to move from their homes just because the area is small and unknown to those of us who have grown up in a city? Despite the economic problems and isolation, Bland, VA has a vibrant culture and amazing people. We plan to work with the Bland County government, the Wolf Creek Indian Village & Village, Bland Ministry Center, and Camp Laurel. Our service with community partners will depend on what the town identifies as the need while we are there; which in the past has involved building projects.
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