Original pastel drawing by local fine artist, Charlotte Atkins

In 1995, the Jacksonville Center was established to promote new and augment existing cultural activites in the Floyd community and the larger southern Appalachian Region.

As a result of the MIRA grant, the Jacksonville Center has been able to provide access to information that supports the cultural and economic development of Floyd. The team created a welcome center within the Jacksonville Center that has not only proven a useful resource in guiding visitors with travel information, but it has also become a popular location for artistic displays by local artists and craftspeople.

The Center has also become a "small business incubator" by acquiring and providing a computer, printer, large screen TV and VCR to support the cultural businesses currently housed there. The MIRA grant also enabled the Center to apply for further grants which will be used to renovate the Center so that it can better serve the artistic business community.

Taken from the Jacksonville Center's brochure:

The Jacksonville Center organizers and volunteers envision that the program and services provided by the Center will have a profound and positive economic effect on the community and region....

Cultural offerings of the Center will enhance the quality of life of residents and create a more appealing community for prosepective businesses to consider when they seek relocation or expansion alternatives.

The Center's Rural Cultural Business Incubator space provides small business start-up and valuable entrepreneurial support services.

The equipment purchases also enabled the Jackson Center team to establish an ongoing "Life Skills Enhancement Program" that provides opportunities for everything from sharing a cinema experience with friends to video instruction on topics from basket weaving to web page development. So far, introductory courses have been held on "Getting Online", "Surfing the World Wide Web" and "Basic Homepage Development" classes.

Members of the Jacksonville Center board have continued to be involved with other groups introduced to them by the MIRA project.