heartwarming when you see the appreciation of people who have been able to turn around a community , bring a facility back to life or bring a new industry into an area , which brings more people into the region to live . There is nothing more heartwarming than that because those are real lives . When people talk about workforce development , workforce development is about people . It is not a thing , it is people .”
Manchin says she is focused on how to raise the quality of life , level of services and access in Appalachia so its residents have the same opportunities and products as everyone else .
“ I think the Appalachian Regional Commission has been very modest in the past ,” Manchin says . “ There were certainly a lot of things I did not know about it , but now we have an expanded communication team , which they did not have in the past . I think the Appalachian Regional Commission has a wonderful story to tell .”
While Manchin is helping the ARC expand its impact and accomplish great feats , she feels her greatest accomplishment is becoming a mother to her three children and grandmother to 10 grandchildren .
“ While raising my children , the message I always wanted them to remember was we are very blessed . It was not about them or what I could do for them or what somebody else could do for them ,” Manchin says . “ What they needed to do was look out and see what they could do for someone else . It might just be to pat someone on the back , smile at someone or say something nice to somebody , but you ought
Photo by Appalachian Regional Commission .
to be able to make a difference in somebody ’ s life in a positive direction every day . If I have helped do that in some way , if I have been a part of a team that has helped make that happen for families , then to me , I have accomplished my goal .” •
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