Stories of Impact

Ashton (Class of 2022) and Jagger (Class of 2020) Bowling attended Red Bird School from preschool (Early Childhood Development) until graduation with opportunities to grow their talents for music under now retired Music Director Mark Smallwood. They are now living a dream of travelling around the United States as members of “The Creekers”, a talented group of bluegrass musicians that mostly grew up on the creeks of Leslie County.

It’s been easier to get in the fall season mood with the cooler temperatures the last few days here in eastern Kentucky, and Tuesday’s Pop Up Market scheduled to coincide with Commodity Supplemental Food Program distribution had the right products available for a fall market. The usual market clientele at the Pop Up Market is 60 years and older but this month preschoolers were present. Meet James...James spent 12 years of his school life at Red Bird Mission School.

Sometimes, the greatest measure of a school isn’t found in test scores or report cards. It’s found in the lives of the children who walked through its doors—and the people they became. Meet James...James spent 12 years of his school life at Red Bird Mission School.

Red Bird Mission was honored for its century of service in the mountains by receiving the very first Faber Award, given by the Berea Appalachian Fund. Appalachian Fund Director David King presented a plaque to Tracy Nolan, Director of Red Bird Community Outreach and Community Health, and Karla Roberts, Red Bird Grants Manager and Board Secretary, Wednesday during the 2026 Leadership Gathering in Berea, Kentucky.

When you’ve grown up in these mountains, you don’t just leave Red Bird behind. It follows you—in the way you raise your kids, the way you talk about home, the way you feel when you come back and somebody still knows your name. That’s the story of Red Bird Christian School alumna and dorm parent, Kayla Couch.

Alumni, students, former staff, state and county officials, and community members gathered in the historic Beverly Church Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the legacy of Red Bird Mission. Stories of legendary people and passages of historic moments were woven through remarks shared by invited speakers with the roughly 200 present.

All 14 of Mrs. Chasley’s K-1 students were fully focused Tuesday morning to hear the fascinating story of Rudy, a red pig. Arlinda Lewis, a Red Bird Christian School substitute teacher and former K-1 aide, organized the visit by well-known author Catherine Ritch Guess, to read her widely-published children’s book, Rudy the Red Pig.

Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) kicked off the 2026-27 academic year Thursday as teachers reported to finalize classroom and curriculum preparations. Principal Jennifer Wilder met with staff Thursday morning to introduce new staff, new partnerships, and her vision for the upcoming year. Mrs. Wilder said, “We have a wonderful staff. All of our positions are full.”

Red Bird Mission staff and volunteers working in the Schaeffer Building aren’t looking for empty trash cans and flood buckets when summer thunderstorms roll through the Red Bird River Valley thanks to a complete professional roof replacement finished this summer.

Richard and Deborah White made a quick trip from middle Tennessee this week to drop off a donation for the school and donations of needed items at Community Outreach on Tuesday morning. Deb was excited to share how God had worked to help fill the UHaul truck.

Patty Vance, Red Bird Mission School Alumna and Red Bird Christian School Elementary Teacher, goes beyond the expected to give our students opportunities leading to excellence in careers and life after graduation. One of her passions is involving our students in the 4-H Communications Competition because she knows successful people need to be effective communicators. Following is her Facebook post reporting the outcomes at this year’s 4-H Communications State Championships.

Work Camp volunteers oftentimes bring a double blessing to campus because they bring needed items from their hometown and spend four days doing home repair for someone living below the poverty line. Monday, the Wet Feet Ministries Work Camp team unloaded a trailer full of durable medical equipment like walkers and shower benches that is needed but unaffordable by people living here in the mountains.

Work Camp volunteers oftentimes bring a double blessing to campus because they bring needed items from their hometown and spend four days doing home repair for someone living below the poverty line. Monday, the Wet Feet Ministries Work Camp team unloaded a trailer full of durable medical equipment like walkers and shower benches that is needed but unaffordable by people living here in the mountains.

Sue and her husband, Craig, retired back in 2008 and came down from Indiana to volunteer. She had never met me before and had no idea who my family was—she just knew me from my stories. But as we sat there talking about her very first visits here, we uncovered a little piece of history.

Before it was over, I told her I could have easily stayed right there and talked to her all day. It’s just that special kind of feeling you get when you’re sitting down and talking with your mamaw—In the mountains, comparing someone to your mamaw is the absolute highest compliment you can give—it means instant safety, warmth, and home.

From June 15-18, the folks at Rural Up hosted their STEM Explorer Camp, and let me tell you, it has been something truly special for our community.

The vision of providing opportunities for training and working from community that Red Bird leadership began to put on paper six years ago is taking a huge step forward with this week’s public announcement of a major grant award. Red Bird Mission, Inc., has been awarded $1.9 million by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for the Red Bird Mission Connected Campus Initiative that will bring reliable, high-speed internet to its campus in Clay County, Kentucky.

For a lot of elders in our hills, “going to the garden” used to be as normal as breathing. They were raised on beans, corn, and tomatoes they grew themselves.

Red Bird was in a similar mode since last week celebrating commencements across the campus that draw our families and community together to mark the accomplishments of our children and youth during the 105 years of education at the Red Bird Mission.

After discussing for years the dilemma requiring every student pay tuition between $100 and $610 to offset the annual education cost of approximately $7,000 per student at Red Bird Christian School (RBCS), the Red Bird Mission Board of Directors took action yesterday to eliminate the tuition requirement beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.