Background: We have been created to be a hopeful people. Hope, like dignity, has at least two natures, two sources. Most apparently, hope comes from external sources we do not control and in ways we cannot predict. However, the hope we seek and sometimes find in external sources is a dim reflection of the original source of hope, which we experience internally and embody innately. The absence of hope in economically distressed areas in Appalachia is a political reality that many recognize must be addressed in order to achieve real improvements in the region’s standard of living, economic base, and employment. This begs the questions “How do we lose hope?” and for those in our region who have not, “What is your source of hope?”

Fall 2004 Pilot Project: The Appalachian Institute will be an instrument in restoring an awareness of innate hope in Appalachians by emphasizing their transcendent nature, their innate, undying yearning for something greater. With the help of the Wheeling Jesuit University freshman EXCEL students (Excellence in Christian Service, Education, and Leadership) the Institute will sponsor a “Hope Inventory.” The purpose of this pilot project is to determine what local citizens find hopeful in the face of various challenges in Appalachia. This listening project will allow us to highlight the basis of hope in our communities and how to build upon it.