Thrive Appalachia

03/24/2026

Wowza! Thanks so much to everyone who came out Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of THRIVE Appalachia's new ice cream location at Carriage House Sundries! The Yancey Chamber of Commerce did a ribbon cutting with our kiddos and our parents organized a festival-like atmosphere with face painting, hula hooping and corn hole games! We so appreciate the outpouring of neighbors and friends who came out to support our kids' ice cream entrepreneurship adventure that teaches real world skills while supporting local businesses!

Explore Burnsville---and this new sweet addition to the Town of Burnsville, NC; THRIVE Appalachia ice cream is now available Wednesday through Sunday each week 8am-10pm at Carriage House Sundries!

03/19/2026

What a glorious start to our 2026 season! Each week THRIVE teens are working with the The NuWray Hotel’s chef to learn professional culinary skills; with a former producer at Xbox to design their own video game; learning increasingly sophisticated skills like adding zippers in sewing class; working on building our own carpentry studio; holding auditions for one of our teens’ original plays; learning hairdressing with a professional hairdresser; learning blacksmithing with a master blacksmith; holding business classes with the Director of the Mayland Community College Small Business Center, plus dance, music, and cake decorating! And if that wasn’t enough, this week we are celebrating our grand opening at our new ice cream location at Carriage House Sundries this Saturday 2:30-4! Come celebrate this collaboration between THRIVE teens and this beloved local cafe/bakery as part of our teen-led renaissance!

Warm gratitude to our wonderful supporters for making our 2026 season possible! AMY Wellness Foundation, The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Dogwood Health Trust, Mountain Air Community Fund, Resourceful Communities, Vaya Health, WNC Bridge Foundation, and The Yancey Fund.

03/04/2026

Warm gratitude to the two dozen women who recently attended our Wise Women gathering so our teens could do market research on what women love and want to see us create in THRIVE Appalachia’s 2026 wool jacket line. Our kids begin tomorrow at sewing class to incorporate all we heard into our designs for this year! Such a warm and wonderful opportunity they gave them by taking the time to share with us! The gathering was beautifully catered by our own 15-year old Maya, who made 3 different kinds of quiches and her exquisite mini cupcakes!

02/12/2026

What a joyous beginning! On Tuesday, Feb 10, THRIVE Appalachia held their annual Orientation with a room overflowing with teens and their parents excited for the 2026 season to begin the first week of March! Classes and entrepreneurship projects for the spring semester include:
-Ice Cream making
-Video Game Design
-Kids Cafe Prep
-Blacksmithing
-Hair Cutting
-Culinary Skills
-Dance/Gymnastics/Aerial Silks
-Cake Decorating
-Theater
-Carpentry
-Sewing
If you'd like more information or to enroll your teen 12-18, go to www.thriveappalachia.org or call 828-559-5840. Here's to an amazing year!

02/07/2026

On Tuesday February 10, 4-6pm THRIVE Appalachia is hosting Orientation Day 2026! Parents and students, come hear the exciting line up of classes and entrepreneurship projects we'll be offering this year! Sign up your teens (some classes have limited class sizes) so we can plan supplies and materials for the launch of our spring semester starting the first week of March! If you are new to THRIVE Appalachia and would like more information, please reach out to us at 828-559-5840 or at www.thriveappalachia.org. See y'all Tuesday at 4!

01/15/2026

Happy New Year!

Here are some highlights of our teen accomplishments in 2025:

⭐️ Teens made and sold 515 gallons of ice cream wholesale, reaching a grand total of nearly 850 gallons to date.
⭐️ Teens ran 5 Kids Cafes in which they made and served international cuisine dinners including Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Mexican,, and Italian feasts.
⭐️ They made and sold 267 gallons of soup and 1,179 scones.
⭐️ They launched their Forest Preschool Program
⭐️ They built and sold a custom timber frame shed that sold for $7,000.
⭐️ They launched their organic cotton fashion line of women's clothing which they hand dyed with natural indigo. Teens sold their items at the live auction, earning $6,000 this year for a grand total of $17,000 to date.
⭐️Teens and parents came together at the Mount Mitchell Eco Retreat for our annual retreat where the teens planned out their classes and projects for this upcoming year.

⭐️⭐️ The teens earned a total of $24,797 in 2025 ⭐️⭐️

Deep gratitude to all of those who made this year possible! We can't wait to share with you all the teens are planning for 2026. Here's to a remarkable year!

11/18/2025

Deep gratitude to the 150 people who joined us Saturday to make history with our kids as they launched their second fashion line! Thanks to the generosity of our incredible community, THRIVE Appalachia raised $22,000 on Saturday, including $6,000 that our teens earned from the live auction of their organic cotton, flax and h**p clothing that they sewed and hand-dyed wirh natural indigo! lWe are moved beyond measure at the outpouring of love and support in our community for our young people. Warm and heartfelt appreciation to all the individuals and donors who are the wind in the sails of our teen-led renaissance! The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Mountain Air Community Fund, Resourceful Communities, Dogwood Health Trust, The Yancey Fund, WNC Bridge Foundation, and Vaya Health!

11/13/2025

Check out the latest article about Burnsviile, THRIVE Appalachia, and featuring our 17-year old knifemaker, Ollie! Thanks

Travel writer, Heidi Billotto, explores Burnsville, NC Toe River Arts Studio Tour with 80+ artists, must-visit studios, local eats and more

11/13/2025

THRIVE Appalachia is delighted to announce the new location of where their scrumptious, teen-made ice cream will be sold! We’ll be announcing this exciting news at our Fashion & Passion event this Saturday at 11am at the Burnsville Town Center! Only 35 tickets still available—We anticipate selling out—so if you are planning to join us, buy your tickets for this historic event today at www.thriveappalachia.org!

THRIVE Appalachia provides teens opportunities, connections, and hands-on learning experiences.

11/10/2025

We are so grateful for those around us who have the skills and creativity to take the earth’s riches and turn them into things of beauty, comfort, and healing. thank you Reverence Botanicals and father-son duo Jem and THRIVE student Eben, for sharing your creations with our silent auction. Take care of your body with these amazing herbal creations and treat someone you love to these burl wood, hand turned barrettes.The auction will be this Saturday, November 15 at Burnsville Town Center during our 2nd annual Fashion and Passion Show. Tickets may be purchased at thriveappalachia.org

11/09/2025

One more week to purchase tickets to THRIVE Appalachia’s “Fashion & Passion” event happening next Saturday at 11am at the Burnsville Town Center! Tickets available online at thriveappalachia.org or you can purchase tickets in person this week at The_Colorful_Gypsy! Come make history with us as local teens launch their organic cotton fashion line!

THRIVE Appalachia provides teens opportunities, connections, and hands-on learning experiences.

11/09/2025

We have friends far and wide! This piece, “Muriel”, comes from an artist friend in Oregon. “Muriel” is a copper wrapped, Blue Lace Agate pendant that is being offered at our silent auction on November 15th at the Fashion and Passion Show. Less than a week from now, you could take this amazing piece of artistry home!

Did you notice the hard wood cutting board being used as a backdrop? This was made at our Avery Wood shop Class. It will also appear in the auction!