An initiative in Greene County recently received a major grant to continue its progress.

Greene County Development Corporation was awarded a $95,703 US Department of Agriculture Rural Business Development Grant for its multicultural initiative. The initiative was started in 2021 and originally called the Greene County Diversity Project and later Neuva Vida en Greene County. The idea was to grow the workforce and overall population of the county at a time when employers in the county were struggling to fulfill over 300 jobs. 

GCDC President Sid Jones says the grant funding will be used to establish a Multi-Cultural Family Resource Center, as well as a salary for a full-time director, which he hopes to have hired and start working by late this fall. The Greene County School District is going to handle the hiring of the position and provide initial office space and equipment. Jones pointed out that GCDC officials will also be working to get financial commitments from businesses, City of Jefferson and the Greene County Board of Supervisors for an additional three years of funding.