Margaret Ecker and Rosie Hammond grapple with the question: did we (the SHC) make a difference? Margaret shares how, in reflection of Art Van Zee’s insight to ongoing addiction throughout southwest Virginia and the Appalachian region, there are new challenges to address, different than those tackled by the SHC in the 60s and 70s. From the perspective of an ever-shifting healthcare and other community needs landscape, Margaret concludes that the Coalition didn’t make any structural differences. But despite the Coalition having not changed the world, Margaret and Rosie both agree the experience changed the people they got to know and, perhaps most notably, changed themselves–both in powerful ways. Their focus on lasting SHC impact centers around local relationships. Follow this link for full-footage of Margaret Ecker’s and Rosie Hammond’s reflections about their SHC experience in East Tennessee.
Recorded Summer 2022.