The Traveling Learning Center is an ongoing and year round project of the Coalfield Education Endeavor.  It provides a “Three Pronged” method of accomplishing the mission of the C.E.E. with its unique devices of “Living History, Aerospace Education and Genealogical Studies” offerings.

This concept was developed to address the problems inherit to this particularly remote geographic region: A lack of suitable transportation, poor self-esteem generated by the remoteness of the region and the depressed fossil fuel economy.  Through the flexibility of and the skills within the C.E.E. these problems are being addressed.  The needs of the regular student as well as those that have been labeled “At-Risk” or “Gifted” are well within the scope of the Traveling Learning Center program.  This program also meets the requirements established in the Virginia S.O.L. and Kentucky K.E.R.A. educational guidelines.

Since the inception of C.E.E. in the winter of 1998, the IRS approved tax exempt status for the organization in August 2000; the program has been progressing steadily.  From early school grant funded Aerospace Education projects to numerous visits to schools, libraries and museums with “Living History” events the concept has grown.  There have been many occasions where joint genealogical studies have helped individuals working on their family origins to locate beneficial information.

These have all been done on a small budget with some help from local businesses and officials. The greatest aid has been that of an all-volunteer staff.  This includes the volunteers that have done the presentations, displays and driven the miles.

At this time, The Traveling Learning Center is looking to expand and extend its abilities.  The coalfield regions are in a depressed state economically and the gifts and funds raised at local community events are not sufficient to allow the program to develop in greater detail and sustain its current level of efficiency.

Currently the Coalfield Education Endeavor has taken its gifts and fund raising monies and purchased the items necessary to set up an American Civil War campsite with mannequins & uniforms plus several ‘hands-on’ items for the “Living History” programs.

A complete set of local U.S. Census books and references for the genealogical studies were purchased with a onetime gift from the local Board of Supervisors.

With several of the C.E.E. volunteers who are active members in Civil Air Patrol and its Aerospace Education Mission this allows those volunteers access to the many different sources and contacts for “free” or “reduced purchase” materials to use in school projects or for classroom distribution.