Rural entrepreneurs, resilient communities, sustainable prosperity
THESE ARE THEIR STORIES
A Clean Sweep
Five years ago, Tandra Jordan was juggling a day job and a dream — running a small cleaning service that barely covered the bills. Today, Ms. Tan’s OCD Cleaning Service in Little Rock, Arkansas, manages dozens of contracts…
A New Home for Healing
Jessica Kennington began her college journey with the goal of pursuing a career in criminal justice. But just before completing her bachelor’s degree, a major life event reshaped her future. “I became a mom,” Kennington…
Steady Flow
On the southern side of Dallas, Texas, just off Dowdy Ferry Road, sits D Bar B Water & Wastewater Supply Corporation — a small, member-owned utility that has weathered decades of change with determination and community…
Local Lift
Communities Unlimited (CU) is excited to announce that, thanks to a new grant from the Walton Family Foundation, we will expand both entrepreneurship and housing efforts in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, over the next two years. At…
Mission Multiplied
On a calm weekday morning at Therapeutic Focus in West Memphis, Arkansas, owner Dr. LaTeasha Davis sat in her office surrounded by color-coded charts, framed children’s artwork, and the gentle sounds of therapy sessions down…
Healing Growth
Laney Bassham never set out to be an entrepreneur. In grad school, private practice wasn’t even on her radar. But after years in residential addiction treatment and nonprofit management — and feeling the weight of…
Nature’s Economy
Noxubee County, located in east-central Mississippi along the Alabama border, has been selected as one of just 25 rural communities nationwide — and one of only two from the South — to participate in the Recreation Economy…
Helping Tribal Nations Protect Their Water
This story was updated in August 2026 On a late afternoon at Jones Academy in Hartshorne, Oklahoma — a historic school in the Choctaw Nation — staff sifted through dusty boxes of maps and records. Few knew what lay buried in…
Rebuilding Hope
The Housing Team at Communities Unlimited (CU) is helping low-income homeowners in Louisiana repair homes damaged by Hurricane Francine. Many rural families were left out of early state and federal disaster relief efforts,…
From Failing System to Stability
Just a few years ago, River Road Water Works was teetering on collapse. The rural system in Richland Parish, in northeast Louisiana’s Delta region, had racked up 36 major health violations, was $80,000 in debt, and faced…
Living Her Purpose
Aleatrice West always knew she was meant to do something different. After 17 years working as a railroad conductor, she enjoyed the steady paycheck — but fulfillment eluded her. “I realized the reason I could never answer…
From Setbacks to Shine
Joy Harvey is a small business owner proving that resilience can pay off even in uncertain times. As the owner of Harvey’s Detail Connection, a premium mobile automotive detailing business in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harvey is…
Riding the Waves of Success
When the world slowed down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Diana Monk and her family sped up. Her daughter, Morgan — or “Mo,” as Diana calls her — had been buying plates of seafood from someone’s home kitchen. Diana…
A Clean Sweep
Five years ago, Tandra Jordan was juggling a day job and a dream — running a small cleaning service that barely covered the bills. Today, Ms. Tan’s OCD Cleaning Service in Little Rock, Arkansas, manages dozens of contracts…
A New Home for Healing
Jessica Kennington began her college journey with the goal of pursuing a career in criminal justice. But just before completing her bachelor’s degree, a major life event reshaped her future. “I became a mom,” Kennington…
Steady Flow
On the southern side of Dallas, Texas, just off Dowdy Ferry Road, sits D Bar B Water & Wastewater Supply Corporation — a small, member-owned utility that has weathered decades of change with determination and community…
Local Lift
Communities Unlimited (CU) is excited to announce that, thanks to a new grant from the Walton Family Foundation, we will expand both entrepreneurship and housing efforts in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, over the next two years. At…
Mission Multiplied
On a calm weekday morning at Therapeutic Focus in West Memphis, Arkansas, owner Dr. LaTeasha Davis sat in her office surrounded by color-coded charts, framed children’s artwork, and the gentle sounds of therapy sessions down…
Healing Growth
Laney Bassham never set out to be an entrepreneur. In grad school, private practice wasn’t even on her radar. But after years in residential addiction treatment and nonprofit management — and feeling the weight of…
Nature’s Economy
Noxubee County, located in east-central Mississippi along the Alabama border, has been selected as one of just 25 rural communities nationwide — and one of only two from the South — to participate in the Recreation Economy…
Helping Tribal Nations Protect Their Water
This story was updated in August 2026 On a late afternoon at Jones Academy in Hartshorne, Oklahoma — a historic school in the Choctaw Nation — staff sifted through dusty boxes of maps and records. Few knew what lay buried in…
Rebuilding Hope
The Housing Team at Communities Unlimited (CU) is helping low-income homeowners in Louisiana repair homes damaged by Hurricane Francine. Many rural families were left out of early state and federal disaster relief efforts,…
From Failing System to Stability
Just a few years ago, River Road Water Works was teetering on collapse. The rural system in Richland Parish, in northeast Louisiana’s Delta region, had racked up 36 major health violations, was $80,000 in debt, and faced…
Living Her Purpose
Aleatrice West always knew she was meant to do something different. After 17 years working as a railroad conductor, she enjoyed the steady paycheck — but fulfillment eluded her. “I realized the reason I could never answer…
