Bringing AI to the Place That Needed It: My Journey into Community Empowerment, & the Future of SE Ohio
Introduction: How a Pandemic Pivot Became a Purpose‑Driven Mission
In 2020, during the lockdown of the COVID‑19 pandemic, I enrolled in an online copywriting course. As many people were stuck at home, I was searching for a new skill — something practical, something digital, something that could open a door. After six weeks of copywriting and digital marketing classes, I wasn’t making any money. But I was learning something far more valuable: how to build digital systems.
I learned how to create a sales funnel. I learned how to structure a message. And I learned how to build websites.
Over the next two years, I built three websites — all free, all from scratch, all driven by purpose rather than profit.
The first was for a friend promoting a healthy lifestyle. The project ended when their network dissolved, but the experience taught me how to translate someone’s vision into a digital presence.
The second was my own copywriting site. It didn’t gain traction beyond a few viewers who watched my three‑minute faceless video, but it taught me how hard it is to stand out online — and how important clarity, consistency, and community truly are.
The third website changed everything.
Our Polaris — the leader of my fraternity’s local alumni chapter — wanted a site to showcase our community service in underserved neighborhoods, highlight international events, and promote regional activities. We had no budget to hire a professional, so I volunteered.
One Friday evening, we spent an hour talking through his vision, the content, and the purpose of the site. I even prepared a one‑page brief comparing the top three web‑hosting companies based on features, customer support, reviews, and cost. The color palette was easy: the colors of our fraternity shield. The real challenge was deeper — how do we get local brothers to support it? How do we show regional and international brothers the value? And most importantly, how do we get the public to actually see it?
We had a digital outreach tool, but no digital strategy. We had a website, but no community pipeline. We had a platform, but no traffic.
So the Polaris requested two new pages: a jobs board and a community resources directory — something people in underserved neighborhoods actually needed. That shift taught me one of the most important lessons in digital design:
A digital tool only works when it solves a real problem.
After two years as the chapter’s webmaster, I realized I had quietly built a new set of digital skills. I wasn’t just creating websites — I was learning how to design for people, how to communicate value, and how to build tools that serve a community.
Around that same time, my personal life shifted. Ten years ago, my family and I relocated to Athens County when my father‑in‑law was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. We didn’t move here for an opportunity. We moved here for family. And in that transition, I found myself living in one of the poorest regions in the United States: Appalachia, a 206,000‑square‑mile region spanning 423 counties across 13 states and home to more than 25 million people.
Despite its natural beauty and great cultural pride, Appalachia has long faced persistent economic challenges. Median household income in the region remains only 82% of the national median, and although poverty has declined in recent years, the overall poverty rate still stands at 14.3%, higher than the national average. Many counties — especially in Central Appalachia, which includes Southeast Ohio — continue to experience some of the most severe poverty due to geographic isolation and limited access to economic growth centers. Broadband access, while improving, has historically lagged behind the rest of the country, contributing to digital inequity and limiting access to emerging technologies.
Living here reshaped my understanding of digital access. I saw firsthand how rural communities can be rich in talent, grit, and creativity — yet still cut off from the tools that drive modern opportunity.
And as I searched for my next digital niche, I kept seeing one name rise above the noise in the AI space — Alicia Lyttle, along with her sister Lorette. Their work was everywhere: free virtual training, weekly strategy sessions, and programs designed to help everyday people learn AI without fear or technical barriers. Alicia’s approach was refreshingly direct — she teaches AI the same way she teaches entrepreneurship: with clarity, energy, and a deep belief that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Her AI Experts Club and free weekly “Learning Tube” sessions break down complex tools into simple, usable steps. Her AI Consultant Certification program shows people how to turn AI knowledge into real‑world value, emphasizing that AI is not just a technology shift but a once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity for economic mobility.
Watching Alicia and Lorette teach — seeing how they make AI fun, accessible, and confidence‑building for the masses — felt like watching the future unfold in real time. Their work showed me that you don’t need to be a coder to make an impact. You just need the right mindset, the right tools, and the right mission.
And that’s when it clicked: I could bring this same spirit of accessible, Vibe Coding AI literacy to the place that needed it.
That realization pointed me toward a mission rooted in place: Southeast Ohio, a region of 15 counties in the Appalachian foothills — resilient, overlooked, and ready for a new kind of opportunity. AI literacy wasn’t just a skill to teach here. It was a pathway to economic empowerment. And I knew it was time to bring this work home.
A Deeper Dive into the Vibe Coding Methodology
Vibe Coding AI is the backbone of my training philosophy because it removes the single biggest barrier to adoption: fear of complexity. Most people assume AI requires coding, engineering, or advanced technical skills. In reality, the most transformative AI tools today are accessible through natural language, visual builders, and drag‑and‑drop interfaces.
My Vibe Coding methodology is built on three core principles:
1. Natural Language as the New Programming Language
If you can write an email, you can use AI.
“If you can describe a task, you can automate it.” (“Canvas | Build AI Workflows in Plain English”)
If you can explain a problem, you can generate a solution.
This makes the technology usable for the people who need it most. It empowers nonprofits, small businesses, and local governments to operate with the efficiency of larger organizations — without hiring technical staff.
2. Workflow‑First, Not Tool‑First
Most training programs teach tools.
I teach workflows.
A workflow‑first approach ensures that people understand:
What problem they’re solving
What steps are involved
Where AI fits
How to measure success
Tools will change. Workflows endure.
3. Templates as Accelerators
Every module includes templates that can be used immediately:
Grant writing assistants
Social media planners
Customer service scripts
Meeting summaries
Outreach campaigns
Research workflows
Data‑organizing prompts
Templates reduce cognitive load and increase confidence. They also ensure that even first‑time users can produce high‑quality results.
The Vibe Coding methodology is not just a teaching strategy — it’s a philosophy of inclusion. It ensures that AI is accessible to the 99%, not just the 1%.
Q&A Sidebar: What People Ask Most About AI Literacy
Q: Do I need technical skills to use AI effectively?
A: No. If you can type a sentence, you can use AI. My entire curriculum is built around Vibe Coding tools that rely on natural language, not programming.
Q: What makes AI literacy different from general digital literacy?
A: Digital literacy teaches you how to use tools. AI literacy teaches you how to think with tools — how to delegate, automate, analyze, and create using intelligent systems.
Q: How can AI help nonprofits and small businesses?
A: AI reduces workload, improves communication, accelerates fundraising, strengthens outreach, and helps small teams operate like large ones.
Q: Is AI going to replace jobs in rural communities?
A: AI will replace tasks, not people. Communities that learn to use AI will gain a competitive advantage. Those who don’t risk falling behind.
Q: What if my organization has limited staff or outdated technology?
A: That’s exactly who AI helps most. My training is designed for low‑resource environments with limited time, limited staff, and limited budgets.
Q: How do you ensure AI is used ethically?
A: Every course includes modules on transparency, privacy, bias, and responsible use. Ethical AI is not optional — it’s foundational.
AI Literacy as Workforce Development
AI literacy is not just a tech skill — it’s a workforce readiness skill.
In Southeast Ohio, workforce challenges are well‑known:
Aging populations
Limited access to training
Outmigration of young talent
Underfunded workforce programs
Small businesses struggling to hire
Nonprofits stretched thin
AI literacy directly addresses these challenges by equipping people with:
1. Transferable Skills
AI literacy strengthens:
Communication
Problem‑solving
Research
Project planning
Digital confidence
These skills apply across industries — from healthcare to manufacturing to public administration.
2. Career Mobility
AI‑literate workers can:
Transition into new roles
Support digital transformation
Increase their earning potential
Contribute to organizational innovation
3. Local Economic Resilience
Communities with AI‑literate workers are more competitive.
They attract investment.
They retain talent.
They build stronger local economies.
4. Youth Engagement
Young people are already using AI informally.
AI literacy channels that curiosity into:
Career pathways
Entrepreneurship
Creative industries
Technical trades
AI literacy is workforce development — and workforce development is community development.
Narrative Case Study: Southeastern Ohio Challenge
Case Study: How a Small Nonprofit in SS Ohio Transformed Its Impact with Vibe Coding AI
In Winter 2026, a small nonprofit in Athens County reached out to me. They had one full‑time staff member, a part‑time assistant, and a mission that far exceeded their capacity. Their challenges were familiar:
Too many tasks
Not enough staff
Limited funding
Outdated systems
Constant burnout
During our first AI literacy workshop, something shifted.
We built a simple Vibe Coding workflow to help them:
Draft grant proposals
Summarize board meetings
Create monthly newsletters
Plan social media content
Organize donor data
Automate routine emails
Within 30 days:
Their grant writing time dropped from 12 hours to 3
Their newsletter production time dropped from 6 hours to 1
Their social media engagement increased by 40%
Their staff reported less stress and more clarity
Their board gained new confidence in the organization’s future
The executive director told me:
This is what AI literacy looks like in real life.
Not hype.
Not theory.
Just practical, community‑centered impact.
Closing Call‑to‑Action
AI is not a luxury.
AI is not a trend.
AI is not reserved for big cities or big companies.
AI is a community development tool — and every person, every nonprofit, every small business, and every local government deserves access to it.
If you’re in SE Ohio — or working in any underserved region — and you want to:
Strengthen your organization
Build digital confidence
Train your staff
Modernize your workflows
Expand your impact
Prepare your community for the future
I’d love to connect.
Send me a message. Invite me to speak. Bring AI literacy to your organization, your county, or your region.
Together, we can build a future where AI works for everyone — not just the privileged few.