http://www.alliancewv.org/ All about the Alliance of West Virginia Champion Communities en-us http://www.alliancewv.org/graphics/wv_flag.jpghttp://www.alliancewv.org http://www.alliancewv.org/about_alliwv.html The Alliance of West Virginia Champion Communities was initiated through the Empowerment Zone Program in 1993. Each Champion Community directive was to improve community development and mitigate the negative effects of economic problems due to job losses. The initiative empowered each community to identify and solve their own problems and achieve sustainable development. Several grants, including Small Cities Block Grants were received to fund the efforts.