Chase Carson: Energizing Community Life in London

At just 25, Chase Carson has become a driving force for positive change in London, dedicating his career and boundless energy to uplifting his hometown. Whether serving on local boards, consulting for government and nonprofit organizations, or building his own ventures, Chase’s commitment to community shines through.

Chase is the son of the late Gary Carson, who passed away in 2018, and the son of Leigh Ann Howard, a local business owner herself. Chase lives in London with his fiancé, Alyssa Stephensen, who is one of Chase’s biggest supporters. Chase attended London Elementary School before moving onto South Laurel Middle and High Schools, where he graduated from in 2018. Chase went on to attend Eastern Kentucky University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting, with a minor in psychology in 2022 and then went on to obtain his master’s degree in public administration in December 2024.

At only 11 years old, Chase was diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma, where he had chemotherapy for six months. His liver was destroyed in the process of aggressive treatments, causing him to have to travel to Cincinnati for two years to have stents put in his liver to keep it open and operating properly, with his last stent being taken out in 2013.

“It changed my life forever,” Chase said. “I think part of who I am now comes from the people I’ve looked up to, but also because of my cancer journey. Being face to face with death at such a young age, it gave me an appreciation for life and the little things, showing me that you shouldn't take things for granted because you never know when it might be your last day. And so, it really opened my eyes to the world and showed me that some of the things we argue about are just so small that, at the end of the day, we should just have love and peace because that's what life should be about. That's what cancer taught me - respect the time that you have here because you never know when that time will run out.”

Chase took that experience and turned it into something positive, finding ways to advocate for peace and love in all that he does within our community.

It began when Chase was only a sophomore in college, when he started his own nonprofit organization, Unity Allies.

“It was during 2020, so it was around the time of the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor cases and being a person of color in a majority white community my whole life, I have always been proactive in advocacy, especially against police brutality or just discrimination, racism against people of color or any minority,” he said. “And so that's always something that's really been near and dear to my heart. Watching it all play out on national television and then seeing and hearing the things that my neighbors and community members were saying about those situations, it really showed me that we needed more education on diversity, equity, and inclusion. I know it's kind of a forbidden word now, but there's really nothing bad to it.”

Chase grew up idolizing people like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela, who were both prominent activists, but had never really done anything within his own community to try and make a difference.

“That’s what inspired me to create Unity Allies is I wanted to be the change I wanted to see, not only in my community, but hopefully, over time, across this whole region.”

For the first two years, Unity Allies provided DE&I initiatives, offering workshop and training sessions for for-profit and nonprofit businesses, but has now shifted into offering general community development and growth initiatives, with Chase working as a consultant for nonprofit and government entities on a broad range of issues.

At 21, Chase ran for the London City Council, making him the youngest person on the ballot. He was 80 votes short of winning a seat on the council in 2021, then he ran again the next election cycle where he came much closer, being only 20 votes short of winning a seat on the city council and doubling his votes from his first run at councilman.

After his first run at city councilman, Chase was nominated for a seat on the City of London Tourism & Parks Commission, where he now serves as treasurer. Chase is also the youngest and the first person of color to serve on the City of London Tourism & Parks Commission where he works to help keep the commission in good financial standing, helps with the commission’s social media and other aspects that deal with tourism and beyond, all on a volunteer-basis.

Chase’s volunteer work doesn’t end there, as he is also the treasurer of the Mountain Association, which is a regional organization that works primarily in the Eastern Kentucky communities on small business initiatives and clean energy initiatives. He also serves as the Vice Chair and Community Advocacy Lead for Hope for London, a new organization that was created out of response for the tornado that ravaged through our town earlier this year.

“Our main focus with the organization is providing long-term relief to the survivors of the tornado,” Chase said. “So, that looks like anything from rental assistance in some cases to rebuilding efforts.”

Chase’s most recent endeavor is reviving a beloved business, CJ on the Way, which recently closed after the owner, Jared Baker, moved away from London for college.

“I saw the value that it brought to our community and how well all the community members loved it, so I asked him (Jared) if he would feel comfortable with me running it, but rebranding it,” Chase said, renaming the business to Hometown GO but operating very similarly to how CJ on the Way was operating.

Customers can place orders through Hometown GO’s website for local restaurants or grocery stores and have those delivered directly to their doors, though Chase hopes to offer additional services, as well. Chase is working on developing an app to make ordering even easier for customers and businesses alike.

“I love local businesses. I love the value that they bring to our local economy because it keeps those dollars here rather than being shipped off to a corporation somewhere else in a different community.”

Hometown GO is still in development but keep an eye out for the launch announcement on Chase’s Facebook page.

Chase also has plans to run again for London City Council in the future, hoping to bring change from within our city government.

“I'm so passionate about hopefully one day being able to represent our people,” he said. “I want to help the people of my community of London and Laurel County because I'm super passionate about my community.

“We're a big community, but we still have that small town feel. Everybody knows each other. Everyone is super willing to lend a helping hand to their neighbor. We saw that when the tornado hit us. Neighbors helping neighbors in a time of need. And that's what I want to see come out of our community.”

But Chase’s dreams do not stop at the city council, as he hopes to some day serve at the state level as a state representative, then senator and eventually would like to run for governor of Kentucky.

“I want to be on the city council to show my people that I can represent you,” he said. “Then, the House of Representatives to show this area of southeast Kentucky that I can represent you—I hear your struggles; I've lived it too. Then as a senator, the same thing, on a little broader level. And then last up, governor—I want to help everybody in my state. I want to help the people who are struggling in Eastern Kentucky just as much as I want to help the people who are struggling with similar challenges in western Kentucky.

“I'm doing this out of passion for my community, out of passion for helping just anybody and everybody. I don't care what skin color you are, what you identify, what walk of life you've come from, I want to help you with whatever it is that you need help with.”

Chase hopes that his story can encourage people to reach for their goals, no matter their age or the color of their skin.

“Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do something,” he said. “If you have a dream, you have a passion, you want to do something, put your head down and do it. Because I'm a firm believer that if you put your mind to something, you can accomplish anything.”