Beech Tree News Network

(July 18, 2022) - United Way of Southern Kentucky announced today that it is investing a total of $41,000 in Education, Health, and Safety Net programs and services for its July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, funding period in Butler County. Seven local programs provided through five service providers will receive the allocated campaign dollars and donor designations. In total, $968,514 will be invested across the 10-county Barren River Area Development District (BRADD).

In BUTLER COUNTY, $41,000 was allocated by volunteers led by Butler County Chair, Jim Green, as follows:

EDUCATION: $29,500

Kindergarten Readiness:

Family Enrichment Center, Little Learners: $25,500

Family Enrichment Center believes parents are capable of caring for and fostering growth in their children when provided with education, support, and skill-building opportunities. With these resources, all parents can prevent or cease abusive relationships and provide nurturing, loving environments that allow their children and families to reach their highest potential and stop the generational cycle of violence. Family Enrichment Center programs and services are designed to support, strengthen and stabilize families to increase their self-sufficiency and prevent child abuse.

Parents As Teachers (PAT), also known as our Little Learners Program, is an in-home parent visitation program based upon the philosophy that a child’s parent is his/her first and best teacher. The parent educator provides parents of children ages prenatal to kindergarten with personal, monthly home visits, screening/assessments for the child, and referral to services to address the specific needs of each child and/or family. The home visits consist of parent/child activities, child development information, health/vision/developmental screenings, and resource referral services. We are now providing this service in Butler, Simpson, Logan, Allen, and Warren County.

College & Career Readiness:

Butler County Schools, Dual Credit Scholarship Program: $4,000

Butler County School District strives to prepare students to be successful in school and prepare them to be life ready. We utilize programs such as Junior Achievement, Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound to inspire students to be college and/ or career ready. Upward Bound is a program that works with low income students who parents did graduate from a four year university. By having access to numerous programs allows us to reach all students. We use mentor programs, career shadowing, co-op and other programs such as the Family Resource Center to remove barriers. Through the use of dual credit scholarships and grant money students are able to experience college while in high school at a much cheaper price. If a student takes two dual credits classes (qualitative and quantitative) they will be transition ready. Dual credit classes allows students to be transition ready, but it also prepares to continue their education or ready for the work force. As a community initiative, we are focused on preparing students for careers and providing them with the soft skills necessary for transitioning into college or the workforce.

HEALTH: $9,500

Access to Affordable Health Care:

Kentucky Legal Aid, Barren River Long Term Care Ombudsman: $3,000

Kentucky Legal Aid, Benefits Counseling: $500

Barren River Child Advocacy Center, Trauma Focused Mental Health: $5,000

Barren River Child Advocacy Center- A non-profit 501c3 agency since 1998, BRACAC is an Accredited Member of the National Children's Alliance and a Full Member of the Children Advocacy Centers of Kentucky. Our mission is possible only through the collaboration of the various professionals that must intervene when sexual abuse and/or exploitation of a child is disclosed or suspected. Located in Bowling Green/Warren County, the BRACAC is the designated regional Children Advocacy Center that serves Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson, and Warren Counties. The Center works closely with other professionals through protocols of the region ten Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs) to coordinate and provide best practices services for victims of child sexual abuse and their nonoffending members in one neutral, safe and child friendly location. Offenders – alleged or otherwise, are not permitted at the Center. The Center provides consultation to its MDTs and hospitals and services to children as determined necessary and as staffing and resources allow, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. All services are provided on a first-come basis and at no expense to a child family. The Center offers multiple programs that are crucial to a child ability to heal following victimization. Children are given an opportunity to tell their stories about what happened through a process called forensic interviewing. Forensic interviews are provided for children when sexual abuse, human trafficking, and/or exploitation is disclosed or suspected. Interviews may also be provided for children who have experienced severe physical abuse and/or been a witness to abuse or other violence. Our physicians and SANE have specialized training and experience in pediatric medicine and the diagnosis and treatment of sexual abuse through Comprehensive Child Sexual Abuse Exams. These exams are child-sensitive, noninvasive medical examinations to ensure a child is healthy and without injury. It is the unit’s ultimate goal to minimize any additional trauma to a child by reducing unnecessary and repeated examinations. The examination also collects and documents forensic evidence if present. Trauma- focused, evidence-based mental health therapy is provided both onsite and through the use of tele-health at this time. Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Trauma Affect Regulation Guide to Education and Therapy (TARGET) are both phase-based interventions appropriate for youth ages 3-18 who are experiencing traumatic stress related symptoms. TF-CBT uses gradual exposure to distressing thoughts and feelings connected to traumatic events and focuses on building coping skills to manage stressful emotional content, decrease avoidance, address negative alterations in cognition and mood, and reduce levels of arousal and reactivity. TARGET was developed for youth who have experienced complex trauma and is particularly appropriate for youth who struggle with daily stressors and affect regulation. TARGET provides a 7-step sequence of skills—the FREEDOM steps— that are designed to help youth understand and gain greater control of trauma- and stress-related reactions  that may be triggered by daily life stressors. Victim advocacy and support is offered to all clients and non-offending caregivers throughout the entire process. BRACAC’s three Child Advocates coordinate and provide services and support to children and families at the Center and until the child’s case is resolved by the assigned MDT, prosecution efforts or both. Advocates help connect children and families with other resources in the community and provide information and assistance with Victim Compensation benefits, court preparation and support and more. The trauma and impact of sexual abuse can be devastating to a child. But by working together at the BRACAC, children and families receive quality services in a trauma-informed environment to stop abuse, begin the healing process and enhance the prosecution of offenders of this horrific crime against children.

Safe Home & Community:

Kentucky Legal Aid, Emergency Shelter and Crisis Aid to Protect & Empower (ESCAPE): $1,000

SAFETY NET: $2,000

Access to Basic Needs:

Kentucky Legal Aid, Emergency Legal Assistance: $2,000

Kentucky Legal Aid – Ombudsman, Benefits, ESCAPE, & Emergency Legal Assistance (ELA)

The mission of Kentucky Legal Aid is to assist and to enable low-income families, as well as the elderly, disabled, and other vulnerable individuals in South Central and Western Kentucky, to resolve legal problems that are barriers to self-sufficiency, and to provide these individuals an opportunity for an improved quality of life. 

Today, KLA serves 35 counties in South Central and Western Kentucky and is the area’s only provider of free civil legal assistance to its vulnerable victim populations. KLA has four fully staffed offices and three satellite offices, with its main office located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. KLA’s team of top-notch legal professionals have dedicated their careers to serving low-income individuals. Advocates help people access basic necessities such as healthcare, housing, government benefits, employment, and educational services; and assists people in becoming self-sufficient.

The Emergency Legal Assistance (ELA) Program helps low-income clients experiencing financial crisis access the basic needs of food, clothing, and safe and affordable housing. ELA uses legal expertise to assist homeless and other financially vulnerable individuals in obtaining resources necessary to provide for their basic needs. UW funds three other essential programs for impoverished citizens in the area that compliment ELA's services: (1) KLA’s ESCAPE attorneys provide emergency legal representation to reduce the impact of violence on individuals and families. 

Staff assist victims of violence, crime, and emotional or physical abuse to obtain civil protective orders. (2) The Benefits Counseling Program assists impoverished, disabled and/or elderly persons enroll in viable healthcare options. Benefits Counselors offer face-toface counseling about enrollment and modification coverage, and assist clients to address barriers to eligibility for coverage through civil legal assistance. (3) The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program provides assistance and advocates for residents of nursing homes, family care homes, and personal care homes. Ombudsman staff and volunteers regularly visit long-term care facilities to monitor care and conditions. Staff and volunteers receive, investigate, and work to resolve complaints regarding long-term care facilities; and provide information and education to the general public.

Remaining Investments to be made in Butler County: $4,000

In October of 2021, organizations with programs impacting UWSK’s strategic imperatives in each of the defined Community Impact issue areas (Education, Income, Health, and Safety Net) were asked to submit a Letter of Intent indicating their desire to complete a full application request for funding. Across the 10-county BRADD, 68 total Letters of Intent were submitted.

To receive funding from United Way of Southern Kentucky (UWSK), programs had to align with the four areas deemed most important by a community research project conducted by United Way that began in 2012 and included nearly 5,000 surveys, and 55 Community Conversations, and large amounts of secondary data. The four broad areas of most concern were defined by the community as Education, Income, Health, and Safety Net. Programs were also evaluated on the following IMPACT criteria: Innovative, Measured, Partnered/Collaborative, Accountable, Community-centered, and Transformative. This includes an emphasis on programs that provide services within the best practices framework, that are collaborative and integrated into the fabric of other community education, income, health, and safety net efforts, that consider the goals, needs, and aspirations of the communities they serve, and that are innovative.

Allocation dollars were determined based on the work of 87 volunteers working specifically in their home counties of Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson, and Warren. In total, these volunteers invested over 850 hours in the process which began with training sessions for all volunteers. This time generated an impact of more than $23,664 in service to our community (based on National Rate of Volunteer Time: $27.20 per hour). Volunteers reviewed programs, finances, governance, and outcomes to develop the recommendations for program investments. 

“This is our seventh year of this targeted work related to Education, Income, Health, and Safety Net, said Debbie Hills, President & CEO of United Way of Southern Kentucky. “Yet, this year was different as our community has faced horrific loss. While we are working to address the tornado recovery through a separate fund, we know that we must also continue to support local nonprofit programs that are assisting with so many key issues throughout the BRADD. We are honored to partner with the nonprofits that are working to address both existing and ever-changing challenges. It is the support of local businesses, organizations, and individuals which enables this funding, which will impact thousands of lives, and we are so grateful for it.”

If you would like to volunteer to participate in the United Way of Southern Kentucky Allocation Process, please visit www.uwsk.org or call 270-843-3205 to learn more.

United Way of Southern Kentucky (UWSK) is a local, independent, non-profit organization that works to identify and address the issues that matter most, change conditions and improve lives. The mission of United Way of Southern Kentucky is to be the leader in bringing together the resources to build a stronger, more caring community. United Way is focused on the building blocks for good quality of life – Education, Income, Health and Safety Net. Therefore, the vision of United Way is a Southern Kentucky where all residents are educated, healthy, and financially stable. Incorporated as a charitable non-profit entity in 1956, UWSK has long served a major role in the community by bringing people together to create opportunities that make a measurable difference in the quality of life for people where they live and work.