Beech Tree News Network

IN INVESTMENTS IN EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SAFETY NET PROGRAMS IN BUTLER COUNTY

(September 10th, 2020) - United Way of Southern Kentucky announced today that it is investing a total of $25,200 115 in Education, Health, and Safety Net programs and services for its July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 funding period in Butler County. 9 local programs provided through 5 service providers will receive the allocated campaign dollars and donor designations.

To receive funding from United Way of Southern Kentucky, programs had to align with the four areas deemed most important by a community research project conducted by United Way that began in 2012 which included nearly 5,000 surveys, 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 a 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.

In September of 2019, 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 region, 74 total Letters of Intent were submitted requesting $2,116,743 in funding. Upon review by the Letter of Intent Committee, 68 of those that were submitted were invited to complete the full application across the 10 county BRADD region.

In March 2020, Butler County specific programs who had the opportunity to complete the full application moved forward to a full review with the Allocations Committee. With the full review by the Allocations Committee and recommendation to and approval by the UWSK Board of Directors complete, funding will now be awarded to the programs selected.

2020/21 marks the fifth funding cycle for the new community impact plan in the areas of Education, Income, Health, and Safety Net. The Community Impact plan was originally developed to create long-term community change and serve as a road map for United Way and its partners on how to build a better community that provides opportunity for all. At its core, Community Impact harnesses the power of the entire community to create significant, sustainable improvements, and thus it requires many community partners working together to solve complex, systematic problems.

Allocation dollars were determined based on the work of 108 volunteers working specifically in their home counties of Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson, and Warren. In total, these volunteers invested approximately 800 hours in the process which began with training sessions for all volunteers. This time generated an impact of $19,336 in service to our community (based on National Rate of Volunteer Time: $24.17 per hour). Volunteers reviewed programs, finances, governance, and outcomes to develop the recommendations for program investments.

In total, $878,203 will be invested across the 10 county BRADD region as part of the 2020/21 funding cycle to 118 total programs through 46 service providers.

Specifically, investments made into Education programs were made with the primary goal in advancing United Way’s BIG BOLD GOALS in Education:

KINDERGARTEN READINESS BIG BOLD GOAL: Increase BRADD area kindergarten readiness scores to 75% by 2020. Scores were at 49.4% when the goal was established. Most recent scores have been updated to 54.8%.

COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS BIG BOLD GOAL: Increase BRADD area college & career readiness scores to 80% by the year 2020.  Scores were at 65% when the goal was established. Most recent scores have been updated to 72.1%.

In BUTLER COUNTY, $25,200 was allocated by volunteers led by Butler County Chair Jason Jones as follows:

EDUCATION: $14,700

Kindergarten Readiness:

Barren River District Health Department HANDS (Health Access Nurturing Development Services) $500

Butler County Schools LEAP Bus (Learn, Explore, and Play) $8,000

College & Career Readiness:

Butler County Schools College and Career Ready Scholarship Program $2,700

Junior Achievement: Essential Skills Initiative $3,500

HEALTH: $4,500

Access to Affordable Health Care:

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

Kentucky Legal Aid Benefits Counseling $500

Safe Home & Community:

Kentucky Legal Aid Emergency Shelter & Crisis Aid to Protect & Empower (ESCAPE): $1000

SAFETY NET: $6,000

Access to Basic Needs:

Feeding America Kentucky’s Heartland BackPack Program $4,000

Kentucky Legal Aid Emergency Legal Assistance $2,000

Remaining Investments to be made in Butler County: $12,800

“As we move into year five of our work in Education, Income, Health and Safety Net it is so exciting to see the impact and movement forward being made, particularly in Kindergarten Readiness and College & Career Readiness,” said Debbie Hills, President & CEO of United Way of Southern Kentucky. “The investments we are making now are changing the course of our community for the future.  And now more than ever with the many challenges that families in our community are facing, the work is vital to creating and sustaining a successful community. We are grateful for the phenomenal organizations that have partnered with us in this work and are equally excited to see new organizations join us each year. We look forward to continued movement forward in this year and beyond.”

For more information on how you can make the choice to LIVE UNITED through giving, advocating and volunteering, log on to the United Way of Southern Kentucky website at www.liveunitedtoday.com.  

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.