Author: J Miles

The Community Collaboration for Children (CCC) program is working at full capacity as we approach the fall season! However, our program looks remarkably different than it did this time last year as COVID-19 has pushed us to implement our In Home Services differently.

Although we are an In Home Service program, we are currently only able to meet with families on their porches, decks, or in their yards. We do follow all CDC recommended guidelines. We take our temperatures and access our own physical health and well-being before driving to the visit. We wear masks and stay 6 feet away from clients at all times. We also keep our own chairs inside our vehicles if we need seating. In addition, to modified “home” visits, we are implementing the use of telehealth services such as phone calls, FaceTime, and virtual meeting rooms when needed.

Some things that have not changed include the fact that we are still providing services to families with children who are 18 years or younger. We continue to aid families in identifying their weaknesses and then in making a plan to address their strengths by improving their overall daily functioning. We continue to complete goals with our families, including parenting classes, self-sufficiency and overall family health.

We are persevering to meet the needs of our families and do what we can to provide support, guidance and encouragement during this time. If you have any questions or are interested in our program or the referral process, please contact CCC supervisor, Ashley Caldwell-May at acaldwell@ckcac.org or 270-766-8027.

Despite the concerns of COVID-19, the Child and Adult Care Food Program has signed up two new Unaffiliated Centers this past month. Little Steps in Elizabethtown and Busy Bees – Hodgenville will be turning in a report for September. Busy Bees – Hodgenville will be the program’s biggest center. We are very excited to work with both centers during the upcoming year.

Training is coming up for both Family Child Care Homes and Unaffiliated Centers. This is the first year the training will be online. There will be a PowerPoint, survey, and a guest video presentation by Dayna Fentress from the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service in Hardin County. Once the training is complete, we will be ready to begin the new year on October 1^st.

As of now, there has been 2 Family Child Care Homes and 1 Unaffiliated Center, that participate in the program, that have been temporarily closed by the state due to a positive COVID-19 case. All 3 facilities have cooperated with the state – with one already having re-opened and the 2 others re-opening within the next week or so.

September 2020 Edition

  Strong leaders are the cornerstone of employee engagement, motivation, and organizational performance. Building strong leaders takes a significant investment of time, energy, and commitment, but the rewards are huge.   Central Kentucky Community Action Council (CKCAC) understands this and continues to work with our team to achieve strong leadership with the Community Action skills of desire, passion, and ability.

Congratulations to Jessica Miles, CISO at CKCAC, as she has earned the Certified Community Action Professional (CCAP) credential. She joins a growing group of professionals nationwide who have demonstrated they are dedicated to higher standards of practice in the Community Action industry.

The CCAP designation acknowledges committed professionals who have demonstrated their experience and proficiency in leadership and reliability. It is built on nationally applicable standards of practice, knowledge, and ethics to differentiate professionals who have taken the steps necessary to become certified.  The certification is also a nationally recognized standard for professionalism in Community Action and distinguishes individuals as qualified, capable leaders while at the same time, lending increased credibility to the noble and deserving efforts of the entire Community Action movement. The CCAP program is a comprehensive program of experience as an executive; education; involvement in national, regional, state and local Community Action activities; and participation in association management activities.

Jessica has been with the agency for almost 17 years, working in both Finance and IT. She completed the three-year CCAP Program in the first year.    Last year CKCAC saw Ellen Leake,  CSBG Director, achieve the same designation and we will continue to look within our agency to properly train those with the skills within our agency.

Many of our volunteer opportunities through the RSVP program have been temporarily suspended due to COVID-19. However, there are approximately 20 volunteers that are continuing to work with more planning to return soon. Several volunteers are helping in other ways, including distributing meals to seniors, which is so important during this time. Read more about how our dedicated volunteers have stepped up to the plate.

The annual RSVP report was recently submitted.  Highlights noted were that 132 volunteers worked nearly 22,000 hours at 17 work stations located in Hardin and Nelson county.    One dedicated volunteer worked 1,117 hours themselves!

Please contact Melissa Bland if you are 55 and older and would like to learn more about becoming a RSVP volunteer.  You can reach her by phone 270-737-1059 or e-mail via RSVP.Director@ckcac.org.

The Corporation for National and Community Service has awarded our Senior Companion Program (SCP) $220,529 to continue providing this valuable service. We will be operating in the final year of a three-year grant cycle, and are excited at the opportunities that exist to serve our community.

Several county governments have also been very generous in supporting the Senior Companion Program throughout the Coronavirus crisis.  Breckinridge County contributed $2,500, Hardin County contributed $500, Marion County contributed $5,000, Nelson County contributed $1,500, and Washington County contributed $5,400 by donating office space, as well as an additional $500 in cash.  SCP appreciates all their help and certainly couldn’t do it without this financial assistance!

Due to Covid, the Senior Companion Program unfortunately was not able to hold their “Annual Volunteer Recognition” event.  However, the SCP Director, along with county volunteer leaders delivered donations and tokens of appreciation to the homes of each volunteer.  Without these volunteers, our SCP program could not exist and we appreciate each volunteer so much.

In closing out the fiscal year, 44 Senior Companion Program volunteers provided over 46,000 hours of in-home services to 105 clients across a six county area. 

Our Congregate Meals (CM) staff is still very active serving meals to an increased number of participants via drive thru locations. At this time, it is unknown when will be able to open our centers to in-person activities. However, we are looking forward to the day that we can see your faces at our facilities again. In the meantime, we continue to be a valuable resource for those in our community in need of these food resources.

In June, CM served 476 participants 8,043 meals. In July, CM served 360 participants 5,811 meals.  Only six business days into August and our program is already averaging 262 meals served per day.

Rather than having drive thru services in Brandenburg, our program is mailing restaurant vouchers to Meade County participants.  In June and July, we mailed 280 vouchers to 56 participants. Each participant received 10 vouchers that could be used at Homeplate restaurant in Brandenburg. 

Congregate Meals staff have not only been busy with the meals, we have been providing fun to the participants as well.  The staff have also been hosting lemonade stands, ice cream stands, and giving hugs and kisses (Hershey’s of course) to participants. In addition to providing nutritional information on meals weekly, the staff have also been providing participants with word searches, coloring pages and information for local resources.

With hard work and dedication, the wonderful staff and volunteers of the CM program will continue to serve meals with a smile.  

Our CKCATS staff has had to be flexible and rethink the way they do business in order to continue to work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The 5311 CARES funding helped to keep us on the road as well.

Community Action also received PPP funding with which CKCATS was able to purchase gloves, masks, and cleaning supplies to ensure that employees and clients have a safe environment in which to work and ride.

Even though CKCATS drivers have experienced reduced numbers in recent months, the number of trips has increased by 50% this quarter. Employees have kept busy by assisting to distribute commodities, helping to serve senior lunches, cleaning and sanitizing Head Start classrooms, as well as sanitizing the buses.

In other news, CKCATS received one new SUV in June and should receive 3 more SUVs by the end of August. The 5311 CARES funding has allowed the program to expand the fleet by 12 vehicles. In the end, all 5 counties will have an SUV that will help ensure that dialysis clients get to treatment in the winter months.

August 2020 Edition

There’s no question that many programs were hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public transit agencies, including our CKCATS, are one of those that have been dealing with this difficult situation. However, some good news to pass along related to our transportation efforts is Governor Andy Beshear’s announcement that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has been awarded more than $6.4 million to help public transit agencies continue operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding, part of the CARES Act, is from the Federal Transit Administration. KYTC will distribute the money in grants to 16 public transit agencies serving 79 counties across Kentucky.   CKCATS will receive $426,927 for the purchase of 12 expansion vans.  There is a wide range of eligible operational expenses, including purchases of fuel and procurement of personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, disinfectant wipes, disinfection services and protective barriers between drivers and passengers, electronic ticketing, and office supplies. Like other agencies, CKCATS continues to bounce back from the effects of this pandemic, but are struggling business-wise, and this funding is sorely needed to keep services running and our people protected.

CKCATS and our many other essential workers continue to work daily during this COVID-19 crisis to provide the needed services that change people’s lives, embody the spirit of hope, improve communities, and make our areas a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.  More to come………………..much more.