Author: J Miles

Central KY Community Action Council Head Start hired Health and Wellness Coach, Katie Brockman. She is incorporating health and wellness into the classrooms and works with children, parents, staff and families. The goal is to change the way our families look at health and wellness. Katie is getting the kids moving and having them spread positive energy every night when they go home. She works with the staff and families on how to incorporate exercise at all skill levels and she is innovating the way our program looks at exercising. We are very thankful to have Katie on our team.

It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. For most people the holiday season is about spending time with family and loved ones, giving and receiving gifts and sitting down for a big family meal complete with all the fixings. But for many others, the holidays can feel more like a time of heightened stress.  Many low-income people are not connected to family or their community. If they do have social connections, they may isolate themselves because they can’t afford to give gifts or prepare food to share. It can be even more difficult to get enough to eat when there is an increased demand at food banks during the holiday season.   When you add kids to the mix, shame and isolation can take hold.

Low-income parents often put themselves last in order to shield their kids from poverty, and the parents’ health and well-being suffers for it.  Some parents may even skip meals or prescription medications to save up enough money to buy their child a special present. But the stress of poverty can affect children.  They know mama has gone without, they know papa’s working hard or is stressing. Because of this, children in poverty are more likely to be too embarrassed to reveal what they secretly wish for because they feel guilty for taking away from their family’s limited resources.

When it comes to having the tough conversations with kids about poverty, parents should always keep an open dialogue with kids and remain honest.  It is suggested to act as a filter and to only allow a tiny bit of information to pass through when children are young, and explain more to them as they grow older.   For example, when children are still very young, keep things simple by explaining that mommy and daddy have a budget and that they’re able to spend a certain amount on their gift. When they’re older, begin teaching them more about bills, expenses and the importance of giving back to those who are less fortunate.

Parents set the tone for how the family views their financial situation and the holiday season.   Kids really do look to their parents for their attitude. One way to set a more positive tone is by redefining what the holiday season means to you. It doesn’t need to be about gifts. It’s the Salvation Army ringing the bell, it’s the highest charity donation time, it’s when we put gifts for the homeless under the Christmas tree and it is all about the idea of community.  As parents we could emphasize other parts of the holiday season that remind us of the goodness of humanity.

Merry Christmas to you and here’s to wishing you a prosperous 2020.  More to come……much more.

Thanksgiving has always been looked at as our big November holiday, but did you know that National Gratitude Month is observed in November? Gratitude is more than simply saying “thank you.”  Gratitude is the amazing power to have the ability to shift us from focusing on the negative, to appreciating what is positive in our lives. Practicing daily gratitude gives us a deeper connection to ourselves, the world around us and to our Creator.  Everything in our lives has the ability to improve when we are grateful. Research has shown that gratitude can enhance our moods, decrease stress and drastically improve our overall level of health and well-being. On average, grateful people tend to have fewer stress-related illnesses and experience less depression and lower blood pressure. They are also more physically fit, happier, more satisfying personal and professional relationships and will be better liked. Grateful kids are even more likely to get A’s in school.

If everyone practiced daily gratitude, we could change ourselves and the planet for the better.  Everyone would be much happier.  Love would grow and hate would decrease. The world would know true peace.  It’s a great time for me to thank all of those who work for our clients here at Central Kentucky Community Action Council and our Board of Directors, who volunteer countless hours for our organization.   Thank you all for making CKCAC better. 

So, what are you waiting for? Give gratitude a try!  You’ll be happy you did.   More to come……..much more.

On October 25th, over 700 military retirees, their families and surviving spouses from across the region attended the Fort Knox Retiree Appreciation Day. This event featured more than 60 booths, offering information from numerous organizations, including Hardin County RSVP Stations, the Fort Knox American Red Cross and Hosparus Health/Thrift Store. The Fort Knox Red Cross table performed blood pressure screenings.

RSVP’s current federal grant requires 3.1 Veterans & Families Served and 3.1 other focus areas, including active duty military, families, veterans, retirees, etc. As the nominated Kentucky Volunteer for the Fort Knox Soldier for Life Retiree Council, RSVP Director, Cathy Williamson, has served on the planning committee for several years.

CKCATS Transportation office renovation is scheduled to be finished in late November, 2019. The CKCATS current office will be renovated as well. The new office will have 5 offices and 2 ADA compliant bathrooms on the first floor. The second floor will consist of a conference room for meetings and training, 2 office spaces and a lot of storage. This renovation was funded by a 5339 grant and will be considered a FTA building when finished.

CKCATS just received four 2019 low floor mini vans. 3 mini vans were funded by a 5339 grant and 1 mini van was funded with 5310 funds. CKCATS currently has 73 vehicles, with 87% being wheelchair accessible.

CKCATS ordered 2, 12X2 buses, which should arrive in March 2020. CKCATS also received 3 SUVS on Bid #8 and are hoping to order those in December, 2019.

The Congregate Meals Program (CMP) had it’s very first Senior Community Day at the Larue County Senior Citizen Center and it was a huge success! There was a big turn out and everyone seemed to have a great time. The seniors participated in a cake walk, won door prizes and enjoyed some free food. CMP plans to have more of these events in the other counties we serve.

Open enrollment started on October 1st, 2019 for the State Health Insurance Program (SHIP). SHIP provides assistance with access in public and private benefits. Medicare, Medicaid, private and other public programs can be confusing to the average community member. SHIP volunteer counselors are here to provide one-on-one assistance. Counselors can assist in comparing supplemental insurances, understanding policies, and applying for assistance. Information and assistance in filling out prescription drug discount program applications is also available. SHIP counselors will be at your local senior centers during November providing assistance.

CMP has served 10,384 meals to 433 unduplicated participants from July 1, 2019-September 30, 2019. CMP has provided 1,414 nutrition education sessions to 281 unduplicated participants from July 1st, 2019-September 30th, 2019. CMP has provided 893 Bingocize sessions to 159 unduplicated participants from July 1st, 2019-September 30th, 2019.

During the Senior Companion Program’s (SCP) October In-Service, our guest speakers were with the CSBG department within Central KY Community Action. CSBG Director, Ellen Leake and her staff, did a wonderful job presenting about LIHEAP. The CSBG staff come and speak to the senior in the program every year when enrollment begins. This is to promote awareness of the program and the wonderful services they provide.

The SCP also had their Thanksgiving and Christmas In-Service. During this meeting, each volunteer received a goodie bag, a $25 gift card to Wal-Mart and a meal voucher for Mordecai’s or Golden Corral.

The SCP will be accepting applications for Volunteer Leadership Positions in the six counties that we serve. All active volunteers, currently serving in the program, are eligible to apply. Leader Volunteer Positions receive an extra $50 a month for their roles and responsibilities. These responsibilities consist of the recruitment of new volunteers, assisting with fundraising and in-kind efforts, explaining the duties and benefits of volunteering to potential volunteers, signing new clients, informing the public about our services and working closely with the program director to ensure that the program operates to it’s fullest potential.

The CSBG Program continues its work from being an immediate emergency assistance provider to becoming a program that really helps low-income families change their lives. Although we continue to provide emergency assistance, we also assist with budgeting and developing strategies to avoid future emergencies. As we work with families to develop strategies to prevent future emergencies, we also provide tips such as, budget billing, paying your rent first, shopping at less expensive stores, and controlling impulsive spending. These tips are helpful and always well received.

Clients who are not working are encouraged to find employment. Our employment and education programs can assist with small barriers to gain full time employment or even better employment. How do we help? It can be partial assistance with a CNA or CDL class, proper clothing or shoes for a new job and even gas for transportation to work for a week.

The agency has been notified of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program allocations and spending has begun for Phase 36. The counties receiving funds are Breckinridge, Grayson, Larue, Marion, Meade and Washington, for a total of $40,663. This program provides funds to assist with rent, mortgage, utilities, shelter and food assistance.

The agency is also preparing for LIHEAP. The official dates for Subsidy are November 4th through December 13th. November 5th and November 27th are Staff Days, which means that the agency is not expected to take applications on that day. The office will be closed on Nov. 11th, 28th and 29th for LIHEAP and the Thanksgiving Holiday. Nov. 15th, Dec. 6th and 13th will be Open days. This means if you miss your scheduled day, you can come in on the open days.

The Kentucky Works Program (KWP) was approached by a local school and asked to participate in their Job Shadowing Program. Our Hardin County worker hosted Paige Mullins, who is a senior at Thomas Nelson High School.

During Paige’s day of job shadowing, she learned just how busy working in an office environment can be. She learned that multi-tasking is a necessity and that you must learn how to prioritize different situations. When asked about the experience, KWP worker, Gayan Hutchinson, said that she enjoyed working with Paige and helping her see what the workplace is all about.

The KWP Staff has also been very busy learning about the new SNAP Employment and Training Program. Since completing the computer training, each Employment Specialist has been busy working with participants to help them set goals for their employment future. Some staff members have had additional training, where others have simply been introduced to an employer to help them get started with steady employment.

Central KY Community Action’s Weatherization Program has completed 9 weatherization units with 8 walkaway units. There are 35 clients on the waiting list to receive services. The Weatherization program is fully staffed with an in-house crew and is still utilizing contractors to perform HVAC, electrical work, as well as, weatherization that we have to perform to the dwellings that receive services.

Central KY Community Action has leveraged funds from utilities to expand the reach of the Weatherization Assistance Program. This year we are leveraging funding from DOE, LIHEAP, Atmos, East Kentucky Power, Kentucky Utilities and Louisville Gas & Electric.

The goal for the Weatherization Program is to reduce energy waste and assure the health and safety of each client that we serve.