Author: Kathy Mills

Upcoming SEACAA Conference: Preparing for a Stronger Future

As we look ahead to the upcoming Southeastern Association of Community Action Agencies (SEACAA) Annual Conference, I am excited to represent Central Kentucky Community Action Council (CKCAC) and join leaders from across the region. This conference provides us with invaluable opportunities to grow, learn, and develop strategies that help us better serve the needs of our community.

Building Stronger Communities Through Collaboration

SEACAA’s mission is to equip Community Action Agencies with the tools and knowledge to work more effectively with local leaders, volunteers, and other organizations. The importance of these partnerships cannot be overstated. Through collaboration, we can tackle challenges such as poverty, housing, and food insecurity with a united front. At this year’s conference, I look forward to learning new approaches and sharing ideas with fellow attendees on how to better engage and mobilize local resources to meet the diverse needs of our communities.

Focus on Early Childhood Education and Head Start

CKCAC Head Start Director, Bryan Conover will be attending the conference as well and one of the critical issues that SEACAA continues to address is early childhood education. Our Head Start programs are at the heart of this effort, providing comprehensive services that go beyond just classroom learning. Head Start ensures that children receive access to healthcare, nutrition, and family support, giving them the strong foundation they need to succeed in school and beyond. At the conference, there will be important discussions around the future of early childhood education and how we can continue to enhance these services for the benefit of children and families.

Who SEACAA Is and Why It Matters

For those unfamiliar, SEACAA is an organization that supports Community Action Agencies across the Southeastern United States. Their work focuses on empowering agencies like ours to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for low-income families. SEACAA provides resources, advocacy, and training that help us to expand our reach, improve our programs, and build stronger communities.

I have attended the SEACAA conference in the past and firmly believe those conferences are  equipped with new insights and strategies that will help Central Kentucky Community Action continue its mission of supporting our most vulnerable neighbors.

Thank you for your continued support, and more to come……………………much more……………….

The Senior Companion Program (SCP) is actively looking for volunteers and our numbers are growing!

Congregate Meals has been working on Grants for their program.

• United Way
• Bishop Fund
• Emergency Preparedness Grant (Working with Lincoln Trail)

Interviews were conducted in Grayson County. Congregate Meals still needs to hire for Nelson County. Our Congregate Meals in Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, LaRue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, and Washington Counties still continue to grow.

The CKCATS team continues to work hard to provide services in all counties. Our newly added Non Emergency Medical Transportation Medicare trips are growing and bringing in more clients in all counties.

CKCATS took a total of 78 Seniors in 8 buses to the Senior Celebration in Elizabethtown on May 23^rd. The event was very successful with it serving a total of 450 Seniors in the Lincoln Trail area! We are very proud to participate and partner in making this event successful each year.

CKCATS attended the annual contract meeting with their Brokers on June 17^th and June 27^th. These meetings are held each year to sign new contracts, discuss the new rates, and any issues or concerns that any of the Sub-contractors may have.

CKCATS set up a booth at Senior Fair Day at the Fairgrounds in Marion County on June 27th. This is another successful event that is put on each year for the Seniors in Marion and surrounding counties. Seniors get to eat, play games, listen to music, and congregate with other Seniors while learning about the services that are offered to them in the area.

Several staff members of the CKCATS team attended the Community Action Kentucky (CAK) Conference in Lexington from June 11-15. Myself and two other staff members from CATS attended a training course in Lexington from June 5-8. This training was a complete deep dive into being a newly Transit Director or Administrator. This training was one of the most informative training courses that I have attended due to it being a smaller setting and most of the information I retained came from the group discussions. There were representatives from the Office of Transportation who attended as well, and they were able to give clear, concise answers to all our questions. This was part 1 of a 2-part training. I plan to attend Part 2 of the training when it is offered in September.

CKCATS has ordered 11 new buses through the KPTA Bid#11. According to the seller, TESCO, we should expect for these vehicles to arrive within 4-6 months. We are in dire need of new buses since it has been a lengthy period that these have been unavailable for purchase. We have been keeping our older bus fleet running smooth and safely by replacing engines, transmission, etc., but we are excited to finally receive new buses in all counties.

CKCATS is fully staffed at this time, but we are continuing to accept applications for future hiring.