Category: Newsletter

“THE BREAD LADY” SERVES UP SANDWICHES & SMILES

Ms. Betty Bryant started working as an RSVP Volunteer at the Griffin Manor Senior Center in Elizabethtown on October 1, 2020. The Senior Center is closed due to Covid-19 but Ms. Bryant helps Ida Kyle, the Senior Center Coordinator, plate the food and serve to the seniors via a drive through Monday through Friday. She often refers to herself as “the bread lady” as she places the bread in sandwich bags each day.

Betty was born and raised in Wilmington North Carolina but has called Kentucky home for the last 40 years. Ms. Bryant has two sons, 9 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.

Ms. Bryant worked at the Fort Knox Hospital as a desk clerk for 17 years and was also caregiver for a friend in her home for one year.Ms. Bryant enjoys genealogy, crocheting and embroidering. She volunteers as she loves people and likes to get of the house every day.

Ms. Bryant’s positive attitude is contagious and she is a joy to be around! If you would like to become a volunteer like Ms. Betty Bryant, please contact Melissa Bland at 270-737-1059 or e-mail her at RSVP.Director@ckcac.org.

COMPANIONSHIP PROGRAM CONTINUES IN CREATIVE WAYS

The Corporation for National and Community Service is excited to announce that instead of being known as Senior Corps, our program will now be called Americorps Seniors. Locally, we will still be known as the Senior Companion Program and our funding source will remain the same.

All SCP volunteers are currently receiving a temporary allowance which allows them to still receive their monthly stipend through December 31, 2020. Volunteers are still carrying out the companionship piece of our program by making phone calls or using Face Time to connect face to face without entering client homes. Some volunteers are writing letters and sending pictures through the mail. The program is currently developing return-to-volunteer service plans that promote both volunteer safety as well as the safety of our clients by complying with statutory and regulatory requirements.

It is with heavy hearts that we must say our final goodbye to two special volunteers for our program: Ms. Fannie Porter of Lebanon and Ms. Georgia Barnes of Springfield. Ms. Porter passed away on October 20, 2020. She was an amazing and dedicated volunteer who always had her heart in the right place when it came to helping others. Ms. Georgia Barnes passed away on October 17, 2020. She was a selfless individual with an unforgettable smile and had no limits in going above and beyond the call of duty. Each of these ladies will be terribly missed as they were true stewards of volunteerism and service.

SENIORS ARE STILL STAYING SOCIAL

Unfortunately because of COVID-19, all senior centers remain closed. However, we are still providing meals via drive thru services. From July 1 – October 31, 2020, we have served 21,762 meals to 482 participants. We also mailed 330 vouchers to 66 participants in Meade County for November.

We continue to try to come up with ideas to engage with seniors socially during this time. We have passed out nutrition education sheets, word searches, health education sheets, and local resource materials weekly. In Bardstown and Hardinsburg, seniors were offered drive-in BINGO opportunities, which were very successful events. The participants reported that the event was very enjoyable as well. Lisa Bratcher with the Breckinridge Senior Center made caramel apples in October to pass out to all seniors who picked up a meal. We are hoping that with inclement weather approaching, we can continue to do small social activities with the seniors.

We are in the process of updating all current participant assessments. This way, we can stay up to date with any changes and it will be easier to communicate information and special activities with the seniors.

Please remember, all senior centers will be closed and there will be no drive thru meals available on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27, 2020, for the Thanksgiving holiday.

GROWING, GROWING, GOING…

Central KY Community Action Transportation Service fleets in all counties continues to grow. CATS is the recipient of 10 new low floor mini vans purchased from American Bus. The vans were delivered on October 29, 2020.

The CATS program will also receive 12 additional low floor mini vans by late November. Plus, CATS is expected to replace a low floor mini van and Dodge Durango with specialized funding by this same time. These vehicles are imperative to updating the fleet and providing transportation services that improve the quality of life for members of our communities.

The Corona virus has continued to affect our transportation services negatively, however; while we are not operating at 100% currently, we have maintained a steady 60% trip count for the last two months. This is an increase from the 25% trip count in March 2020. If you would like a ride, please know that our drivers continue to sanitize the buses before and after each trip. In addition, all PPE equipment is being used during every trip to ensure the safety of our drivers and clients. To schedule a ride with CATS, please call 1-800-242-8225.

GOODE NEWS

November 2020 After the year we have had, I wanted to take a moment to thank our board members.   These Board Members who volunteer their time and have distinguished themselves as judicious stewards of our organization, never flinching in the face of difficult decisions.   Thank you, Board Members, for your time and efforts.   The Board Members have all been integral to the important advances we have made this year.

I also wanted to thank two of those Central Kentucky Community Action Board Members we replaced recently.   We lost Meade County Judge Lynn on September 6 of this year.   I met Judge Lynn when I worked in Frankfort & his passion for job creation and helping his community goes without saying.  He was involved in and served on many Boards.  In addition to serving as the Judge Executive for Meade County since 2010, he was also the Kentucky State Representative for the 27th District from 2004 until 2006.  Our prayers are still with his wife, Nancye, and his family.  

Larue County Judge Tommy Turner has been the positive voice of not only Larue County & CKCAC, but for the Lincoln Trail Area since he was elected in 1985.   With his retirement, Central Kentucky Community Action wishes him the best and thanks him for tirelessly giving his time and resources to serving on the CKCAC Board of Directors.  By all measures, we have improved our services immensely on his watch.

In closing, we thank and welcome Larue County Judge Blake Durrett & Meade County Judge Les Stith, who were recently appointed to the CKCAC Board of Directors.   We look forward to working with you both. 

Thanks again to the entire Board for your service.  We appreciate your time.

More to come…………much more…………….

Small Changes lead to permanent success for families

The CSBG program continues its work from being an immediate emergency assistance provider to becoming a program that really helps the families of low-income change their lives.  Although we continue to provide emergency assistance, we also assist with budgeting and in developing strategies to avoid future emergencies.  As we work with families to develop strategies to prevent future emergencies, tips such as budgeting, paying your rent first, shopping at less expensive stores, and controlling impulsive spending are helpful. Those not working are encouraged to find employment. Our employment and education programs can assist with small barriers to gaining full-time employment or better employment. How do we help? Our program can help pay for partial assistance with a CNA or CDL class or similar training.  We can also assist with buying proper clothing and shoes for a new job or providing gas for transportation to work for a week.

EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER PROGRAM

The Agency has been notified of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program allocations and spending has begun for Phase 37 and CARES.  The counties receiving funds are Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, Larue, Marion, Meade, Nelson and Washington. This program provides funds to assist with rent/mortgage, utilities, shelter, and food assistance.

TEAM KENTUCKY FUNDS    144 households have been assisted, total spent $54,569.56

SUMMER COOLING    3340 households have been assisted, total spent $605,500.00

SUMMER COOLING CRISIS  1644 households have been assisted, total spent $452,152.30

PREPARING FOR LIHEAP

Official Dates for Subsidy are Nov. 2nd  through Dec. 11th.    

We will not be using a calendar schedule for subsidy this year. Clients will continue to receive assistance by phone, email, and document drop off due to our offices being closed to the public.

COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT for 2020-2021 is underway. The results help determine the CSBG program budget for the upcoming year.

We are needing a broad range of community members to complete the survey, so please do so and feel free to share. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Link to survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HFGDCZM-CNA

Weatherization at Work

Central Kentucky Community Action’s Weatherization Program has started off the new fiscal year fully staffed and looking forward to what the upcoming year will bring. CKCAC’s Weatherization program has completed a total of 6 homes with DOE and LIHEAP funding with 2 cancellations, and 6 home which have been deferred due to needs outside the of our program guidelines, as of August 30, 2020. CKCAC has 78 clients on the waiting list to receive Weatherization services as of July 1st 2020 to start the new contract year.  The Weatherization Program is fully staffed with an in-house crew and are still utilizing contractors to perform HVAC and Electrical work that we have to perform to the dwellings receiving services. We look forward to the future of the new contract year of CKCAC’s weatherization program to progress and better serve our 8 county service area.

Central Kentucky Community Action Council Wx program is fully staffed with a highly trained supporting and technical staff consisting of Denny Baxter Dwelling Needs Evaluator/QCI Josh Mattingly Crew Leader, Ashley Hines Retrofit Installer, Aaron Haycraft Retrofit Installer, Tessa Hinton Retrofit Installer, and supporting staff Barbara Garrett Accounting/Weatherization Assistant. We would like to say a huge thank you to all WX staff for their dedication for improving the quality of work and the dedication to ensure the health and safety of all the clients we serve.

Central Kentucky Community Action Council 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.

Our goal with weatherization is to continue to reduce energy waste and assure the Health and safety of each client we serve through testing consisting of; aliening air and thermal boundaries, pressure diagnostics, heating system diagnostics, indoor air quality, and base load energy consumption diagnostics.

KY Works Keeps 27 Working through COVID-19

The Kentucky Works Program supports the Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (K-TAP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the following Kentucky counties: Anderson, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Franklin, Grayson, Hardin, Henry, Larue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble, Washington, and Woodford.

Covid-19 has had a significant impact on both of our programs. While there is a current state of emergency, the state of Kentucky has implemented a “Good Cause Exemption” where clients are not required to participate in the programs. This good cause exemption is currently in effect through 10-31-2020 but could very well be extended until the end of the year or later. Although many participants have chosen not to continue to participate at this time, we currently have 27 clients that are employed. Our Employment Specialists continue to follow up with each of these clients and track the hours they are working.

·        On the SNAP Employment and Training program we continue to reach out to these clients and complete assessments when they are referred to us.

·        We continue to stay in touch with employers and when we do get referrals we match the clients skills with the employer needs to have a good match. We call new employers each week and keep a current job listing for each county we serve.

·        In September we followed up with all of our Work Experience Program sites to see if they were open and able to place our clients. We normally have 134 sites in our 17 counties. However, as of September 17, only 22 were open and/or willing to accept referrals due to Covid-19 which makes placement of new clients difficult – but not impossible.

·        Our staff worked with the state of Kentucky to help with a survey of our clients in July through August. This survey was conducted on Kentucky Works Program clients ages 18-24. There were 130 clients that completed the survey. The survey discussed services provided by the program, how helpful they were, what other services could be provided, and what improvements could be made. The results were very positive and the clients showed appreciation for the help they receive in the program.

We continue to offer a wage subsidy program where if an employer hires one of our K-TAP clients they will be reimbursed for a portion of their wages during the first six month of employment. If you know a company willing to partner with the KY Works program, please contact Thomas Wheatley for more details at thomas.wheatley@ckcac.org.

GOOD(E) NEWS

October 2020 Edition

It is a time full of unknowns and disappointments.  Schools are closed. Events are canceled. The news is scary. The what-ifs are troubling. This is an unprecedented time, and we need unprecedented kindness.

This is truly Good News this month.  Kathryn Good (not Goode) writes a blog called “Inspire Kindness.”   Good asks in her blog, “How can you be kind and still protect yourself, your friends, and your family?”  Here are some ideas:

Be a good neighbor.  Check in with your neighbors to make sure they have what they need and let them know they have people that care. Be especially aware of elderly neighbors and people that live alone. You know all that technology we have – let’s use it like never before to truly connect.

Support local businesses. Order takeout or buy gift cards for later use. Send a Facebook message to remind them, that very soon, we will all be back out and about again to visit their business. Continue to give to your church and area nonprofits and give more if you can.

Remember the caretakers. Find a way to say thank you to health professionals and first responders. Post words of encouragement on their social media channels. If you have to go to the doctor’s office or hospital, practice grace and understanding if they are short on time, resources, or answers.

Be generous.  Don’t take more than you need when it comes to groceries and supplies. Or if you do buy extra, drop them off at police stations, fire stations, and emergency rooms. If you eat out, leave a bigger tip than usual.

Help people.  From hungry kids that are missing school lunch to people in demand-shifted jobs like restaurant workers and custodians, there will be people all over our communities that will be struggling. If you know them, think of what could help and reach out. If no one comes to mind, give to your local United Way or food bank; the needs these organizations will be addressing will be fierce.

These are great words to live by as Central Kentucky Community Action Council and our team change people’s lives every day.

More to come …………….. much more………

Spalding Strives for Eagle Scout Status

Kanyon Spalding, a current high school senior, has participated in Boy Scouts of America for many years. For the past year, he has been working on a social media “Stop the Bullying” campaign in order to achieve Eagle Scout status.


CKCAC has agreed to partner with Spalding to help disseminate his message to the local community. Spalding’s mission statement is to “feed the cause to stop bullying and just make everyone feel like they don’t have to hide who they are or who they want to be.”


Spalding has created a webpage that lists local mental health facilities that treat the symptoms of bullying, stress, depression, addiction, and other mental health issues that he says affect teens daily. Spalding encourages teens to “always remember that there is someone who cares!”


Spalding’s website and the local resources can be found by clicking here: www.nobullysallowed.webs.com