Category: Newsletter

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………

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

Early Head Start (HS) students have been attending school in-person already with no known issues related to COVID-19. We are busy preparing for other facilities to allow children to come in person soon too. Enrollment in HS has fluctuated a bit and some families are still opting to attend virtually, but those families have been given tablets with WIFI to use for remote learning.

The Lebanon and Springfield HS facilities are projected to be complete by the second quarter of 2021. We are so excited to open these facilities to our HS students. Head Start is working vigorously to provide high quality health and wellness to all students and faculty. Each center is being provided with education style exercise equipment. While utilizing this equipment throughout the day, we project a decrease in adverse behaviors and an increase in academic ability.

Congratulations to Jane Wilmouth and Diane Stillwell who both passed and received their CDL licenses. If you are interested in becoming a HS Bus Driver, please submit an application and resume today to Debbie Fisher at debora.fisher@ckyhs.org.

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.