County To Receive Nearly $10K From United Way For Local Programs

Edmonson Voice Report:
United Way of Southern Kentucky announced today that it is investing a total of $9,979 in Education, Health, and Safety Net programs and services for its July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 funding period in Edmonson County. Eight local programs provided through five service providers will receive the allocated campaign dollars and donor designations.

To receive funding from United Way of Southern Kentucky, programs had to align with the four areas deemed most important by a community research project conducted by United Way that began in 2012 which included nearly 5,000 surveys, 55 Community Conversations, and large amounts of secondary data. The four broad areas of most concern were defined by the community as: Education, Income, Health, and Safety Net. Programs were also evaluated on the following IMPACT criteria: Innovative, Measured, Partnered/Collaborative, Accountable, Community-centered, and Transformative.

This includes an emphasis on programs that provide services within a best practices framework, that are collaborative and integrated into the fabric of other community education, income, health and safety net efforts, that consider the goals, needs and aspirations of the communities they serve, and that are innovative.

In October of 2021, organizations with programs impacting UWSK’s strategic imperatives in each of the defined Community Impact issue areas (Education, Income, Health, and Safety Net) were asked to submit a Letter of Intent indicating their desire to complete a full application request for funding. Across the region, 66 total Letters of Intent were submitted requesting funding. Upon review by the Letter of Intent Committee, 49 of those application that were submitted across the 10 county BRADD region were approved for funding.

Allocation dollars were determined based on the work of 97 volunteers working specifically in their home counties of Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson, and Warren. In total, $1,013,758 will be invested across the 10 county BRADD region as part of the 2021/22 funding cycle.

In EDMONSON COUNTY, $9,979 was allocated by volunteers led by Edmonson County Chairs Craig Browning and Jennifer Bostick as follows:

• EDUCATION: $5,508

Kindergarten Readiness:
Edmonson County FRYSC, Camp Kindergarten: $4,110
College & Career Readiness:
Junior Achievement, Prepared for Success: The JA At-Risk Elementary School Initiative: $1,398

• INCOME: $1,000

Workforce Development:
Southcentral Kentucky Adult Education Consortium, Edmonson County Skills U: $1,000

• HEALTH: $2,000

Access to Affordable Health Care:
Kentucky Legal Aid, Barren River Long Term Care Ombudsman: $700
Kentucky Legal Aid, Benefits Counseling: $300
Safe Home & Community:
Kentucky Legal Aid, Emergency Shelter & Crisis Aid to Protect & Empower (ESCAPE): $1,000

• SAFETY NET: $1,471

Access to Basic Needs:
Feeding America Kentucky’s Heartland, BackPack Program $1,000
Kentucky Legal Aid, Emergency Legal Assistance: $471