Just one day can truly be critical start

Published 10:23 am Friday, June 16, 2017

It is not too late to take action — with a capital A.

There is still time to sign up for the United Way of the Bluegrass’ Community Day of Action June 21. The regional event is a way for people to get involved with nonprofit partners by volunteering and helping out one day of the year.

The project builds community and builds character.

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Here locally, the Clark County Community Services will be the launch site for a local project from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday.

The organization still needs 15 volunteers to clean out, paint and install shelving units in the Renovation Station. They also have a couple of hallways that need to be painted along with general work elsewhere.

Volunteers are asked to dress in work-appropriate clothing that is comfortable and can get dirty.  This will be an all-day volunteer project but children are welcome to volunteer with the supervision of a parent or guardian. Volunteers are urged to bring tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, power drills, etc.

Clark County Community Services is the primary source for aid for families in crisis in the county. Since 1975, CCCS has been helping provide food, clothing, shelter and utility assistance.

So it is one good organization helping another.

United Way of the Bluegrass has its Big Bold Goal, which is to make 10,000 more families self-sufficient by 2020. To do that the organization focuses on what they consider four pillars of success: basic needs, student success, school readiness and financial stability.

Basic needs describe the mission to help provide resources and necessities to more than 20,000 children here in Central Kentucky who live at or near the poverty level.

School readiness is all about initiatives to improve the quality of childcare, family support and early intervention so more students are prepared to enter kindergarten.

That leads to student success. Two in five high school graduates are not ready for college or a career and United Way of the Bluegrass wants to bridge that gap by emphasizing that education is the primary foundation.

The final pillar is financial stability, which is focused on investing in economic empowerment so low-to-middle income families have the resources and support to meet basic needs and make an investment in a brighter future.

These pillars are all built on the concept that it takes one step at a time to achieve success. That first step starts with a Day of Action June 21.

About Whitney Leggett

Whitney Leggett is managing editor of The Winchester Sun and Winchester Living magazine. To contact her, email whitney.leggett@winchestersun.com or call 859-759-0049.

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