United Way of South Central Kentucky is joining the efforts of the greater United Way Network on June 21 for the annual Day of Action! This year we are encouraging people across our 10-county region (Adair, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, McCreary, Pulaski, Russell, Taylor, and Wayne Counties) to take action and do something impactful on or around June 21!

Join us for the 2023 United Way “Day of Action” by showing how you #LoveYourNeighbor!
We’re encouraging you to do at least one thing to show love to those around you. This doesn’t have to be your next-door neighbor – we’re surrounded by neighbors and friends every day. Get creative and have fun!

Share your photos and stories on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram with #LoveYourNeighbor2023 #DayOfAction2023 #LiveUnited and tag us @UWSCKY.

Don’t forget to register for the event (so we can better keep track of the IMPACT this will have on our communities) by visiting: https://uwscky.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=815260

Don’t forget to order your shirt for the event by visiting:
https://sckydayofcaring.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Quick facts about Day of Action and United Way:

• United Way Day of Action is a snapshot of what United Way does all year long – mobilizing people around solutions to build stronger communities.
• Day of Action launched in 2008 as a coordinated, network-wide event on and around a single day to recruit new volunteers, inspire and engage existing supporters, tell our story and advance our objectives.
• United Way partners with dozens of global corporations committed to providing opportunities for their employees to improve the communities where they live and work.
• In the past, more than 325 United Ways in 16 countries informed, recruited, thanked, and engaged volunteers in their communities on Day of Action.
• Local United Way activities planned for Day of Action are as diverse as the communities they serve and address many priorities, especially in education, income and health.
• In 2023, United Way Worldwide will continue to encourage individuals and families on Day of Action to observe how their communities have changed during the pandemic and seek ways to solve new challenges that have emerged as we transition to a post-pandemic environment.

Governor Andy Beshear, Commissioner Ryan Quarles, Senate President Pro Tempore David Givens, Senate Minority Floor Leader Gerald Neal, and Other Elected Leaders Join United Way Advocates for the 10th Live United Day at the Capitol

FRANKFORT, KY – Advocates from across the Commonwealth convened in Frankfort Wednesday, February 15, for the 10th annual Live United Day at the Capitol. Advocates urged elected leaders to support United Way’s statewide Agenda for a Stronger Kentucky.

Advocates and speakers gathered in the Capitol Rotunda to kick off events with the Live United Day Rally, followed by panel discussions with elected officials on the state of early childhood and hunger in the Commonwealth.

Advocates are pushing for several legislative priorities, including:

• Increasing the availability of affordable, high quality early childhood programs, and supporting the early childhood workforce
• Out-of-school time programming for youth
• Universal support for college tuition assistance applications
• Improving access to safety net programs to help families stay on track to self sufficiency
• Addressing affordable housing and energy affordability
• Enhancing paid family leave for workers
• Addressing substance use with harm reduction tools and prevention

Live United Day at the Capitol was made possible with the support of Kentucky United Ways and their partners, including sponsors St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Anthem, Metro United Way and United Way of Greater Cincinnati.

For more information about the United Way Agenda for a Stronger Kentucky, visit http://uwky.org/advocacy

About United Way of South Central Kentucky
United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. On a worldwide level, United Way is supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors worldwide and $4.7 billion raised every year and is the world’s largest privately funded nonprofit. The United Way of South Central Kentucky services ten counties and supports twenty-five agencies, providing more than 71,000 instances of support each year. For more information about United Way of South Central Kentucky, please follow us on Facebook @UWSCKY or visit www.uwscky.org.

Somerset, KY – 12/07/2022 – United Way of South Central Kentucky launched a new literacy initiative called “Real Men Read” at Hopkins Elementary on December 7, 2022. Thirty-two men in our community volunteered to read to individual classrooms as part of this new program.

“We are excited to expand our impact on youth literacy through the Real Men Read program,” stated Crystal Cox, executive director for United Way of South Central Kentucky. “We also recognize that many students in our schools do not have positive male role models, so we hope this program is able to encourage students toward success through building positive relationships in the community.”

Volunteer readers have the opportunity to read in classrooms one session per month during December, January, February, March, and April. The books for the program are being provided by United Way of South Central Kentucky through a grant received from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Upon completion of each month’s programs, several copies of the book read that month will be donated to local public elementary school libraries.

“The students at Hopkins were so excited for the Real Men Read program! We are so blessed to have a community that values our children and is always looking for ways to get involved in their lives. All of the staff at Hopkins are appreciative of the time and commitment that our Real Men Read volunteers made with our students,” stated Dr. Hubert Schroer, Hopkins Elementary School’s principal. “After the volunteers left, many students continued asking questions about how they can emulate their new role models and how to be successful like them. Somerset Independent School District is very fortunate to have so many supporters that invest in our children.”

The first book used for the program was Pete the Cat Saves Christmas. In January volunteers will resume monthly reading sessions with additional books from the Pete the Cat series. United Way of South Central Kentucky hopes to continue and expand the Real Men Read program in the coming years.

About United Way of South Central Kentucky
United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. On a worldwide level, United Way is supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors worldwide and $4.7 billion raised every year and is the world’s largest privately funded nonprofit. The United Way of South Central Kentucky services ten counties and supports twenty-five agencies, providing more than 71,000 instances of support each year. For more information about United Way of South Central Kentucky, please follow us on Facebook @UWSCKY or visit http://www.uwscky.org.

About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $219 million in grants, helping more than 16.1 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Cal Turner, Jr. founded the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to honor his grandfather and Dollar General’s co-founder, J.L. Turner, who was functionally illiterate having dropped out of school in the third grade to support his family. The Foundation aims to provide support to schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations that seek to improve adult, summer, youth and family literacy initiatives.  To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, visit www.dgliteracy.org.

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Somerset, KY, October 11, 2022 – The local United Way (UWSCKY) is proud to announce another “clean” opinion audit for the 2021 calendar year.

Barry Daulton, CPA presented the audit Tuesday to UWSCKY staff and board members. UWSCKY Executive Director, Crystal Cox, said the audit was “unmodified” or “clean,” meaning it was the best type of audit the organization could have received.

“The board and our staff work hard to make sure we’re being good stewards of the funds that our donors want reinvested into local communities,” stated Reci Shook, sales director for the Courtyard by Marriott and current UWSCKY board president. “We are proud of the hard work and diligence of Paula and Crystal at keeping good records and making sure funds are used and recorded properly.”

Cox shared that despite challenging economic circumstances, there were no issues with the audit and that Daulton expressed his confidence in the organization’s fiscal decisions, even with lower revenue due to COVID-19 and economic concerns.

“We are definitely in challenging economic times, but I’m confident we will be able to continue the great work we’ve been doing for over fifty years, and that we’ll continue to increase our impact across the region,” stated Cox.

Additionally, UWSCKY has earned the 2022 Platinum Seal of Transparency with Candid, the world’s largest database of nonprofit organizations (formerly known as GuideStar). The Candid seal is the highest possible rating and indicates that UWSCKY exceeds nonprofit industry standards. This exceptional designation demonstrates the organization’s trustworthiness to donors and the public.

To learn more about your local United Way, visit www.uwscky.org or follow them on Facebook @UWSCKY.

About United Way of South Central Kentucky
United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. On a worldwide level, United Way is supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors worldwide and $4.7 billion raised every year and is the world’s largest privately funded nonprofit. The United Way of South Central Kentucky services ten counties and supports twenty-five agencies, providing more than 71,000 instances of support each year. For more information about United Way of South Central Kentucky, please follow us on Facebook @UWSCKY or visit www.uwscky.org.

Candid 2022 Platinum Seal

United Way of United South Central Kentucky plans to register voters in Somerset, KY to celebrate the national holiday.

Somerset, KY, September 14 – On September 20, 2022, Americans will celebrate National Voter

Registration Day with a massive cross-country effort to register voters ahead of the hotly

contested midterm elections.

Every eligible American voter should have the option to exercise their right to be heard at the

ballot box, and National Voter Registration Day is the right day to start by getting registered.

Communities across the country, in all 50 states and D.C., are planning to use National Voter

Registration Day to get registered and get #VoteReady.

2022 also marks National Voter Registration Day’s 10th anniversary.

Thousands of national, state, and local organizations and volunteers will be the driving force behind National Voter Registration Day 2022. Partner organizations will coordinate hundreds of National Voter Registration Day events on and offline nationwide, and leverage #NationalVoterRegistrationDay and #VoteReady on social media to drive attention to voter registration.

United Way of South Central Kentucky is proud to be a National Voter Registration Day partner. On September 20, United Way of South Central Kentucky will engage its community and register voters at the following event:

National Voter Registration Day Event at the Pulaski County Public Library, 3:30-6:30 p.m. with door prizes, refreshments and giveaways

Additional information: https://fb.me/e/2nx7RBOKV

The effort’s website, NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org, provides a listing of National Voter Registration Day events across the country, in communities and held virtually. It also includes comprehensive and state-specific resources on all things voter registration and voting more generally. Founded in 2012, National Voter Registration Day is designed to create an annual moment when the entire nation focuses on registering Americans to exercise their most basic right – the right to

vote. Nearly 4.5 million Americans have registered to vote on the holiday since the inaugural National Voter Registration Day.

For inquiries about National Voter Registration Day, please contact: Crystal Cox, United Way of South Central Kentucky.

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United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. On a worldwide level, United Way is supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors worldwide and $4.7 billion raised every year and is the world’s largest privately funded nonprofit. The United Way of South Central Kentucky services ten counties and supports twenty-five agencies, providing more than 71,000 instances of support each year. For more information about United Way of South Central Kentucky, please follow us on Facebook @UWSCKY or visit http://www.uwscky.org.