The second Couples Workshop, sponsored by Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission’s Stronger Together Program, is scheduled for Saturday, February 28th from 6:00pm-8:30pm at the Word of Life Fellowship in Covington, Kentucky. This month’s Couples Workshop will feature a Poetry Jam session with a local poet, dinner, great conversation and fun with other couples. All couples invited to this free, fun, once in lifetime opportunity! Please call 859-581-6607 to register.
February 14, 2009
Getting ready for school
One of the most rewarding services we provide at NKCAC is our Head Start program. Head Start is funded primarily by the federal government, which allows us to provide a free, quality pre-school experience for low income 3 and 4 year olds. The early years are so vitally important for success in life, but many low income parents are not equipped to help their children during these critical years. Head Start not only teaches the kids, but we reach out to the parents, teaching them how to help their children succeed.
And Head Start works, too. Studies have shown that for every dollar spent on Head Start, $9 is returned in benefits to society. Children who attended Head Start have improved earnings, employment, health, and family stability. The experience less welfare dependency, crime, grade repitition, and special education. Pretty good benefits, huh? More information on the benefits of Head Start can be found on a fact sheet from the National Head Start Association that summarizes the study literature.
Head Start works best when the community is involved. That’s why we work with the school systems in the region to coordinate services and help ease the transition into kindergarden. We work with the Health Department and other health care providers to make sure the children have the screenings and medical and dental care they need to be healthy. We work with area colleges and universities to engage students in learning as they teach us to be better at what we do. We work with STRIVE and Success by Six so that the children have the best and most creative minds in the region working on their behalf. And there are the dozens of volunteers, donors and supporters who lend a hand in a variety of ways.
We can always use more help. More community involvement, more donations, more bright minds helping us help the 444 children we serve. Getting involved takes a phone call, 581-6607, or an email, and it takes you.
February 10, 2009
Local philanthrophy provides help for families in crisis
The Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission has received two grants totalling $36,775 from the Heat and Eat Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) to support emergency heat, rent and utility assistance for low-income residents in Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties.
The GCF established the Heat and Eat Fund to encourage their donors and the larger community to make contributions in response to emergency needs within the region and to improve the quality of life in our community. The additional grant comes from the community’s overwhelming response to GCF’s challenge. The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile / US Bank Foundation provided $7,500 of the second allocation, specifically to support emergency response efforts in Northern Kentucky.
Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission provides help for families in crisis through our network of neighborhood centers in the eight Northern Kentucky counties. Assistance may include food, utilities, rent or other assistance according to family needs and agency resources. NKCAC uses a combination of government grants, private funding and donations from individuals to provide the assistance families experiencing a temporary financial crisis need. For information on donating to the agency’s crisis assistance fund, check our website.
Staff work with families to help them learn to save money and plan their spending to avoid future crisis situations. In addition, the agency provides weatherization services to improve energy efficiency to lower utility bills, job training and job search assistance to increase opportunities for earning.
January 30, 2009
Spirit and Beauty: Friends and Mentors – an art exhibit by Fr. Jim Hesse
It is with great joy we bring the artwork of Father James Hasse, S.J., to the Community Action Gallery this February. Fr. Jim Hass, S.J. has ministered in African American Parishes for over thirty-five years. In Chicago, Detroit, Columbus and Cincinnati, friends and parishioners have been his inspiration and the models for his work.
The exhibit begins with the First Friday Gallery Hop in Covington on Friday, February 6, 2009 from 6pm until 9pm at the Community Action Gallery located at 717 Madison Avenue, Covington, KY. Refreshments and appetizers will be served.
At this exhibit Fr. Hasse wishes to honor Mr. Roman Johnson, deceased artist who was a friend and mentor in Columbus, Ohio. Many of his paintings are now in the Columbus Museum of Art, except for the few, which he gave him.
Fr. Jim’s most talented student was Larry Venzant, a young Chicago sculptor who was murdered shortly after high school. All these sculptures were done while he was still a teenager. “He quickly surpassed me, his teacher. Twenty years after his death, I am still awed at the spiritual depth and feeling in his religious sculptures.” said Fr. Hasse.
The third person exhibiting with Fr. Will is Carmen Bush, also a talented African-American artist friend who paints in a studio near his. Fr. Hasse said “Carmen’s colors and vitality constantly challenge me to loosen-up and become more colorful and spontaneous.”
“Along with these three friends my exhibit desires to thank and celebrate friends and neighbors who have given me and my art spirit and beauty, both as models for biblical and religious paintings and simply as beautiful ordinary people who are extraordinary in my life.” said Fr. Hasse.
Father Jim believes, almost literally, that we are The Body of Christ, God’s Work of Art, made in the image of God, Living Gospel, Living sacraments. He attempts in his art to give visual expression to these realities. Scripture furnishes his subject matter. The people furnish the soul and beauty. Father Jim furnishes the craftsmanship. This has been his approach over the years of art and parish ministry.
Father Jim said “I am very blessed to be able to unite my prayer life, my apostolic work and my art.”
In Chicago he has had solo exhibits at The Galerija, Loyola University, and University of Illinois Circle Campus. In Columbus, his work has been exhibited at the William H. Thomas Gallery, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Cultural Center, Ohio Dominican College, The Newman Center of Ohio State University, Mixed Media Gallery, and two branches of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. In Detroit he exhibited at the Sacred Heart Seminary. In Cincinnati he has exhibited in a variety of churches and at the Covington Cathedral Basilica Gallery.
In 2008, Fr. Jim received a special citation at a Canadian art exhibit. Special honor was awarded for his painting, The Lost Coin.
January 28, 2009
Free tax preparation for rural Northern Kentuckians
Good news is hard to find during these tough economic times but Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission is easing the financial burden for moderate income families by offering free tax preparation services.
Five county neighborhood centers will offer the service; Carrollton, Gallatin, Grant, Owenton and Pendleton Counties. You must call in advance to make an appointment in order to receive the free service.
The following items must be brought with you:
A copy of last year’s tax return.
Driver’s License / Photo ID.
All forms, W-2, 1098, 1099.
Information for other income.
ID # for childcare provider
Information for deductions / credits
Proof of account for direct deposit of refund (voided check)
Social Security & or ITIN cards for you, your spouse & dependents.
The dates and times for preparation are listed below:
Carrollton
220 7th Street, Carrollton, KY 502-732-5253
Tuesday, January 27th 1:00-4:00pm.
Friday, February 20th 10:00-3:00pm
Gallatin
432 West Main Street, Warsaw, KY 859-567-4660
Thursday, February 5th 10:00-3:00pm
Thursday, March 5th 10:00-3:00pm
Owenton
109 South Madison, Owenton, KY 502-484-2116
Friday, January 30th 10:00-3:00pm
Thursday, February 26th 10:00-3:00pm
Grant County and Pendleton County residents can call their NKCAC neighborhood center to make an appointment for tax preparation throughout the tax year:
Grant County—128 North Main St., Williamstown, KY 859-824-4768
Pendleton County—307 Barkley St., Falmouth, KY 859-654-4054
January 13, 2009
Fun and Free Couples Workshop
The Stronger Together Program will sponsor, the first of many monthly Couples Workshops beginnin Saturday, January 24th from 6:00pm-8:30pm at the Word of Life Fellowship Multipurpose Room. Each monthly workshop will include a dinner, great conversation and fun activities. Featured this month is Vicki Wells, Massage Therapist, demonstrating the techniques and art of massage. Any interested couples must register to attend, call Lori at 859-581-6607 ext. 2202.
Word of Life Fellowship is located at 2002 Greenup Street, Covington, KY
Stronger Together, a service of Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, provides low income families with children under six with the skills and knowledge they need to develop and maintain strong, healthy and committed relationships.
January 8, 2009
Opinions wanted
Every family needs and deserves support, and what each family needs to reach their goals and realize their dreams is different. That’s part of the reason that NKCAC conducts an annual Needs Assessment of low-income families.
Years ago, when Congress wrote the legislation that founded Community Action nationwide, they used the phrase “maximum feasible participation” to describe the relationship Community Action should have with the families we work with. Not exactly “Ask not what your country can do for you…” but the phrase is very meaningful to us. The idea is that Community Action partners with families, we ask questions, and our efforts match what families need, not just what we think they need.
If you consider your family to be low-income, please visit our website, www.nkcac.org, and take a few minutes to complete the Needs Assessment on the right hand side of the page.
If you consider yourself to be a concerened member of the community, perhaps a social service, government or business professional, and you’d like to provide some feedback about what you think the strengths and the barriers of low-income families are, please contact Jennifer Belisle, Community Services Director, at jbelisle@nkcac.org.
January 3, 2009
A work in progress
One of the newest services at Northern Kentucky Community Action is our YouthBuild program. It is part of a national model that provides young people, 16-24, with the opportunity to change their future. Participants, called Hired Hands, spend time working on their GEDs, learning construction skills through hands-on and classroom activities, and learning how to be successful members of their community.
The road is not easy for these young people. Many come with problems and barriers to success that most of us could not even imagine. But they stick with it and learn a lot about themselves in the process.
Of the thirty currently enrolled, seven have already achieved their GED certificates, thanks to a great partnership with the Newport Adult Learning Center.
The group is helping build a home for a low income family in partnership with HONK – Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky. And they are learning the importance of community service through a variety of projects with the Kenton County Parks, The Frank Duvenek Center, and the Carnegie Center for Visual and Performing Arts, to name a few.
It’s pretty amazing to watch the transformation these young people experience as they achieve success, learn new skills, and begin to have hope for a better future. Troubled kids can turn their lives around, and YouthBuild is proving that in Northern Kentucky.
How can you help these young people achieve success? We are always looking for motivational speakers and mentors for the Hired Hands. We are interested in developing more partnerships, particularly community services projects the Hired Hands can do for your nonprofit group. We need donations, too. Participants need work tools, safety boots, and work clothes as they get ready for employment. They also need bus tokens to help them get to class, work sites and job interviews. If you can help with any of these ideas, contact program director, Norm Solomon via email or by calling 859-655-2947.
December 21, 2008
The giving list
During the holidays, our hearts seem to be just a little bit larger. We are touched by the stories on TV or in the newspaper. We reach out to our neighbors, friends, family members in ways that are often uncommon the rest of the year. We respond to appeals for donations from charities like Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission.
This year, though, many are also affected by the recession, so maybe can’t give as much as usual. So, for you, I have compiled a list of things you can do this holiday season – and throughout the year – that cost very little, but that can give the giver as much satisfaction as the receiver.
- When you are searching the Internet, consider using goodsearch.com and designating your favorite charity (Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, of course!). We’ll get a penny or so everytime you search that way, and those pennies do add up.
- When you shop online, start at goodshop.com, designate us (or, gulp!, another charity) to receive a donation. Companies will designate a percent of your purchase to us. You pay the same, we get a donation. Sweet!
- Volunteer for something that you are passionate about. Do you love to read? Read to a Head Start classroom; teach an adult to read; donate your old books to someone who can use them (NKCAC?). Do you love sports? Volunteer to be a coach for a youth recreation team. They need all the help they can get. Do you love nature? Then volunteer to maintain trails in a park, lead nature walks, plant trees. The opportunities to serve are many, and the rewards are remarkable.
- Write a blog post (or comment on another blog) about your favorite organization, join their Facebook group, post a comment on their wall, or write a letter to the editor supporting their work. In short, help promote the importance of the work to the community. Of course, we hope you’ll choose to do that for NKCAC, but if your thing is the arts, or youth recreation, or the environment, do it for those organizations, too.
- If you own a cafe, bar, restuarant, coffee shop, candy store, etc. create a signature drink or dish and name it in honor of a favorite cause. The group gets a little publicity every time your customers see it on the menu and you get some credit for being community-minded. As an added bonus you could put a little blurb about the group on the menu. And if you’re REALLY feeling generous, you can give a % of the sale of each of those dishes to that organization. I can see it now, the “Reading Club” with proceeds going to Literacy in Northern Kentucky.
- Or you can donate cash, appreciated stocks (if you still have any in this economy), land, etc. to your favorite charities. Yes, I know this actually costs money, but it is so worth it for the organizations you choose – especially now when the need is so great. Be sure to be responsible about it, though. Check them out on the Better Business Buraeau’s Giving Guide; Guidestar.org, greatnonprofits.org, or networkforgood.org to make sure they are legitimate and worthy of your contribution.
- And if you choose NKCAC for your gift, you can send your donation to NKCAC; 717 Madison Avenue; Covington, KY 41011. Or you can donate online by visiting our the donation page on our website.
Happy holidays!
December 18, 2008
The digital transition is upon us!
On February 17, 2009 all full-power broadcast television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begin broadcasting only in digital. Digital broadcasting will allow stations to offer improved picture and sound quality and additional channels. Find out more about whether or not you will be impacted by the digital TV (DTV) transition. Go now.
There is a lot of confusion about who will be affected, so there will undoubtedly be lots more confusion when the analog signals are no longer available. If you are affected, you will need a converter box to allow you to view the new digital signal on your TV. There is a coupon program to help purchase the boxes, but they have to be requested from the government by December 31. Families likely to be affected are those who cannot afford, or do not choose, to have cable or satellite TV. On February 18, analog TVs will not be able to pick up the signal unless they have a converter box. (For cable and satellite subscribers, the cable/satellite box converts the signal to digital, so those TV’s connected to one of those boxes will not be affected.)
We are asking community members to order the coupons, even if you don’t need them, so NKCAC can have a supply available for families who may get caught unaware during the transition. I just requested mine on-line, and you can do that too, by clicking here. Or you can call 1-888-DTV-2009 to request your coupons (two per household). It’s very easy. As you get your coupons, if you don’t need them, send them to NKCAC, P.O. Box 931, Covington, KY 41012. Incidentally they will expire 90 days from the date they were mailed, so we won’t have much time to get them out to families.
It’s a very small thing, but it can mean a lot to an elderly or poor family. Send in those coupons!
