Southern Kentucky Update

On September 24, Southern Kentucky KFTC members came together for their regular monthly chapter meeting with many big updates and even bigger plans for the next few months.

Steering Committee representatives updated members on the recent steering committee retreat held in Whitesburg, which provided both an orientation to newly elected representatives and an exciting start to our Fall Fundraising campaign. Several local members have agreed to participate in our Power Builders program, joining members all across Kentucky to celebrate KFTC’s focus on growing a healthy democracy as we raise funds, awareness, and members. To see how to join in this HUGE event, visit our KFTC POWER BUILDER page.

The Community Farmers Market has been an exciting area of our work as members have recently formed a local food initiatives workgroup that will continue and strengthen KFTC’s support of their efforts to provide fresh, local foods to more people in Bowling Green. Jeanie Smith has worked closely with CFM in getting the Double Dollars program up and going, where local residents receiving SNAP/EBT can actually receive double the amount of SNAP benefits they spend in the form of market dollars. The program has been a huge success! Members will also be canvassing local neighborhoods throughout October to inform residents of the CFM’s EBT program and their upcoming location change.

Our voting rights group discussed upcoming plans to sit down with Senator Mike Wilson on October 21, where we will explain the significance of House Bill 70 and encourage him to join the widely bi-partisan efforts to restore voting rights to former felons in Kentucky.  Voting rights work group members will be having strategy planning sessions in the coming weeks to continue planning. 

SOKY KFTC members continue to work closely with the Bowling Green Housing Coalition in the completion of the Barren River Renter’s Handbook, which was made possible through a community development grant from Western Kentucky University’s ALIVE Center. The handbook content is complete, and members are now awaiting translation into at least three languages as they begin planning upcoming workshops in collaboration with community partners.

A special thank you to Alan Smith, who represented KFTC in a well-attended panel discussion titled BEYOND DOMA: What the Recent Supreme Court decision means for Marriage Equality in Kentucky and Beyond. The event was sponsored by KY ACLU, BG Fairness, and several departments within WKU. Alan joined other panel experts in discussing key next steps in Kentucky, focusing on the importance of a strong grassroots presence in our communities. The Bowling Green Fairness group meets every second Monday of the month At WKU, in T.C. Cherry Hall, Room 203A. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. 

Other updates included the completion of our summer fundraising and the success of our first ever SOKY KFTC Family Yard Sale and Lemonade Stand. In only 3 days, members raised over $580. Thanks to all those who donated their time, belongings, cash, and even their children (who made fantastic lemonade servers!)

The Southern Kentucky Chapter of KFTC meets at 6 p.m. every 4^th Tuesday of the month at The Foundry Christian Community Development Center on 531 West 11^th Street in Bowling Green. Our next meeting is Tuesday, October 22. We welcome new faces and encourage the public to attend.