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Sep 03, 2023

United Way to hold their Day of Action

United Way of South Central Kentucky is a local nonprofit that has connections

United Way of South Central Kentucky is a local nonprofit that has connections with non-profits across the world which are all under the United Way umbrella. On Wednesday, June 21, they will hold a Day of Action for the purpose to recruit new members and work towards their main goal: strengthening communities.

United Way of South Central Kentucky represents the 10-county area around Lake Cumberland. They aim to serve the region in the areas of help, education, and financial stability.

Executive Director of United Way South Central Kentucky Crystal Cox says United Way has been a part of Pulaski County for nearly half a century.

"We’ve been serving the region for 51 years, so we’re definitely not new to our region, though a lot of people… don't have a clear understanding of what we do. But we hope to serve our region for many, many years to come," she said.

Cox said that COVID restrictions prevented the non-profit from performing many of its functions. Now that the restrictions have lifted, they’re focusing on getting the people around Lake Cumberland to better know each other and form connections.

"If you’re close with your neighbor, you feel more at ease. You feel safer in the neighborhood in which you live. We are that way across our whole region," said Cox. "We just feel that it builds a stronger, more compassionate, more connected and more impactful community and region."

The Day of Action is an event United Way has performed worldwide, but the South Central Kentucky branch is actually new to participating in the project.

Other United Way locations pick local parks to clean up or buildings to repair. Since South Central's United Way serves such a large area, Cox and the rest of the board felt it best to keep their Day of Action decentralized.

"We decided to do a social media campaign so it's something all ten of our counties can participate in," she said. "Nearly everyone in our community can participate in any way. There's no financial barrier. We try to keep it so flexible so there are virtually no resource barriers to somebody from being able to help or to be the beneficiary of someone else helping."

To participate people can connect with their communities and post pictures online with the hashtag #LoveYourNeighbor.

The rules are pretty loose. Cox says people just need to "do one thing to show those around them that they love them."

"It doesn't have to be your next-door neighbor," said Cox. "It could be anybody in your community, or maybe you can go to one of our other communities in the other counties we serve and help somebody there. We’re giving a lot of creativity and flexibility in this project. They can do anything from sharing a meal with their neighbor or maybe they can do their landscaping or gardening if they’ve had surgery or are older and can't do those things for themselves anymore. Or maybe it's as simple as ‘pay it forward.’"

People can register for the event here: https://uwscky.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?

This is so United Way can better keep track of how many people are participating.

People can also buy t-shirts here: https://sckydayofcaring.itemorder.com/shop/home/

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