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Kentucky voter registration sees another surge ahead of registration deadline

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The primary election is one week away, and voter registration saw another surge.

The Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office says 9,883 new voters were added to the rolls ahead of the April 20 registration deadline.

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, Republican registration in April increased by 3,915 voters, independent or other registration increased by 1,725, and Democratic registration increased by 1,168 voters. Republican registration makes up 48 percent of the state electorate, Democratic registration makes up 41 percent, and independent or other makes up 11 percent.

The Secretary of State’s Office says 3,146 voters were removed from the rolls in April. 2,432 were deceased, 205 moved out of state, and 366 were convicted felons.

In-person excused absentee voting continues Tuesday and Wednesday. In-person no-excuse absentee voting, also called early voting, will be available Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Polls will be open on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Anybody who received a mail-in absentee ballot must have it physically delivered to their county clerk’s office by 6 p.m. on Election Day.

Find more election information at govote.ky.gov or by contacting your county clerk’s office.

Area nonprofits seek support on KY Gives Day

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Area nonprofits will be looking for extra support Tuesday as they participate in KY Gives Day.

“It is a chance for area nonprofits to showcase all the great work that they do throughout the year in giving back to the community, and it also makes it a very easy way for the community to give to them through the online portal,” said Central Kentucky Community Foundation Communications Coordinator Erin Hahn.

The online portal is open at www.kygives.org through midnight.

Multiple opportunities for matching donations and prize donations will be available throughout the day, meaning even a small donation can make a large impact.

“Throughout the last 11 years, these organizations regionally, so this is in our nine-county region that CKCF works with, we’ve raised over $1 million dollars,” Hahn said. “Just last year it was over $200,000, so those $10, $20, and $5, they do really add up, which is fantastic.”

Visit www.kygves.org to make a donation, or to see the nonprofit leaderboard and match or prize opportunities.

PinkDot Project promoting mission during National Period Poverty Awareness Week

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Dr. Shannon Holt, who with support from the Central Kentucky Community Foundation’s Heels Together Initiative spearheaded the creation of the PinkDot Project, says two in five women in the United States cannot afford their own period supplies, something that has become increasingly problematic as costs have risen.

“One in four students can’t afford their supplies, and these students and women, they’re missing school, they’re missing work, and when you can’t go to school and can’t get your education and when you can’t go to work and you can’t pay your bills, it is just kind of an increasingly problematic situation,” Holt says. “Add to that the fact that Kentucky is one of 18 states that still taxes period products as luxury items, and as such they are subject to sales tax.”

The PinkDot Project allows area residents to donate period products for women and girls who cannot afford them. With this week being National Period Poverty Awareness Week, now is a good time to support the project.

“We’re inviting everybody to fill the bins at our 17 drop locations all over the county,” says Beth Avey with the Heels Together Initiative. “We’re also having proclamation signings at Elizabethtown City Council, Radcliff City Council, and Hardin County Fiscal Court, and Vine Grove did it this week for us.”

Products collected in the bins are donated to area schools, churches, and organizations to support women and girls.

“You can drop products in any one of these bins,” Avey says. “You can go to our webpage on the Central Kentucky Community Foundation’s website, and you can shop the Amazon Wish List. You can make a cash donation, and we’ll go shopping for you, or you can host a drive yourself. We’d love to have you take a bin and encourage your customers or your employees to help end period poverty.”

Learn more by visiting the Heels Together Facebook page or www.ckcf4people.org.

Foster home numbers down nearly 50 percent from last year

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Heritage Children Services Home Resource Coordinator Jessy Jefferson says Kentucky, and the nation as a whole, is seeing a major shortage in available foster homes, with numbers down nearly 50 percent from last year.

“These kids need safe places, and when these kids suffer, all of our community suffers,” Jefferson says. “They need to be somewhere safe where someone can guide them, give them direction, where they can get services, where they can get therapy, because we do therapeutic foster care here.”

Jefferson says some potential foster parents are afraid they will be largely on their own taking care of children in need. She says in addition to covering training for foster parents, there are multiple systems of support in place.

“These kids get free medical from the state,” Jefferson says. “They get free therapy services. We give money to help take care of them, to take care of their basic everyday needs. There’s just tons of support that already sets you up for success.”

Jefferson says if you are unable to provide a foster home space at this time, you can still support children in need by helping to spread the word.

“We really just need people,” Jefferson says. “Even if you can’t be a foster parent, if you’ve got a business, partner with us so that we can get the word out. We can do an event, set up something where you’re at, I can bring some stuff to hand out, give people information. These kids need us. They really do. If you have a church, we’ll partner with you. I want to partner with law enforcement.”

Learn more by contacting Heritage Children Services in Elizabethtown at 270-506-3766 or by visiting www.heritagechildrenservices.com.