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Governor Andy Beshear last week said that 2022 was a strong year for tourism, with the industry generating more than $12,9 billion in economic impact across the commonwealth.

Tourism on the local level also had a strong year.

“For Hardin County, tourism accounted for 2,472 jobs,” said Elizabethtown Tourism Director of Marketing Krysta Souleyrette. “The labor income from those jobs was $69.51 million in Hardin County. In state and local taxes, tourism generated $26.7 million, and visitors spent $335.57 million in 2022 in Hardin County.”

Souleyrette says tourism numbers for the county represent both a rebound from the pandemic as well as improvement from pre-pandemic numbers.

“Visitor spending increased 12 percent over 2019,” said Souleyrette. “Since 2019 was really the last normal year pre-pandemic, we used this to kind of gauge, and pretty much everything was up. So we’re really pleased with these numbers and excited to continue the growth in 2023.”

More information on tourism statistics for 2022 can be found at www.kentuckytourism.com.

CASA of the Heartland held their largest annual fundraiser, the Farm to Fork event, at the Venue at Highland Sod Farm Saturday, and over 180 attendees helped make the night a successful one.

“With the team effort from our volunteers, our staff, our community supporters, and our sponsors we were able to raise $69,246 with our Farm to Fork event this year,” said CASA of the Heartland Executive Director Michelle Kail.

The event featured live entertainment, live and silent auctions, and a meal featuring locally-grown, farm-fresh dishes from local farmers, prepared by chef Tony York from Tony York’s on Main in Glendale.

Kail says the money is a big show of support for CASA of the Heartland’s mission.

“It’s about $2,800 to provide advocacy for one child for an entire year, and so we are able to continue those efforts with the funds that we raise,” Kail said.

In addition to fundraising, the event is an opportunity to provide outreach on what CASAs do, and find new people to join the cause.

“We had at least three new volunteers that maybe from hearing the testimonial at our event and learning a little bit more about the organization, we did receive three new volunteer applications following the event,” Kail said. “We’re really excited about that so that we can get those wait list numbers down because we do always need volunteers.”

CASA of the Heartland recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers who serve as court-appointed special advocates on behalf of abused, neglected, and dependent children in Hardin and now LaRue counties. For more information, visit www.casaheartland.org or call 270-982-2274.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College President Dr. Juston Pate says when students are forced to stop their academic pursuits at the college it is rarely due to academic reasons.

“It’s really and truly those non-academic life barriers that pose those problems that seem insurmountable, and just prevent continuation toward a better life,” Pate said.

Pate says a survey of students found that 38 percent of them ran out of money six times over the course of the academic year.

“That’s what we are working to overcome, and the talent level of these folks that we’re talking about is immense,” Pate said. “The talent is there. We just have to find ways to focus that talent and channel that talent to something other than survival mode.”

ECTC hopes to eliminate one of the biggest barriers, housing, as they and partner organization Family Scholar House announced Friday the Home for Hope Campaign, a fundraising effort to secure the last $1.5 million needed to construct a $14.8 million 48-unit apartment complex on ECTC’s campus. Beginning in 2025, the complex will provide student partners with housing while they complete their education and build a better life for themselves and their families.

ECTC says Family Scholar house has provided more than 700 students with services the college is not able to provide. Those services support students like Lacy Sallee, a single mother pursuing her associate’s degree in applied science.

“It’s knowing that I have people willing to be there to show me how to work through my issues and to get things done not for me but to teach me how to do it for myself,” Sallee said. “I want to become something that my children can look up to, and I want to have a career doing something I can wake up and look forward to doing every single day.”

Pate says the project will have an impact on ECTC for years to come.

“It’s not just a solution for 48 families,” Pate said. “It’s a solution for 48 families at a time until they get their degree, then we have programs to get them transitioned into stable housing. It’s a long-term, multi-phase, multi-generation, multi-participant program.”

To learn more or to donate, visit www.ectcforbetterlives.com.

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