Pulaski one of three counties in state to receive grant

By SUSAN WHEELDON, CJ Staff Writer
Commonwealth Journal

March 28, 2008 04:07 am

— Pulaski County was one of only three counties in the state to receive a grant to implement the Ready, Set, Success program to potentially help children in the community.
The grant is a pilot project allowing communities which receive the grant to look at their current services and see how they can become more child-friendly, according to Marla Montell, commissioner of the Department for Human Support Services.
The money Pulaski County received for this program is $12,000.
Pulaski County Judge-executive Barty Bullock said when he heard about the grant, which fiscal court had to apply for, he decided it would be a good thing for the county to try for.
“My interest is in kids, young people and families,” said Bullock. “This is something I thought would be a way to help.”
The Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency, Inc., then applied on behalf of the Pulaski County Fiscal Court and was awarded one of only three grants in the state by the Governor’s Office for Local Development (GOLD) for the Ready, Set, Success Program to ensure children are born healthy and nurtured.
“It would be wrong for me to not look into this kind of thing,” said Bullock. “After all, our children are our future and if we don’t take advantage of programs, the future of our county might be in jeopardy.
“My main goal is to try and help people,” added Bullock.
The agency will develop a council which will be made up of members of community organizations to address the advancement of services for children throughout Pulaski County. The council will then conduct a comprehensive assessment of community resources, hold public forums and conduct surveys to determine community needs and compile and analyze data related to all facets of child well-being.
From there the council will create a comprehensive plan to make the best of the available resources.
The program will target current gaps in services and guide decisions and resource allocations for overall improvement of child welfare for years to come in hopes of ensuring children are born healthy, nurtured, remain healthy, remain safe and are prepared to succeed in school and life.
In 2006 the Kentucky Kids Court Report found that that one in four children in Pulaski County are living in property. The same report also indicated that over 950 cases of abuse and neglect were reported in 2005, and at that time, Pulaski County ranked 110th in terms of successful student transition into adult life and 94th out of 120 counties in overall child well-being.
“There are massive services, but sometimes we don’t communicate well,” said Bruce Brown, executive director of the Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency, Inc.
Brown said hopefully through the report the gaps will be able to be closed.
Within the next few weeks the Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency plans to form a council, which will be made up of members of the community who work with children. The council which will meet for the next three months in the Hall of Fame room at Somerset High School.
“Once we get our plan together, hopefully there will be more funding to put this plan into action,” said Brown.

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