KentuckianaWorks Foundation
The KentuckianaWorks Foundation promotes and assists the activities of KentuckianaWorks, Greater Louisville's Workforce Investment Board. The Foundation's goal is to raise funds and coordinate efforts that encourage residents in the seven-county KentuckianaWorks region to raise their educational attainment levels.
The Foundation raises money for three area educational and career support organizations – the KentuckianaWorks College Access Center (KCAC), the KentuckianaWorks Youth Career Center in Jefferson County and the WIRED65 Regional Workforce Partners.
KentuckianaWorks College Access Center
The KentuckianaWorks College Access Center (KCAC) is a One-Stop Center focusing on college access. It provides financial aid, educational and career counseling to adults and youth in the Louisville region and in Southern Indiana. A division of the KentuckianaWorks Foundation, KCAC is primarily funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Federal TRIO Programs.
Free KCAC services include assistance in completing financial aid forms and career assessments, help in selecting a postsecondary institution, counseling to rehabilitate defaulted student loans, Internet use for college information and scholarship searches, and computer use to prepare for the ACT and SAT. The vast majority of KCAC customers are low-income, first-generation college entrants. The number served has increased 25 percent in the past two years, in large part because KCAC partners effectively with One-Stop Career Centers and community-based organizations to identify new customers.
Why are KCAC services so important to the region? Low educational attainment remains a significant barrier to the region's economic development. Several years of data indicate that the region continues to lag behind its key economic competitors on important indices. The Louisville area has the highest percentage of adults who have only a high school degree (34%) among its peer metro regions. Postsecondary institutions reported only slight growth in enrollment and degrees awarded from 2006 to 2007. The region ranks last among peer metros in the percentage of adults with a bachelor’s degree. The work of KCAC has never been needed more than now to help more of our citizens be successful in postsecondary education.
Your donation to KCAC will help support its mission of providing "Greater Louisville's youth and adults, particularly those that are underrepresented in higher education, the information and resources necessary to achieve their postsecondary educational goals." Keep in mind that your donation to KCAC not only helps individuals reach their goals, your generosity also contributes to making the Greater Louisville area a better place for all of us to live and grow.
“I would definitely recommend KCAC. They can help you if you're lost and don't have any idea how to start college. They can help with filling out forms and finding financial aid. They're the best option for help to go back to college.”
Alan Jimenez, a student at the University of Louisville's
Speed School of Engineering
KentuckianaWorks Youth Career Center
The KentuckianaWorks Youth Career Center in Jefferson County offers high school drop-outs between the ages of 16 and 21 a fresh beginning. The Youth Career Center has positively affected the lives of hundreds of youth by giving them a chance to earn a GED, improve their academic skills, find a job and enter postsecondary education.
Last year, the KentuckianaWorks Youth Career Center, produced impressive results – the Youth Career Center served 331 new clients, 91 obtained their GED, 240 had measurable learning gains on the TABE test, 161 were placed into employment, and 80 enrolled in college or other training.
Obviously, the Youth Career Center is filling a huge void for the region's young people. As the demand for services increases, so too does the need for additional resources to support them. The entire community benefits from this program. Employers are getting skilled employees, more young people are realizing their potential, and Greater Louisville gains more engaged, productive citizens.
Your contribution will help more people realize their dream of an education, a good job and a flourishing future. Read about the experiences of two young adults who received financial assistance with college from the Youth Career Center by clicking here.
“Never approach success with a bad attitude. The fact is that you will never succeed without someone's help. Go back (to school) with the want and need for a better tomorrow.”
Corey Jones, KentuckianaWorks Youth Career Center Program Graduate
KentuckianaWorks: SummerWorks
The KentuckianaWorks: SummerWorks program is making a difference in Louisville -- one youth at a time. By providing quality summer job opportunities to Louisville-area young adults, ages 16-21, the SummerWorks program is helping decrease the near-record teen unemployment rate and helping young adults learn first-hand about the world of work.
Last year, with no available federal or state funding to help operate a summer jobs program for local youth, Mayor Greg Fischer asked community leaders to finacially support the summer jobs for youth in the community. KentuckianaWorks: SummerWorks 2011 was created. Contributions for 2011 came from 17 individuals, businesses and foundations who donated a total of $400,000. Mayor Fischer committed $100,000 in the Metro Government budget for the program, and 11 councilmembers used $16,500 from their Neighborhood Development Funds to help hire the youth.
Plans already are under way to find community funding and business leaders to employ youth for summer jobs
in 2012. Click here to learn more about how you or your business can support SummerWorks2012 through donations and summer jobs for young adults. A donation of $2,500 will place a young adult in a meaningful summer work experience at a nonprofit organization.
For more information, contact KentuckianaWorks at (502) 574-2500. Scroll down this page to find out how to make a tax-deductible donation.
WIRED65 Regional Workforce Partners
In February 2011, the WIRED65 Regional Workforce Partners received a $300,000 federal grant to provide training opportunities and career support over the next two years for jobseekers and adults already working in health care and health enterprises, food and beverage production, and automobile manufacturing, repair and supply jobs in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The grant will support the expansion of work in the WIRED65 region, which includes the 26 counties in both states along the Interstate 65 corridor.
The grant will be used to help reduce training and recruitment costs for local employers while preparing jobseekers and current employees for more stable, sustainable careers through education and training. The goal is to ensure that current and future workforce needs in the 26-county region will be filled by local, qualified jobseekers or current workers.
As of Aug. 31, 2011, the WIRED65 Regional Workforce Partners has raised $275,000 in local contributions to match the $150,000 for the first year of the grant. Donors include the Brown Foundation, the Gheens Foundation, the Chase Bank Foundation, PNC Bank, Making Connections Louisville and the Community Foundation of Louisville. KentuckianaWorks, Greater Louisville’s Workforce Investment Board, will administer the two-year grant. Click here to view the presentation.
Click here for more information about the WIRED65 Regional Workforce Partners and to get contact information for Cindy Read, director, Sector Strategies.
Tax Exempt Status
The KentuckianaWorks Foundation is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt, non-profit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, donations to the Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law. Its Federal Employer I.D. Number is 37-1508088.
Make a Donation
Corporate and individual donations of every size are welcome.
Please send your check to:
The KentuckianaWorks Foundation
Attn: Michael Gritton
410 W. Chestnut, Suite 200
Louisville, KY 40202
Contact Michael Gritton for more information at (502) 574-3069 or Michael.Gritton@kentuckianaworks.org.