Markham, Paul N.

Spaulding, Aurelia

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Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®ALIVE Center Publications ALIVE Center for Community Partnerships12-1-2007WKU Regional Forums Assess NeedsPaul N. MarkhamWestern Kentucky University, paul.markham@wku.eduAurelia SpauldingWestern Kentucky University, aurelia.spaulding@wku.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/alive_pubPart of the Social and Behavioral Sciences CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in ALIVE Center Publications by anauthorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Recommended CitationMarkham, Paul N. and Spaulding, Aurelia, "WKU Regional Forums Assess Needs" (2007). ALIVE Center Publications. Paper 7.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/alive_pub/7Building Partnerships to Strengthen Communities Across Central KentuckyDecember 2007 Volume 2, Issue 4WKU Regional Forums Assess NeedsPage 2Nonprofit CalendarS-L WorkshopKaleidoscope ProgramsPage 5Fighting Childhood ObesityKaleidoscopePage 4Long-term CareOmbudsmanProgramPage 3Foster GrandparentProgramThe staff of the ALIVE Center are proud to announce that the regional stewardship forums were a success! We were able to connect with over 170 community leaders throughout our 27-county region of Central Kentucky to hear about needs and challenges in their respective communities. Forum participants sited hundreds of needs that impact the quality of life for citizens across the region. Broad, recurring areas of need reported at the five forums included (but were not limited to) nurturing communities, education, healthcare, economic development, and environment. Information collected at the forums has been analyzed and presented in a summary document for forum participants. The next phase of the regional stewardship process will involve the creation of a Regional Stewardship Advisory Council. The advisory council will look at the needs that were identified through the initial phase of the regional stewardship process, and provide input concerning how WKU resources can be directed towards addressing the priority needs. After an assessment of how WKU resources can be utilized to help address regional needs, we will then construct a roadmap of how to start addressing priority needs through campus and community partnerships. We look forward to the work that lies ahead of us as part of the Regional Stewardship program. The “real work” of building partnerships and connecting with community members across all traditional boundaries is an exciting next step in the regional stewardship process. We envision many great minds from many different sectors of the community working together to find creative and viable solutions to our region’s most pressing challenges.  If you are interested in receiving a copy of the summary document mentioned above, contact Paul Markham at paul.markham@wku.edu or 270.782.0082.ALIVE Page 2In the CommunityNonprofit Community CalendarDecember-February12/1 Landmark Association Christmas Tour of Homes12/1 Kentucky Library & Museum Christmas in    Kentucky12/2 VSA arts of Kentucky Holiday Open House12/6 Bowling Green Western Symphony Orchestra    Holiday Pops12/8 Riverview at Hobson Grove Victorian Christmas   Candlelight Tours12/10 NAMI Christmas Party12/10 Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra A Steve Green   Christmas1/14 Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra That Italian!1/25 Family Enrichment Center Funniest Kids Around1/28 Family Enrichment Center Buckets of Hope runs   through February 8th2/14 Riverview at Hobson Grove Victorian Valentine’s   Day Luncheon2/21 Bowling Green Western Symphony Orchestra    Sweethearts Concert2/28 Capitol Arts Youth Theatre Little Women-plays    runs through March 2ndPlease vist our website for more community events!www.alivebg.orgService-Learning WorkshopDear Community Partners,The WKU ALIVE Center for Community Partnerships would like to invite you to a one-hour. Information session on Monday, December 3rd highlighting our new Service-Learning initiative and how it can benefit your program. Program highlights include:- Defining Service-Learning;- Sharing examples of Service-Learning at other universities and how their programs have expanded services in communities across the United States;- Soliciting your input about what YOU see the role of Service-Learning is in Bowling Green-Warren County;- Fill out project information sheets for projects you need fulfilled in the Fall of 2008.The program will begin at 9:00 A.M. and will end promptly at 10:00 A.M. if you can attend, please RSVP to Cheryl Kirby-Stokes at 270-782-0653 or cheryl@alivebg.org.Refreshments will be served.Kaleidoscope Programming Times & LocationsL.C. Curry Elementary School 1350 Durbin LaneBowling Green, KY 42101Monday-Thursday 3:00p.m.-7:00p.m. Kaleidoscope Art TeamsHip Hop Music 101Meeting Times: Tuesday & Thursday 4:30p.m.-6:00pmOpen Studio: Monday 3:00p.m-6:00p.m.  Mentoring Artists: Gary Hook & Alan Sweeney Mural TeamMeeting Time: Monday  3:30p.m.-6:00p.m.Open Studio: Tuesday 3:30p.m.-5:30 pmMentoring Artists: Luella Pavey, Joanna Miller & Robin Heltsley Dance TeamMeeting Time: Monday & Thursday 5:00p.m.-6:45 pm Mentoring Artists: Zakyia Taylor & Candice FranceALIVE Page 3Community PartnershipsThe Foster Grandparent Program engages persons age 60 and over in volunteer service, targeting those with limited incomes, to help meet the financial need of the volunteer and the community need for assistance with children with special and exceptional needs. The program provides an opportunity for the Foster Grandparent volunteers to have a high quality experience that will enrich the lives of the seniors and supplement their income.Volunteers serve twenty (20) to twenty-five (25) hours per week, working one-on-one with children who have special and/or exceptional needs. Depending upon the child’s need, the Foster Grandparent would engage in activities such as:  sensory stimulation, language building, gross motor and fine motor skills development, as well as cognitive development, behavior modification, literacy skills and basic mentoring of the child. Most of the children and youth who receive assistance from a Foster Grandparent Volunteer are under the age of seventeen (17) and are served in non-profit facilities such as public school systems, Head Start Programs, non-profit child care centers or juvenile group home facilities.  Volunteers receive: a $2.65 per hour stipend; one meal each day of service; annual physical exam; mileage reimbursement; and additional insurance benefits. These benefits allow the income eligible senior to participate in the program without any cost to them. The increased financial stability allows the volunteer to pay for necessities such as food, medications, utilities and rent with greater ease and provides an opportunity for the volunteer to be one step closer to being self-reliant.  New volunteers receive (40) hours of Pre-Service Training before being assigned to assist a child.The training is specifically geared toward ensuring new volunteers are prepared to work with children who have “special” or “exceptional” needs and are provided with current and pertinent information relating to services for children. Volunteers also attend an In-Service Training each month which continues to teach awareness of children-related issues, as well as providing information about various community programs that could benefit the volunteer.  As a result of the program, isolation from the community by the senior population is reduced and awareness of available community resources is heightened. It also enables the seniors to remain physically and mentally active, which can improve their overall state of health.  The Foster Grandparent Program is sponsored by Community Action of Southern Kentucky. Program funds are provided by the Corporation of National and Community Service and the local United Way of Southern Kentucky.  For more information about the Foster Grandparent Program, contact Teresa Whitaker at 782.3162.Foster Grandparent ProgramALIVE Page 4Community PartnershipsVolunteers and staff with the Barren River Long Term Care Ombudsman Program make regular visits to area nursing homes, educate residents of their rights, help them find solutions to their problems, answers to their questions and resolution to their complaints. These citizens have been farmers, bankers, school teachers, homemakers, business leaders and laborers. Together they represent a wealth of experience and knowledge and continue to be valued members of the community. Ombudsmen deliver messages, solve problems, provide information and advocate for improved quality of life for nursing home residents.  The Barren River Long Term Care Ombudsman Program serves approximately 2600 elderly citizens who live in licensed long-term care facilities in the Barren River area. National statistics show that 50% of nursing home residents have no close relatives; 60% have no regular visitors, and only 20% will ever return home.  Volunteers provide nursing facility residents with a regular visitor. After attending a three-hour orientation, volunteer visitors are assigned to spend a minimum of one hour each week visiting residents at a specific facility.  Their goal is to get to know the residents, assuring them they are still valued and informing them about the services of the Ombudsman Program. Some volunteers choose to complete a comprehensive training course and become Certified Volunteers able to assist residents and resolvs the concerns that accompany everyday life in a long term care facility.  Problems volunteer handle range from cold food or accessing public benefits to serious issues of quality of care. Problems Ombudsmen have handled include: educating a granddaughter so she could negotiate a better pain management program for her grandmother; recovering lost glasses; being the voice for residents with no voice; providing information regarding appropriate placement, helping residents recover lost benefits, and much more. One resident expressed the importance of the program best. Her care needs required that she be moved three times. At each new facility she was comforted by the presence of a program representative who helped her through the transition. "Y’all come see me no matter where I am," she said. There is a need for at least 28 additional volunteers if the program is to adequately serve the 2,443 residents of nursing homes in the Barren River Area. The program is looking for people with compassion, objectivity, respect for older persons, and common sense. Training and mentoring is provided by the program staff.   Barren River Long Term Care OmbudsmanInformation regarding volunteer opportunities with the Barren River Long Term Care Ombudsman Program can be obtained by calling 1-800-355-7580.ALIVE Page 5Youth in the CommunityFighting Childhood ObesityBy the time school begins next year, middle and high school students in Bowling Green/Warren County will be carrying a discount card on healthy food items at local participating restaurants. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies has chosen Bowling Green, KY as the site of a national pilot project that offers incentives to young people for making health food choices at fast food restaurants. The discount cards will have the ability to log and store data relating to food purchases by youth, and reward points accrued by utilizing the card will translate into incentive items such as free music downloads, movie tickets, etc. The Healthy Weight Kids Coalition will work with students and faculty from Western Kentucky University during the spring semester to complete the necessary legwork for this project. We hope to have the discount card program active by the beginning of the school year in Fall of 2008. Healthy Weight Kids Coalition of Southern Kentucky is a coalition of local health-related professionals and organizations with the goal of preventing and treating the serious problem of overweight in children. For more information about the Healthy Weight Kids Coalition, visit www.healthyweightkids.org. Fall programming for Kaleidoscope Youth in Arts Program is up and going at the LC Curry Elementary School at 1350 Durbin Lane. Mostly recently, Kaleidoscope has turned its focus towards building positive relationships with community partners to provide more opportunities to underserved youth in Bowling Green.  The youth in Kaleidoscope participated in the International Festival’s Gallery Walk with an art show at Retrograde Studios. The show was a collaborative effort between the youth of Kaleidoscope and Bowling Green’s International Center. The theme of the mural project was Legends. This community mural paid homage to four legendary social justice heroes from across the world. On the following Saturday, Kaleidoscope then joined forces with the International Center once again with a youth booth at Bowling Green’s Annual International Festival.  Kaleidoscope  Upcoming Events 1.21.07Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration 7:30p.m-9:30a.m. MLK Breakfast @ Girls, Inc.Community march @ 10:00a.m. from Justice Center toState Street Baptist Church. Performances by Kaleidoscope at 11:00a.m.Contact Information: Lauren Cunningham, Program Director, lauren.cunningham@wku.edu or kaleidoscopebg@gmail.com Kaleidoscope Youth Programming & EventsVisit Kaleidoscope at www.wku.edu/kaleidoscope ALIVE CenterWESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY1818 31W BypassBowling Green, KY 42101Phone: 270.782.0082Fax: 270.782.0922www.alivebg.orgNONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGEPAIDPermit No. 398Bowling Green, KYWestern Kentucky University ALIVE CENTER for Community Partnershipswww.alivebg.orgOUR VISIONCitizens of Central Kentucky, from all sectors and backgrounds, value the place in which they live and act as stewards of the region by collaborating to create vibrant communities and enhance the quality of life in the Commonwealth.OUR MISSIONTo promote community development across Central Kentucky through campus and community partnerships. The WKU ALIVE Center now features offices at 1818 and 1824 31W ByPass in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

WKU Regional Forums Assess Needs

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WKU Regional Forums Assess Needs

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