2023 Blockbusters at the Ballpark set to RETURN!

Fall 2023 Enrichment classes- NOW AVAILABLE!

 

 

Our Fall Enrichment class list appeared in the Daily News on Sunday, July 23.  You can also check out the full-page ad of our monthly class listings in the SOKY Happenings, you can find copies around town or here in our office.

Be sure to check our website at www.commed.us/taking-classes/ for the latest updates as we are always adding more classes. Our class offerings are a mix of online and in-person.

Remember, “it’s never too late to learn” so “live a little, learn A LOT!”

Memorial Day- Office CLOSED

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us and it is a time for all of us t honor and remember the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

With this federal holiday, our office will be CLOSED on Monday, but we will reopen on Tuesday at 8 a.m.

Have a safe holiday weekend.

 

VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION NAMES 2023 VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR

Volunteers in Action (VIA) recognized outstanding volunteers on April 16 at the 32nd annual Volunteers of the Year Awards. The event at the Bob Kirby Branch of the Warren County Public Library was sponsored by WNKY News 40, American Legion Post 23, and BGMU.

 

Anne Grubbs Spirit of Service Award

Linda Krutza, honored by Community Education

This award recognizes individuals who excel in quality, length, and spirit of service to others.

 

 

Linda serves on the Community Education Board of Directors, as the Chair of its Advisory Council, and on the planning committee for the 50th-anniversary celebration. She also is a steadfast supporter of events such as Blockbusters at the Ballpark, Stand for Children Day, Teen Angel, and the former fundraiser, Spellabration. She has volunteered in any role in which she could be of service to Community Education or the event.

Her service to the community also extends to Hope House, where she serves on their board and assists with their various events; the Institutional Review Board at Western Kentucky University; and her many years of service at Rich Pond Baptist Church. She has been a member of Rich Pond for 37 years and has given her time to the music, children’s, student, and adult ministries, as well as serving people all over the world through missions.

Linda is also a member of the VIA Executive Committee and the steering committee of Vision: a multi-agency council of Warren County.

Her drive and commitment to improving the quality of life for all in our community are why we recognize Linda Krutza.

 

 

This year’s other nominees were

Jerry Bray, honored by Community Action RSVP

 

Sandy Riley, honored by Kids on the Block

 

Ashlea Shepherd, honored by Debi Wade Jordan

 

David Smith, honored by Community Action RSVP

 

Stephanie Weckerly, honored by New Beginnings Therapeutic Riding

 

 

Team Spirit Award

First Christian Church Community Grocery, honored by Saturday Meals

This award recognize those groups who work together to provide volunteer service in the community.

 

The vision statement of the First Christian Church Community Grocery store states it “hopes to increase the number of relationships formed with the guests and neighbors” who visit the grocery. The mission statement describes how the church and grocery “walk alongside its neighbors with dignity, compassion, and respect while supplementing their food needs.”

FCC operated a food pantry for more than 20 years in downtown Bowling Green. However, in August 2021, the church decided to try a grocery store model for two weeks. Each guest was allowed to “shop” at no cost for the food items they wanted. Feedback from the trial was so positive that FCC moved to a permanent grocery model in October of that year.

They now offer each “neighbor” (their name for food recipients) the opportunity to shop for what they need and want. Adding fresh produce, milk, pet food, laundry detergent, and hygiene products created a more typical grocery shopping experience.

Volunteers are encouraged to be active listeners, make eye contact, have relaxed body language, not be in a hurry, and introduce themselves and invite the guests to do the same. Everything the volunteers at the Community Grocery do is designed to provide food items in an environment that serves those in need with dignity and respect. As such, we recognize First Christian Church Community Grocery as Saturday Meals’ Team Spirit Award honoree.

This year’s other nominees were

American Bank & Trust, honored by Community Education

 


The team of Patricia Brown and Dorothy Taylor, honored by Community Action RSVP

 


Leadership Bowling Green, honored by Kentucky Kids on the Block

 

Rookie Award

Judi Clark, honored by Community Action RSVP

This award recognizes an individual or group who is new to volunteering and starting their service with your organization during the last 24 months.

 

Nestled along the town square in the quiet town of Scottsville, there lies a church with an outpouring of resources. First Methodist Church member and RSVP volunteer, Judi Clark, operates the food pantry and hot meal kitchen through the church’s outreach ministry programs.

One of the ministries housed in the church is The Hand Up Food Pantry & Clothes Closet. This ministry offers shelf-stable items to qualifying residents, as well as clothing and household items for families. On average, the pantry serves 20-25 families each week in a community that, according to a Feeding America study, approximately 1 in 7 people (or 13.5 percent) are food insecure.

 

Also housed in the church is Open Hearts Café, which is open once a week for residents to come and enjoy a free, hot, home-cooked nutritious meal.
Judi also maintains a backpack program for homeless people.

As a retiree, Judi spends most of her days shopping for food, sorting donations, planning meals for the cafe menu, and operating the facilities while supervising volunteers and assisting clients with paperwork. From writing grants, securing funding and resources, to operating Christmas toy drives, Judi is dedicated to serving her community and making an impact on those in need. She has served more than 658 hours through both stations, influencing more than 1,630 hours of service from the volunteers who serve there.

 

 

 

 

This year’s other nominees were

Boy Scouts of America, Troops 705 and 1920, honored by Toys for Tots

 

Cindy Campbell, honored by New Beginnings Therapeutic Riding

 

Max Marley, honored by Kentucky Kids on the Block

 

Spirit of Community Award

Starbucks

This award is selected by the Executive Committee of Volunteers in Action and recognizes an organization or business that merits special recognition for its volunteer service in the community.

 

Many people recognize that Starbucks as a corporation gives back globally in significant ways, but the local store on Scottsville Road makes a tremendous impact on the Bowling Green-Warren County community in a million little, and not-so-little, ways.

Of course, coffee leaps to mind as the logical donation that Starbucks provides to nonprofit events to keep folks chugging along at elementary, middle, and high schools for teacher appreciation week; fall festivals; track meets; swim meets; pancake breakfasts; Muffins with Mom; Doughnuts with Dad, and more. They donate to Empty Bowls’ fundraiser for food pantries, for United Way events; Volunteers in Action; Vision: a multi-agency council; and to keep those runners and walkers warm at the Run/Walk for Children, the Medical Center’s 10k Classic, and the March of Dimes Walk for Babies.

They also donate tasty treats shared in massive quantities in their booths at fundraisers such as the Hospice Chocolate Festival and the Taste of Bowling Green.

Starbucks does not only donate their goods, but the Scottsville Road store also provides volunteers and space for fundraising events. In addition to being a vendor for Relay for Life, they also man (or woman!) a team for the event.  For 11 years running they have hosted the Teen Angel Donation Blast on the first Friday in December to raise money for teenagers who need Christmas assistance.  They provide coffee and treats for volunteers who work the Blast as well as those who donate to the cause.

They built and run a mini food pantry behind their store. They encourage community members to drop off donations of food and personal hygiene products, but the staff keep the mini pantry clean, organized, and stocked.

Although most people don’t know it, the staff at this Starbucks quietly has provided more than a few homeless people with a place to sit out of the elements, a warm beverage, and something to eat. They provide compassion while maintaining dignity.

Other groups and causes Starbucks has supported includes: partnered with the Kids SpOt Center to host an All-Abilities Easter Egg Hunt, Bowling Green-Warren County Habitat for Humanity, BRASS Inc.’s Shop and Share (in-store donation drive), Community Education – Stand for Children Day and Summer Activities Fair, HOTEL INC’s Chili and Cornbread Luncheon and in-store donations, Hope Harbor, International Center of Kentucky’s World Refugee Day, Kentucky Kids on the Block, Lost River Cave – Cocktails and Trails, Snowflurry Scurry, and adopted an area to keep clean, Realtor’s Association – Hope for the Homeless Food Drive, Saturday Meals, and the 2021 Tornado Relief – partnered with American Red Cross, participated in clean-up projects, and served lots of coffee.

Special Thanks

Me & My Girls Catering, Oak Tree Awards & Recognition, Rickman Pottery, VidMonster Productions, Warren County Public Library, and, of course, our judges.

Volunteers in Action is made up of a core group of diverse agencies and organizations that rely on the dedication and commitment of community volunteers. For more information on VIA or the VIA Volunteer of the Year Awards, contact Joshua Smith at (270) 842-4281 or [email protected].

Teen Angel Program awarded second grant from The Starbucks Foundation

As part of The Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grants program, the Teen Angel program was selected to receive a $1,000 grant. This grant award is thanks to a nomination from a local Starbucks partner (employee) who recognized the organization’s work in Warren County.

 

This is the second Neighborhood Grant Teen Angel has received. The program received a $2,000 grant in 2022. Both times the program was nominated by the Starbucks location on Scottville Road in Bowling Green.

 

Through the Neighborhood Grants program, The Starbucks Foundation invites Starbucks partners to nominate a local organization in their community. Since 2019, more than 8,000 organizations have been awarded grants amounting to more than $12.5 million.

 

Teen Angel is a Christmas assistance program started in 2010 by Vision, a multi-agency council that works with the Family Resource/Youth Services Centers (FRYSCs) in the Bowling Green Independent and Warren County Public school systems. The program collects money and gift cards from community members between September and the beginning of December. The donations are then distributed to the FRYSCs, who purchase clothes and other items for the teens at their respective schools. Finally, they distribute those gifts to the parents and legal guardians who apply for assistance.

 

Thanks to the generosity of businesses, schools, students, and Bowling Green and Warren County residents, the Teen Angel program has raised more than $306,000 since 2010. The financial support helps ensure that teens in Warren County who normally get nothing or very little for Christmas are provided for.

 

“The support given by our local Starbucks on Scottsville Road and its store manager, Maria Jones, has been phenomenal. Her drive and passion for helping make Bowling Green and Warren County a better place to live is evident, not just in the support given to us at Teen Angel but in the many ways she and her team members give to numerous organizations. Teen Angel would not be what it is today without her and her team,” says Joshua Smith, Teen Angel Coordinator.

 

The Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grants program supports grassroots, community-led nonprofit organizations through catalytic investments in the form of grants. Neighborhood Grants also help build sustained local impact and inspire increased partner engagement with nonprofit organizations that work in their communities.

 

“Our partners (employees) know their communities best, and have shared great insights about the organizations helping to uplift others in their neighborhoods, from addressing homelessness and fighting hunger to supporting youth and families,” said Alicia Vermaele, executive director of The Starbucks Foundation. “Through our latest round of Neighborhood Grants, we’re proud to support local organizations nominated by Starbucks partners who make our communities stronger.”

 

2023 Spring Enrichment: Registration OPEN

32nd annual Volunteer of the Year Awards- Nominations DUE!

Volunteers in Action (VIA), made up of representatives from various agencies and organizations that rely on volunteerism, is seeking nominations for its 32nd annual Volunteer of the Year Awards. Sponsored this year by WNKY News 40, American Legion Post 23, and BGMU.

Nominations are needed in THREE categories: the Anne Grubbs Spirit of Service Award, which honors a person excelling in quality, length, and spirit of service to others; the Team Award, which recognizes a group that has worked together to provide outstanding volunteer service in the community; and the Rookie Award, which recognizes an individual or group that started volunteer service within the past 24 months.

Nominees will be judged on:

  • history of community activity
  • demonstration of cooperative attitude
  • the impact that the volunteer’s efforts had on the organization and its clients

All nominees will be recognized as winners from their organizations and will receive a memento and certificate at the Volunteer of the Year Awards ceremony scheduled for Sunday, April 24 at the Bob Kirby Branch of the Warren County Public Library, starting at 2 p.m. The award recipients will receive plaques. 

All nominations must be submitted on or before 4 p.m. on March 21 (EXTENDED DEADLINE) to:

Volunteers in Action

1227 Westen Street

Bowling Green, KY 42104

[email protected]

More information and a nomination form can be found on the Community Education website (www.commed.us) and at the Community Education office at 1227 Westen Street. For more information, call Community Education at 270-842-4281. BTW, there is a sample submitted nomination form on the website.

Notice of Public Meetings

1227 Westen St., Bowling Green, KY  42104  •  270-842-4281  •  www.commed.us

 

Contact: Bill Oldham, Executive Director

Office 270-842-4281

[email protected]

Notice of public meetings

January 12, 2023

Community Education of Bowling Green/Warren County holds monthly Advisory Council meetings and bi-monthly Board of Directors meetings. Under Kentucky Open Meeting laws, these meetings are open to any member of the public who would like to attend. Public comments can be made with prior notice to the Executive Director or the Board Chairperson. All meetings will be held in the Community Education conference room, at 1227 Westen Street, Bowling Green, KY, 42104 unless otherwise noted. Due to COVID-19 protocols, Advisory Council and Board meetings are typically “hybrid” meetings, meaning a combination of in-person and computer, or entirely remote via computer. The meeting schedules for each are listed below. If a meeting date and/or time has to be changed, a notification will be sent out.

 

Community Education Advisory Council 2023 meetings (Council meetings are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. Central Time)

Tuesday, February 14

Tuesday, March 14

Tuesday, April 4

Tuesday, May 9

June – no meeting due to Stand for Children’s Day

Tuesday, July 11

Tuesday, August 8

Tuesday, September 10

Tuesday, October 10

Tuesday, November 14

Tuesday, December 13 (December meeting often canceled for Holiday party)

 

Community Education Board of Directors 2023 meetings (Board meetings are scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. Central Time)

Thursday, March 9

Thursday, May 11

Thursday, July 13

Thursday, September 14

Thursday, November 9

 

 

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About Community Education of Bowling Green, Warren County: Created in 1973, Community Education of Bowling Green, Warren County collaborates with other agencies and organizations to provide lifelong learning for our citizens while utilizing existing physical and human resources and not duplicating other efforts. An interlocal agreement between both local school districts and Warren County Fiscal Court sustains the agency.

Community Education has grown to provide before and after-school programs for hundreds of children and youth on school days during the academic year and at all-day programs offered during school breaks. Enrichment classes for adults cover a variety of subjects including fine arts (art, dance, and music), crafts, cooking, computers, finance, fitness, foreign language, history, recreation, sewing, sports, occasional online classes, and more. Community Education offers volunteer opportunities and training for adults to go into schools to work with children and to assist with local events. The agency also works very closely with Volunteers in Action to train volunteer managers and to recognize the volunteers within our region.

Community Education is a proud partner of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Nonprofit Network, and Vision, a multi-agency council in Warren County.

For more information on Community Education go to www.commed.us or visit our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pages.

50th Anniversary Celebrations

 

OPEN HOUSE & PROCLAMATION

Thursday, April 13 from 2-5 p.m. with Proclamation/Ribbon Cutting and words at 3 p.m.

 

SEPTEMBER’S COFFEE HOUR

We are hosting the September Coffee Hour for Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce

Friday, September 29

WKU’s Knicely Conference Center

Teen Angel’s Donation Blast – THIS FRIDAY!

Teen Angel DONATION BLAST

Friday, Dec. 2

6 a.m. – 4 p.m.

All donations MATCHED by CROCKER LAW FIRM

Benefitting teenagers who are enrolled in a BGISD or WCPS at Christmas and throughout the year!