Kentucky’s most comprehensive children’s charity celebrated two important Bowling Green nonprofits on Tuesday and announced more than $75,000 in funding for programs to protect children. Kosair for Kids awarded $50,250 to Family Enrichment Center and $26,904 to Kentucky Kids on the Block. Both organizations play critical roles in protecting children and are partners in the Kosair for Kids Face It Movement to end child abuse and neglect in Kentucky.
“This funding demonstrates Kosair for Kids’ commitment to protect children in every corner of our Commonwealth,” said Barry Dunn, President of Kosair for Kids. “Through education, prevention, and resources, Face It Movement partners like Kentucky Kids on the Block and Family Enrichment Center continue to directly impact kids who need help the most. We’re grateful for their continued commitment to the children of southcentral Kentucky. Together, we will end the child abuse and neglect scourge.”
While much work remains, the Face It Movement has gained ground in the effort to protect every child. Family Enrichment Center and Kentucky Kids on the Block, along with nearly 200 other Face It Movement partner organizations, have helped decrease the rates of abuse and neglect across the Commonwealth by 48% in the last five years.
"Kids on the Block's partnership with Kosair for Kids has resulted in an increased number of children who have learned prevention tools to protect themselves against child abuse,” explained Ashley Reynolds, Kentucky Kids on the Block Executive Director. “In 2023, with Kosair for Kids’ support, 347 programs, 101 of which were child abuse specific, were presented across Kentucky. Kids on the Block's mission to provide ongoing education and prevention through puppetry perfectly aligns with Kosair for Kids' mission to help all kids live life to the fullest."
The grant announced today will provide more educational programs focused on child abuse prevention by Kids on the Block puppeteers. This program visits schools to provide lessons to help children protect themselves and teach them to accept differences in themselves and others. Kosair for Kids hopes this grant will help Kentucky Kids on the Block increase the understanding of kids ages six through twelve.
With its grant, Family Enrichment Center will continue to provide its vital Wee Care Early Learning Center programming. That program includes 600 days of free care throughout the year for children six weeks to five years old whose families are experiencing a crisis that could put their child at risk for abuse and neglect.
“We are grateful for our partnership with Kosair for Kids,” said Family Enrichment Center Assistant Director Lynn Hulsey. “We make a difference in the lives of children in southcentral Kentucky when we work together!”
Family Enrichment Center’s Wee Care Early Learning Center is the only early childhood education facility in southcentral Kentucky that serves at-risk children from age six weeks to kindergarten.
Christine Thorn, a single mother of two children who benefited from the program, participated in the grant celebration. “Family Enrichment Center has provided my family with services that have helped me make sure my children grow up happy, healthy, and safe,” she said.
Christine has a bachelor’s degree and now works with Family Enrichment Center to help other mothers and families who walk the path she knows well.
The grants to Family Enrichment Center and Kentucky Kids on the Block are two of 100 grants to organizations across Kentucky and southern Indiana totaling more than $12 million, which the Kosair for Kids Board of Directors recently approved.