This month’s Chamber of Commerce luncheon featured guest speaker Christopher Wilborn, Executive Director of United Way of Central Kentucky on Thursday, June 14 at the Centre on Main.
The luncheon was paid for by Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center, a huge local United Way supporter, and gave Wilborn the opportunity to discuss UWCK’s initiatives with chamber members.
Wilborn explained that the group’s parent organization has been around for 125 years now and has a presence in 46 countries worldwide. The local chapter is the eighth largest of Kentucky’s 22 United Way groups, and works diligently toward improving what it considers the three main building blocks for a productive, self-sufficient lifestyle: education, income and health.
“We invest in numerous programs in Grayson County and the surrounding counties and refer people when they call with needs,” Wilborn explained of their operation, which is headquartered in Elizabethtown.
United Way of Central Kentucky affects three in five Grayson County residents through their variety of initiatives, and, as Wilburn put it, the group’s goal is to succeed in improving people’s lives to the point that “we put ourselves out of business.”
He explained that the group does not just want to help, but to fix the problems.
After discussing some of the ways the group helps those who need educational support, food, assistance getting out of an abusive situation, etc., Wilborn told the group, “no one should have to be subjected to those types of conditions.”
United Way hopes to eradicate such ‘problems’ in our area and around the world.
“We’re not just about raising money for good causes, we’re about volunteerism, too,” Wilborn said, explaining the VISTA program to the group. This program provides groups like our local school system and Community Alliance with full-time volunteers who are dedicating their time to help others.
While the VISTA program is relatively new, it has already impacted our area, and UWCK hopes that it will continue to do so for some time to come.
The next Chamber of Commerce meeting will be hosted by TLRMC, and will be held at 7 a.m. on Thursday, August 9, 2012 at the Centre on Main.
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