Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission recognizes community and individual efforts at Annual Meeting

Several local organizations and individuals were recognized by Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission during its 2007 Annual Meeting this week.

Organizations and businesses receiving awards included:

St. Vincent DePaul Society Pharmacy received the Community Partner of the Year award. The Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission provides space and materials at each of its eight neighborhood centers to enable the Pharmacy to help low income individuals without insurance apply for prescription medicine. Through the partnership between the two organizations, 700 patients have been able to receive needed medicines this year that they would not otherwise be able to afford.

Transitions, Inc. was recognized as the Training Site of the Year for their work with the Commission’s senior employment program. Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission provides job training for low income senior citizens by placing trainees with nonprofit and government agencies in the region. Transitions has been a training site for nearly 25 years, and has hired many of its trainees to fill regular positions.

Duke Energy received the Housing Partner of the Year award for helping the Commission’s weatherization program test and replace old, energy consuming refrigerators in the homes of low income families in the Duke service area. On average, these refrigerator replacements save about $85 per year on the home owners electric bills. Duke Energy and Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission have worked in partnership with a number of energy conservation services over several years, including a program where NKCAC staff provide Duke customers with energy conservation and budgeting classes to help low income customers manage their energy and other household bills.

Individuals receiving awards included:

Kathleen Hougham received the Doris Wiedemann Award for Board Service

Kimberly Woodall received Community Services award, which presented annually to a staff person who has shown extraordinary dedication to the agency and its clients.

Rhonda Young, NKCAC’s Owen County neighborhood center director, received an award for her efforts in finding housing for 22 families who were being displaced from a local trailer park that closed.

Warren Fletcher received the Head Start Volunteer of the Year award for spending more than 700 hours volunteering in the Elsmere Head Start Center over the last three years.

Rachel Hook and Theresa Stallsworth received recognition for as the Learning Team of the Year. Theresa Stallsworth has been a volunteer for the Commission’s Literacy in Northern Kentucky (LINK) program for over six years helping Rachel Hook with her reading and math skills.

Kris Knochelmann, Kenton County Commissioner and NKCAC board member, was presented with the Altha Jo Hamilton Volunteer of the Year Award from the Kentucky Association of Community Action. Knochelmann won this statewide recognition for his years of extraordinary service on the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission’s Board of Directors.

Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission is an eight county multi-purpose human services agency that provides early childhood education; housing, crisis assistance, job training and employment assistance, senior services, and literacy, serving more than 22,000 individuals annually. For more information on Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission call Florence Tandy at 859-581-6607, or visit their website at www.nkcac.org.

View a photo gallery of Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission's 2007 Annual Meeting.

View other News of Interest at NKCAC.