The impetus for one Henderson Leadership Initiative group’s project came to Kate Baker several years ago, when a man walked into her chiropractic office off the street.
He had several documents and clearly needed help. It was late in the afternoon in December and nearing dark. And the man didn’t speak much English.
Baker and employees attempted to help him for an hour until they closed up, and then she and another stayed longer, trying to find help and a bed for the night. Eventually, the Christian Community Outreach came to pick up the man and take him to a hotel for the night, Baker said.
That event stuck with her. When she and other team members of her HLI group started began discussing project ideas to help the community early this year, it “immediately took me back to that moment.”
Thursday morning at the Henderson County Public Library, the group revealed the project, a kiosk that assists people to find help in numerous categories, including pantry/supplies, meals, overnight, daytime, housing crisis, health, financial/legal help, activities & support groups, and jobs & education. The same information available at the kiosk can be accessed online at myky.info.
After clicking on one of those subject icons to get started, subcategories are pulled up. Another tap and specific resources—organizations and businesses—are shown, and when one is decided on and clicked, contact information pops up.
And, the information can be seen in Spanish and French, too.
The group contracted with the Family Scholar House, a Louisville nonprofit that has set up dozens of similar kiosks in that city and other places in the state, to input the information, Baker said.
Funding came from the JD Sheth Foundation of Evansville, which gave $7,000 to pay for the physical kiosk and the work of the Family Scholar House.
The group said that two more kiosks will be set up in Henderson—one at the Housing Authority of Henderson and another on the campus of Henderson Community College.
The group is comprised of Baker, Emily Hurt of the Henderson County Public Library, Sarah Bryant from Field & Main Bank, Lindsay Thompson from Central Learning Academy, Alyssa Vandiver of Henderson County High School, Shanda Dixon of Deaconess, and Kate Pride of the Kentucky Corn Growers Association.
This group and others in this year’s HLI class will formally present their projects at 5:30 p.m., Jan. 16 at the Preston Arts Center.
