A new Kentucky nonprofit strives to overcome divides, improve daily life | Opinion

“United We Stand. Divided We Fall.” Every Kentuckian is familiar with our state motto. This is the guiding principle called upon by the founders of Kentuckians For Good, a new civic engagement non-profit founded in Lexington this summer.

The founders are three University of Kentucky graduates. Two are Eagle Scouts. Two are Governor’s Scholars. One is a mechanical engineer, one owns his own software company, and one is a stay-at-home mom. But all three agree that our state’s greatest resource is the people that reside within it.

Kentuckians are hardworking and self-sufficient. Our team believes that, by working together, we can build a better society in which to make a living and to raise our families.

The struggle to build a brighter future is not new by any stretch, but the methodology that Kentuckians For Good intends to employ is fresh and collaborative.

First, we intend to focus on extremely specific goals. We don’t want to “fight hunger” for example. That’s an incredibly broad topic. Instead, we want to laser-focus on specific goals that affect Kentuckians’ daily life. For example, each year in our Fayette County Public School district, there is around $35,000 worth of student lunchroom debt built up from students who were not able to bring or pay for their own lunches during the school year. An example of a specific goal would be to find community partners to pay off that debt on behalf of our Lexington families.

Second, we want to work with community members on all ends of the political spectrum. We believe that having two strong, healthy political parties results in better governance for everyone. Our goal is to bring Kentuckians from all ends of the political spectrum together to help us formulate our solutions to the specific challenges we are addressing. It’s concerning to us that citizens on the left and right can’t even have cordial conversations anymore. That polarization grinds progress and innovation to a halt.

Third, the team intends to rely on community input and expertise to determine which challenges to take on and what solutions to design. Our plan is to host “Labs,” which will be intensive Town Halls on the topics we’re addressing, so we can gather all the different shareholders in the community into one room to get their input on the topic at-hand. We believe that we have the skills and expertise here in our own communities to address the issues affecting our friends and neighbors. For example, a Hunger Lab would ideally include a variety of community members, like food bank directors, city council members, social workers, public school representatives, farmers, business owners, religious leaders, and families experiencing hunger themselves.

Kentuckians For Good is just getting started. To learn more, check out our website at www.kentuckiansforgood.com.

If you have a challenge in your neighborhood that you would like to see addressed, the group encourages you to submit information through their website.

Kentuckians For Good encourages each of us to examine the role we play in our own neighborhoods, towns, and counties. Your community needs your involvement. United We Stand. Divided We Fall.

Chelsea Kirk is the founder of Kentuckians for Good, along with Will Kennedy and Anthony Schmidt. They are Lexington residents.