War on Poverty
History of BGCAP:
In the fall of 1964, Ms. Ruth Slack Roach, social activist and racehorse farm owner, of Midway, Kentucky, heard about this new federal program for economically disadvantaged children called Project Head Start. Mrs. Roach was actively involved in her community of Midway, working with low-income families and their children and was deeply concerned about the needs of these children. With a degree in social work, Mrs. Roach knew that almost one million children from low-income families enter school for the first time each year. She also was aware that while their classmates from higher-income families may face the new challenge with assurance, many children from low-income homes begin school with health problems and a lack of self-confidence and cognitive skills.
She was interested in starting an agency to sponsor the administration of Project Head Start so she contacted the county judges in Woodford, Jessamine, Anderson Franklin, and Mercer counties. She then contacted the Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington DC and was given information that she needed to begin the process of organizing interested community leaders in starting an agency to sponsor the administration of Head Start. She met with school superintendents, judges and other leaders in the communities of these five counties. These individuals represented the private, public and target sectors of the communities. Starting in the fall of 1965 and for the ten years following, classes of Head Start were held in the remodeled basement of her home on Parrish Hill Farm in Midway. When interviewed in 1993, Ms. Roach stated that she had fond memories of the children playing in the apple orchard on the farm and swinging from the tree branches. For years to come these children who became adults would share with her the joy they had in being a part of the big house and farm in their childhood.
In September of 1965, Articles of Incorporation were filed, and the Blue Grass Community Action Agency was founded. A one room office opened in Lawrenceburg in the Elementary School. This office was to oversee the Head Start program in four counties. In August 1966, the Agency became a 501(c)3 private non-profit corporation. During the ensuing years, the Blue Grass Community Action Agency enlarged its service area to include nine counties (Anderson, Boyle, Franklin, Garrard, Jessamine, Lincoln, Mercer, Scott and Woodford). For the many years that followed Blue Grass Community Action Agency continued its growth. The Agency added various programs that served the needs of the low income and motivated them to become self-sufficient. With this growth, the Agency's central office was moved to Paul Sawyer Park in Woodford County. In 1987, the Agency had an annual budget of $3,350,000 with a staff of 180 and 450 volunteers. In 2004, the board approved building and purchasing our current central office at 111 Professional Court. Also that same year, with a recommendation from the National Community Action offices, the board voted to change our name to Blue Grass Community Action Partnership. By 2009, the Agency had grown to an annual budget of $17,000,000 with a staff of 415 and 2,000 volunteers. The 2010 fiscal year budget has grown to more than $20 million dollars due to Federal stimulus dollars. In 2024, the budget is over $30 million.
BGCAP Senior Staff
Our Programs & Impact on our Service Area
BGCAP Transit
In addition to our on-demand services, BGCAP Transit operates Deviated Fixed Routes and Inter-city services in Georgetown, Danville and Nicholasville through Bluegrass Ride.
Total Medicaid Trips provided: 186,002
Total Public Trips provided: 48,362
Bluegrass Ride Georgetown Trips: 31,615
Bluegrass Ride Danville Trips: 29,047
Bluegrass Ride Nicholasville Trips: 13,404
Intercity Routes Trips: 476
Senior Citizens Centers
All Senior Center Directors and Director of Aging earned a Behavioral Health and Aging Certificate through the Boston University School of Social Work.
Activities:
Some of the activities in the Senior Centers are Drums Alive, Bingocize, and Tai Chi for Arthritis. These are all evidence-based classes that require certified leaders.
How many Seniors went to the Senior Centers last year?
Anderson: 171
Bourbon: 179
Garrard: 122
Jessamine: 275
Mercer: 267
Scott: 192
Woodford: 127
Elder Nutrition Program
The 17-county area that we administer the Nutrition program in served a total of 250,974 meals!
The Elder Nutrition Program provides management for congregate, and home delivered meals for twenty nutrition sites in the following seventeen counties: Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Estill, Fayette (3 centers), Franklin, Garrard, Harrison, Jessamine, Lincoln, Madison (Berea center and Richmond center), Mercer, Nicholas, Powell, Scott and Woodford. The program's goal is to deliver quality meals to the nutrition sites and homebound clients (age 60 years of age and older) so that senior citizens who receive the meals have nutritionally sound meals that meet at least one-third of the current daily recommended dietary allowance. Although prepared with minimal salt, sugar and fat, all meals are regular diet, except that diabetic desserts are available on request.
Head Start Program
Migrant Head Start Program:
Migrant or Seasonal Head Start Program means:
(1) with respect to services for migrant farm workers, a Head Start program that serves families who are engaged in agricultural labor and who have changed their residence from one geographic location to another in the preceding two-year period; and,
(2) with respect to services for seasonal farmworkers, a Head Start program that serves families who are engaged primarily in seasonal agricultural labor and who have not changed their residence to another geographic location in the preceding two-year period.
Senior Companion Program
The Senior Companion Program (SCP) is part of Senior Corps, a network of national service programs that provides older Americans with the opportunity to apply their life experiences to meeting community needs. Senior Companions serve one-on-one with the frail elderly and other homebound persons who have difficulty completing everyday tasks. They assist with grocery shopping, bill paying, and transportation to medical appointments, and they alert doctors and family members to potential problems. Senior Companions also provide short periods of relief to primary caregivers. Because of the program, thousands of citizens are able to live with dignity in their own homes.
The Senior Companion Program had 26 Volunteers
Senior Community Service Employment Program (scsep)
The SCSEP Program currently has 20 Trainees.
Community Services
• # of applications taken during LIHEAP Subsidy Fall - 3,099
• # of application taken during LIHEAP Summer Cooling Subsidy - 2908
• # of applications taken during LIHEAP Spring Subsidy - 3,403
• # of households we helped during LIHWAP Subsidy - 1,147
• # of applications taken during LIHEAP Crisis - 5,197
• # of households we helped during LIHEAP Crisis - 3,336
Kynect Program
Our Kyectors assisted with a total of 5,678 applications to help enroll people for federal health insurance and/ or SNAP benefits.
Weatherization Program
With funding provided from the Department of Energy and the Department of Housing, the Weatherization Program provides necessary home repairs to prevent heat loss and repair or replace heating systems when necessary. The goal of the program is to assist clients in securing a safe, healthy home environment and reduce heating and cooling bills by providing necessary home repairs. This may include repair or replacement of heating systems when necessary.
Eligibility for the program is based on income, although priority is given to the elderly and disabled. Upon approval, an inspection is performed on the client's home by the Weatherization staff to determine the extent of repairs necessary to make the residence safe, healthy and energy efficient.
The Weatherization Program weatherized 18 homes!
Success Stories:
Senior Companion Program volunteer, J. A., has been providing companionship and respite services to her clients since Spring 2023. Her client, Ms. W, suffered a stroke in early 2024. Because of the stroke, the client has had some onset of stroke-related dementia. Once the client returned home from rehab, J. A. realized the difference in her client's demeanor--the client was not as involved in their visits and she was not seeming to enjoy activities they previously did together, such as painting and playing card games. The volunteer sought out guidance from SCP staff regarding these changes and created a plan to help her client to adjust and participate in activities again. Due to her knowledge gained during monthly in-service trainings and trainings specific to dementia-related activities, J. A. found different ways to encourage her client to participate in activities and to promote brain stimulation. These interventions included entering the client's reality, asking open-ended questions, and promoting the client's independence by offering choices (i.e. which activity to do or what to paint) that were not overwhelming. Since implementing these measures, the volunteer has noted significant improvement in her client's daily participation in activities and has even said she is more involved when therapy visits her home. J. A.'s knowledge and empathy continues to promote her client's quality of life with the ultimate goal of garnering client independence.
Community Services: Single mother of three enrolled her one of her children in Head Start in Fall of 2023. During the Home Visit, the Mobility Coach completed an assessment where the mother disclosed, she was working at a local fast-food restaurant, did not have her GED, and was interested in getting into the Childcare field. During the conversation, the mother stated that she had been wanting to get her GED for years but never followed through. The Coach worked with the local Adult Education Center to obtain information for mother. Together the mother and coach were able to set a realistic schedule for GED completion. In Winter of 2023, the mother obtained her GED. After obtaining her GED, she was ready to get a higher education and wanted to pursue an associate's degree in child development. Together the mother and coach found a program that fit the mother’s schedule. She enrolled in an Associate Program in 2024 and has made the Spring’s Dean List.
During this Fall to Present, the mother and Mobility Coach also worked on budgeting. Bills were a stressor and together they developed a plan to increase income and maintain basic needs within the home. She applied for LIHEAP and was able to pay for her other utilities. After the mother obtained her GED (partnership with adult education), she was also able to obtain better employment with stable hours. Her income increased by $1,700/ month. The mother also attended achieve sessions, which are group educational sessions, where she learned about parenting skills, stress management. Her child that was enrolled in Head Start had an IEP to improve cognitive and language development. At the end of the Head Start year, the child mastered their letters, was focused and participating in circle time, and had improved their school readiness as they moved into Kindergarten next year.