The $1,500 Women’s Educational Grant is awarded annually to a female non-traditional student who is interested in resuming her education after leaving school to fulfill either family or work-related responsibilities.

Baker began a career in teaching after graduating from Eastern Kentucky University in 2007. She would continue on the learning path by gaining her Master’s Degree in 2013 from the University of the Cumberlands.

She started teaching the 4^th grade and then kindergarten. But a new opportunity has come along to allow her to teach at the pre-school level. To do so, she now needs to complete her Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Certification and Rank 1 degree. 

In addition to her fulltime job, Baker is married and has two teenage daughters. She said the grant will assist in getting her the additional rank. That will, in turn, help with finances and help her achieve her goal of increasing her quality of life but more importantly, the lives of her family.

“I am even more driven by a personal goal to be the best educator that I can be and to reach the level of a Rank 1 degree,” she said.

Kosair raffles car

For nine consecutive years, Kosair Charities volunteers have organized the rebuilding and raffling off a vintage car to raise funds for Kosair Kids needing organ transplants. This year, Kosair Charities volunteer Robert Hart and his team sold $10 raffle tickets for one lucky person to win a 1971 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. This years winner is Benny R. Burchett of Brodhead. Burchett bought one raffle ticket at the Carl Casper Auto Show earlier this year. 

The car giveaway has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Kosair Kids® since 2009. In 2016, the car giveaway grossed approximately $150,000. Thanks to generous support from our sponsors, the community, Kosair Charities and Trust for Life are able to better the lives are children across Kentucky and Southern Indiana. 

McDonalds to celebrate 50th anniversary

Darrell and Tina McDonald, of McKinney, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec. 14, 2017.
The couple was married on Dec. 14, 1967 at the Bethel Assembly of God in Lexington with Bro. Lavern Snyder performing the ceremony.
A reception will be held Saturday, Dec. 9 starting at 2 p.m. at the McKinney Christian Church.
Everyone welcome.

Aaron Lange Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

BATON ROUGE, LA – Aaron Lange of Liberty, was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Lange was initiated at Berea College.

Lange is among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines. Its mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.”

Operation Christmas Child roundup

Through the generosity of the local community, the Heart of Kentucky area team collected 21,962 shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child from Nov. 13-20. 

Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, encourages donors to transform empty shoeboxes into treasured gifts filled with school supplies, hygiene items and toys that will be delivered to children around the world affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine. 

This fall, Boyle County residents packed 7,580 shoebox gifts, with residents of Garrard, Marion, Mercer, Lincoln and Washington Counties contributing another 14,382 gifts to the Heart of Kentucky Area’s 2017 shoebox total.