underwent a few changes in the past couple of years . Cox came on as the new executive director in July of 2020 , followed closely by the purchase of a new headquarters on West Mount Vernon Street .
All of that took place in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic , which caused all charities and fundraisers – not just United Way ’ s – to take a hit .
“ I think for a lot of people , the word of the pandemic was ‘ pivot ,’ and that ’ s no different for nonprofits ,” Cox said . “ Our organization was already at a point where the campaign , which is our annual fundraising drive , had been declining . And with the pandemic on top of that , it really hurt our fundraising efforts . Primarily , our fundraising efforts come from partnerships with employers , and when employers do not have employees in the building working , those campaigns really dropped .
“ We have a lot of people who give through payroll deduction , and when they are not receiving their payroll , we ’ re not receiving those donations that are given through payroll . So we saw a pretty significant impact due to the pandemic ,” she said .
That caused the organization to look for new ways to reach donors . Through a partnership with Pulaski County Government , United Way started a Facebook-based contest . County officials donated a weekend stay at the cabins at Pulaski County Park , which helped them get the United Way ’ s name out to a new audience – “ the ones that don ’ t remember the big thermometer on the square ,” Cox joked .
United Way , County Government and Somerset City Government also teamed up for a brand new idea for a race , one in which everyone was rewarded with a nice , cool banana split at the end , courtesy of Dairy Queen . The Lickety Split 350 Yard Dash , affectionally called the “ shortest foot race in Kentucky ,” by Cox , was held August 20 , with racers competing
for the fastest time in traveling from the Fountain Square to the Lake Cumberland Farmers Market at the Citizens National Bank Pavilion , just a couple of blocks away .
It was such a success that it ’ s been scheduled again for this year , on Thursday , June 9 , with the added bonus that some of the ice cream will be provided by Prairie Farms .
With the receding of the COVID pandemic , United Way has had a few other interesting events this year . They held the first ever Spelling Bee ( r ) – a spelling bee competition open to those 21 years old and older – on May 3 at Jarfly Brewing Company .
The organization also hosted its 50th Anniversary Benefit Concert on May 14 at Cole Park .
But one of the United Way ’ s most popular events , and one that was able to be held last year despite the ongoing pandemic , was its annual Golf Scramble .
This year will mark the 37th year for
Racers in the Lickety Split 350 Yard Dash were met at the finish line with banana splits courtesy of Dairy Queen .
Photo by Carla Slavey
18 • SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky June 2022