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It is likely that every person in today’s Rotary Club meeting has been impacted by Alzheimer’s disease in one way or another. The disease, a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and ultimately the ability to carry out the simplest of tasks, is estimated to affect more than six million Americans, most of them age 65 or older. According to the National Institute on Aging, Alzheimer’s is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. and the most common cause of dementia among the elderly. Given this sobering reality, we are fortunate to have in our community [...]

In designating Water, Sanitation and Hygiene as one of its seven areas of focus, Rotary International was operating on a fundamental belief that “clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education are basic necessities for a healthy environment and a productive life.” Today’s speaker, Laura Gregory, along with the organization she represents, Kentucky Waterways Alliance (KWA), is clearly in line with the Rotary playbook in this regard. Gregory is the Watershed Program Director for KWA, a statewide nonprofit organization. She works with watershed stewards of all kinds across Kentucky - community volunteers, watershed/"friends of"groups, and professionals in the field - in various capacities, [...]

There is much talk these days about the “urban-rural” divide in America. The term generally refers to the social, economic, and political disparities between urban and rural areas. Joining us today is Dr. Amon Crouch who, in a presentation entitled“ThePower of Place: Partner forRural Impact’s Mission of Improving Outcomes for Rural Students”, will discuss the efforts of his organization, Partners for Rural Impact, to address some of these disparities. Dr. Couch is a first-generation college graduate and a lifelong resident of eastern Kentucky. He spent nearly three decades in public education as a teacher and administrator, most recently as principal and [...]

Today’s speaker, Demetrus Liggins, joined Fayette County Public Schools as superintendent in July of 2021. A recent contract extension ensures he will remain in that role until June 30, 2029. He began his career as a high school English and English as a Second Language teacher in Fresno, California, before moving back to Texas to serve as a dual language teacher and later an assistant principal in the Nacogdoches Independent School District. He also served as an elementary school principal in Corsicana Independent School District, a middle school principal in Lancaster Independent School District and in Mansfield Independent School District, and [...]

In 2020, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence (Committee) urged all Kentuckians to join the work of creating a Big Bold Future for our Commonwealth, starting with a set of indicators of Kentucky’s standing in early childhood, K-12 learning, postsecondary education, and quality of life. The Committee has just released an update on that data and Kentucky’s progress, and the new evidence is a call to action for all of us. There is some good news on Kentucky’s rankings for graduation rates and voter participation, but most rankings have been flat or declining over the last ten years. As we will [...]