Owensboro SUFKOn Monday, I had the privilege to participate in the Step Up For Kids event in Owensboro, Kentucky which was hosted and organized by the Public Life Foundation and the Hager Educational Foundation.  We spent the morning with over 70 citizens, educators, health professionals, local elected officials, and others to talk about the key issues facing children in Kentucky and how to advocate for the 2014 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children agenda. View the news coverage of the event in the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer here.

Thank you to the Public Life Foundation and the Hager Educational Foundation for supporting the Blueprint and for working hard to make Monday a successful Step Up For Kids event. We had the rare problem of filling the room to an over-capacity level. Thanks also to all of the speakers and to Representative Tommy Thompson and Senator Joe Bowen for the great dialog on making children a priority in the 2014 General Assembly.

I left Step Up For Kids on Monday with an energetic feeling as those who attended brought diverse perspectives and engaged in productive dialog. It’s conversations like the ones I heard on Monday that make me hopeful that community leaders and policymakers can find common ground, work together, and do what’s best for kids in our state. Next up is the Manchester Step Up For Kids on November 7. If Monday was any indication of what the Manchester Step Up For Kids will bring, then I can’t wait for next Thursday. Register to attend the Manchester event today!