Program uses a holistic approach to help “at-risk” citizens reach their highest potential; curriculum will be a part of OakPointe Centre project
What if we could ensure that 50 percent of at-risk residents in Pulaski County — those who are struggling with addiction, who have been incarcerated, or those who live in poverty — who enroll in a 12-week program could lead productive, self-sufficient lives?
Better yet, what if that number was 90 percent?
“It would simply be transformational for our community,” said Chris Girdler, president and CEO of the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA). “Not only would we be making a difference in the lives of our citizens who need a hand up, but it would have a significant impact on our local workforce by providing motivated employees for our local businesses.”
“Compassion without accountability is an indulgence and this program leans on both of these important measures to make a difference,” Girdler said.
Alicia Webb Edgington believes it’s possible because she has watched it happen in northern Kentucky. And she’s ready to share her program’s success in Pulaski County.
On July 25 at SPEDA’s quarterly Industrial Leaders Breakfast, Edgington, the president and CEO of Covington’s Life Learning Center, shared how her organization is helping people learn, secure and sustain a better way of living through gainful employment. Life Learning Center’s Foundations for a Better Life™ curriculum focuses on five key domains of life — physical, emotional, relationship, financial and spiritual — to reach at-risk adults.
And it’s working: Individuals who completed the program show an exceptionally low 8 percent recidivism rate, and the program has lowered turnover rates for employers hiring these participants by as much as 25 percent.
“This isn’t just about getting a job,” Edgington told the crowd at Somerset Community College. “All of these folks can get a job. They just can’t keep a job, because they sabotage themselves.”
Edgington shared a video with breakfast attendees of one of Life Learning Center’s success stories, demonstrating how the center helps participants break their destructive cycle. Not only are Life Learning Center graduates keeping jobs, but they’re also purchasing their own homes, going back to school, and rebuilding relationships with loved ones.
Life Learning Center’s model first caught the attention of SPEDA board member and Somerset Mayor Alan Keck, who toured the Covington facility earlier this year. Keck introduced the program to Girdler, who traveled to Covington with God’s Food Pantry Director Brenda Russell to see the facility in person and learn what opportunities might be available for bringing its curriculum to Pulaski County.
“What Alicia and her team have accomplished in northern Kentucky is nothing short of phenomenal,” Girdler said. “The Life Learning Center program fits beautifully with SPEDA’s mission to build a stronger workforce and support people of all walks of life, as well as Brenda’s mission to help at-risk residents in Pulaski County achieve their potential. I am thrilled about the partnership that is forming with our organizations and cannot wait to see this program in action in our community. Compassion without accountability is an indulgence and this program leans on both of these important measures to make a difference.”
The Life Learning Center curriculum will be adopted at OakPointe Centre once it is operational, an initiative spearheaded by Russell in the old Palm Beach Factory building in downtown Somerset. God’s Food Pantry purchased the building from SPEDA in 2020 to offer an extension of its services, including a food pantry, clothing center and feeding center. But space will also be dedicated to programs that help move poverty-stricken families forward in their lives, such as a life-skills education center. OakPointe is expected to open in 2026.
“Giving someone a meal or an outfit of clothing helps for that moment but doesn’t actually make any significant impact on their future,” Russell said. “One of our primary goals for OakPointe Centre is to provide education that will be life-changing. The Life Learning Center curriculum is already proven to be effective and exactly what we were searching for when we were planning for the programs at OakPointe Centre. Through this partnership with Life Learning Center, we don’t have to recreate the wheel. Alicia and her team have already done that and we are excited to work with them to transform lives here in south central Kentucky.”
The Life Learning Center is a non-profit organization, raising most of its operating funds from community donors and partners. A small percentage of revenue comes from grants and government funding. Edgington urged the group to consider supporting this initiative in Pulaski County financially, as it is a more viable investment than employee recruitment services with a more powerful return.
SPEDA will host its next Industrial Leaders Breakfast in the fall.