McKENNA HALDERMAN, the program director for the nonprofit Mentors & Meals, described her banner project idea as an opportunity to raise awareness about the work of local nonprofits. (Photo by Bob Vlach)
Banners in downtown Versailles are raising awareness about what local nonprofits do and provide to families and other members of the community.
The 26 banners costing about $100 each were purchased by the nonprofits and will return to downtown Versailles every January, according to McKenna Halderman, the program director for the nonprofit Mentors & Meals.
Halderman said she brought her idea for the banner project to the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce’s Nonprofit Roundtable, whose members meet every month to discuss how to better connect with people.
“This group is doing big things in our community,” wrote Emily Downey, president of the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce, in an email to the Sun. “One outcome was McKenna championing the banners.”
Halderman said she approached the City of Versailles, which supported her banner idea.
“Charitable nonprofits fill voids that other organizations, including governments, can’t or shouldn’t, and enhance a community’s quality of life,” Versailles Mayor Laura Dake wrote in an email to the Sun. “I am so pleased with the downtown banners because they bring attention to the wonderful nonprofits that serve Woodford County in all sorts of ways — addressing food insecurity, transportation needs, children’s services, the arts, health issues, education and much more.”
Most of the participating nonprofits provided designs for their banners, but Halderman said a couple asked her to do designs for them. So, although “I’m not a graphic designer,” she learned a lot while working on the designs with Ruggles Sign. She also embraced a new challenge, and “I’m going to put this on my resume,” she said.
“This was a new muscle that I had to stretch … And there were some growing pains, but I’m proud of them,” added Halderman, who has worked with Mentors & Meals in every capacity during its 11-year history, and loves its mission to help middle school students who need mentors and meals. The program provides free tutoring services and meals for up to 75 students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Services are offered Monday through Thursday, from 3 to 6 p.m., with high school student-interns serving as mentors and adult volunteers cooking meals, she said.
In her email, Dake said nonprofits employ one in 10 Kentuckians while generating $27.4 billion in annual expenditures and payroll, according to the Kentucky Nonprofit Network.
She also offered some advice to people living here: “If one of the banners … catches your eye, consider reaching out if you need the service or if you are interested in volunteering.”