By Jamie Sears Rawlings Photos by Mat t Hernand e z & Submit ted United... In 2020, when the global pandemic reached Western Kentucky, the sickness, fear, and uncertainty it brought with it saw no geographic borders. The very next year, in 2021, when the historic Quad-State Tornado brought devastation, the likes of which we’d never experienced to Western Kentucky, it didn’t stop to consider that it was crossing from Graves County into Marshall County. In both instances, the United Way of Paducah-McCracken County sprung into action, bringing its power to help as many people and businesses as possible. But, unfortunately, their organization was bound by county lines. The needs were equal, or greater, in other counties but they were unable to help there as they did in their own county. According to Betsy Burkeen, Chief Executive Officer of the United Way of Paducah-McCracken County, the back-to- back events were the catalyst the group needed to dust off an idea they’d been considering for awhile. “We are a highly-connected regional community,” she said “We have people who live in one county but travel to another for school, for work. What happens in one county absolutely can affect the rest.” United Way of Paducah-McCracken County Board Chair Lesley Owen saw the needs first-hand in the aftermath of the December 2021 tornado. “Those displaced by the tornadoes were coming to McCracken County seeking shelter, and those in McCracken County rushed to the aid of their neighbors in the communities affected by the tornadoes,” she says. It was the push that the group needed. In November, the organization announced a major shift that will remove the barriers they’ve worked under for their entire existence. The United Way of Paducah-McCracken County has become the United Way of Western Kentucky, now serving seven counties in the Purchase Area. Under the new banner, the non-profit will be able to bring people, organizations, and resources together across McCracken, Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, and Marshall Counties. United Way partner agencies that provide services regionally say that this change could be a total game changer. INTHEVUE.COM | PROMOTING EVENTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE | DECEMBER 2022 7
