Back in the Saddle

Okay, I’ll admit the title is a little cheesy, but I’m really excited. Summer is over and Outreach is back! This year, I will be on the road three days a week. The other two days I’ll be in the Museum assisting the Education Department, Group Tours and Visitor Services, as well as coordinating our annual Horsing Around With Art competition for Louisville Metro Students.  

Before the start of the school year, Ronnie and I put some time into marketing our program to school districts throughout the Commonwealth. We spent a few days navigating the county schools’ websites, searching through every faculty list for contact information of the Family Resource Youth Service Coordinator (FRYSC) at every elementary and middle school that Ronnie had not visited in the past.  

The FRYSC is a grant funded position designated by how many students in the school are eligible for free meals, which is determined by household income. Within the past three years, over 300,000 Kentucky students have become eligible for free school meals. To say that the FRYSC is a valuable resource to the school and community is an understatement. They bridge the gap between home and school for the students and are trained to spot and deal with issues plaguing our society. Most FRYSCs that I have met are dedicated to serving two schools in their county. Only a few schools that I contacted didn’t have one listed. In that case, send the email to the principal.  

This is the 11th year for Outreach and there are 21 counties that we haven’t visited yet.    

Map Courtesy of Digital-Topo-Maps.com 

Of course, those became our target counties and had top priority. I was really excited because this means heading to The Mighty Mississippi and Appalachia.  

On the list are the ones that border Missouri - Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman and Fulton. So far, I have three of the four booked. (Continue checking the blog to find out.) Clay County, situated in the southern area of the Daniel Boone National Forest, is on the list as well. I will be visiting 6 out of the 7 elementary schools this year.  

In addition to our annual email, we decided made a “sales” call at the request of one FRYSC, so on September 4th, Ronnie and I put our communication skills to test. We travelled down to Bardstown to discuss our programs in detail with all of the FRYSCs of Nelson County, which sits right on the perimeter of eligible counties for Outreach. They had questions from their principals that needed answered before they could schedule us. Apparently it was the answers they were looking for because they loved the programs and we were able to book eight elementary and middle schools.  

Keep checking back to see where I end up this school year!