Author: newgive

Hardin County-based nonprofit Give 270 presented a check Wednesday for $52,765 to Saint James Catholic School (SJS) in Elizabethtown. The donation was raised through a Bourbon Strong + Kentucky Strong bourbon raffle hosted by Give 270 in May. 

The raffle, which featured 50 bourbon prizes, was made possible through donations from John and Leigh Ann Lewis, owners of John O’s Liquors in Elizabethtown. 

“Each of our six children attended Saint James, so making this raffle happen was very personal for Leigh Ann and I,” John Lewis said. “We were Saint James parents for 22 years and it was always evident that the school builds character and provides students with an exceptional education.” 

“We’re also excited to return to Saint James this year as our oldest grandbaby attends preschool this fall,” Leigh Ann added. “It was so important for us to give back to a school that has done so much for our family over the years.” 

Sister Mary Grace, principal of SJS, said the donation will go toward keeping tuition costs affordable for students at the school. 

“At Saint James, we work hard to keep tuition low so that all students who want to attend can benefit from the quality education we provide,” she said. “Gifts like this one, and others from our many benefactors, help us bridge the gap between the cost of education and our tuition. We’re so grateful to the Lewis family and to Give 270 for their generosity.” 

An additional Bourbon Strong + Kentucky Strong raffle is set to take place live on Give 270’s Facebook and YouTube channel on July 27, with proceeds benefiting Opal’s Dream Foundation. Ticket purchasers will have the chance to win the grand prize, which consists of a five-bottle set of Van Winkle Bourbon, including an Old Rip Van Winkle, 10 year, Van Winkle Special Reserve, 12 year Lot “B”, Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve, 15 year, 20 year and 23 year; the second drawing prize, consisting of a four-bottle BTAC selections set, including a 2019 Willian LaRue Weller, Thomas H. Handy, Sazerac 18 year and a 2020 Eagle Rare 17 year; and the third drawing prize, consisting of a six-bottle Buffalo Trace line-up, including an Eagle Rare 10 year, Weller 12 year, Weller Antique 107, Weller Special Reserve, Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Rye and a Buffalo Trace. A total of 2,500 tickets are available at $100 a piece.

In addition to hosting Bourbon Strong + Kentucky Strong raffles, Give 270 also hosts weekly Whiskey Wednesdays Bourbon Raffles, which are hosted live on Give 270’s Facebook page and YouTube channel each Wednesday and give participants a chance to win rare and valuable bottles of whiskey at an affordable price point while helping the region. Whiskey Wednesdays raffle tickets go on sale each week and are $5 a ticket.

Tickets for both the Bourbon Strong + Kentucky Strong and Whiskey Wednesdays raffles are available for purchase at give270.org. 

Give 270 is a local 501(c)(3) crowdfunding organization that raises money to benefit projects and organizations in Hardin, LaRue and Meade counties. 

“Through our Bourbon Strong + Kentucky Strong and Whiskey Wednesdays raffles, it is rewarding to witness the enthusiasm from not just bourbon lovers, but also from those who want to help support worthwhile causes in the region,” said Give 270 co-founder Kenny Rambo. “We’re grateful for the support from John and Leigh Ann  and for the ability to make an impact on education in the region through our donation, and we are excited to continue making a regional impact through these raffle events.” 

Give 270 also hosts signature fundraising events such as the Kentucky Craft Beer Festival and the Eric and Joe Show, scheduled for November 18, 19, and 20 at the Historic State Theater. 

Elizabethtown-based nonprofit Give 270 has partnered with United Way of Central Kentucky (UWCK) for the Whiskey Wednesday raffles in June, July and August. The first raffle winner was drawn Wednesday, June 8.

Each week, Give 270’s Whiskey Wednesday will raffle off a full vertical of W.L. Weller by Buffalo Trace Distillery, a much sought after collection. However, ticket purchasers can opt to instead take only one bottle from the set and pass to have one of a maximum 13 chances to win a Van Winkle Full Vertical in the last week. 

According to UWCK president Joe Fowler, the raffle is an exciting way to raise money for nonprofits in Hardin, LaRue, Meade, Grayson and Breckinridge counties, and create community with fellow bourbon lovers who have a desire to give back.

“If you enjoy bourbon, It is hard to say no to a $5 ticket for a chance to win W.L. Weller and possibly Pappy,” Fowler said. “But more importantly, you are helping our community advance education, health and financial stability.” 

Proceeds from the raffle will provide essential funding for area nonprofits including the Community Health Foundation, Cloverport Family Resource and Youth Services Center (FRYSC), and Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC). 

“By raising funds for these three worthwhile causes, we have the opportunity to better fund other nonprofits in the region,” Fowler said. “It really is a win-win.”

Hosted live on Give 270’s Facebook page and YouTube channel each Wednesday, the Whiskey Wednesday raffle gives participants a chance to win rare and valuable bottles of whiskey at an affordable price point while helping the region. Raffle tickets are $5 and are available for purchase each week at give270.org. 

Give 270 is a local 501(c)(3) crowdfunding organization that raises money to benefit projects and organizations in the region. 

“Our region is lucky to have UWCK to support community members who need a hand up,” Eric Clemens, Chairman of the Give 270 Board of Directors, said. “As a community, our hope is that the community rallies around UWCK and supports this raffle. You never know when you might need to call on UWCK.”

Elizabethtown-based nonprofit Give 270 presented a $10,000 check to the Kentucky Chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA). The donation was made possible through proceeds from one Whiskey Wednesday Bourbon Raffle in April.

“We are excited to support the Kentucky Chapter of HDSA and are grateful to all the raffle participants who made this donation possible,” said Give 270 Board Chair Eric Clemens. “Beyond this donation, we are humbled by the courage, energy and effort provided by local advocate Kala Booth.”

A Cecilia resident, Booth is a Huntington’s Disease (HD) patient and local advocate for disease research and awareness. Last year, she shared her family’s struggles with the disease during a hearing for the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee. 

“Give 270 has been a great partner to HDSA,” Booth said. “It has been my mission to raise awareness of HD both on a local and national level, and this raffle has allowed us to raise funds, but more importantly, let others know about HD.” 

Huntington’s Disease is a genetic brain disease that can cause a variety of symptoms, such as personality changes, mood swings, depression, forgetfulness, impaired judgment, involuntary movements, slurred speech, difficulty in swallowing and significant weight loss. HDSA provides community services, education, advocacy and research pertaining to the disease. 

Give 270 is a local 501(c)(3) crowdfunding organization that raises money to benefit projects and organizations in Hardin, LaRue and Meade counties. 

Hardin County-based nonprofit Give 270 presented a check for $11,200 to Radcliff Rotary Club for the organization’s scholarship fund for seniors graduating from North Hardin High School, Fort Knox High School, and the area homeschool community.  The donation was raised through Give 270’s March 2022 Whiskey Wednesdays bourbon raffles.

“We are so grateful for our partnership with Give 270 to raise these funds to benefit area students,” said Charlie Fraley, Radcliff Rotary Club president. “The Rotary is dedicated to ‘Service Above Self’ and this funding will help us support area students through the scholarship fund.”

Scholarship recipients are selected based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities, community service and financial need. This donation allows the club to add an additional scholarship for a homeschool student in northern Hardin County. Interested students can apply for a Radcliff Rotary scholarship through their guidance counselor by April 28th. 

Actively serving the community since 1975, the Radcliff Rotary Club meets each Thursday at noon at the Colvin Community Center in Radcliff. The club contacted Give 270 to explore fundraising opportunities to support their scholarship program. 

The Whiskey Wednesdays Bourbon Raffles are hosted live on Give 270’s Facebook page and YouTube channel each Wednesday and gives participants a chance to win rare and valuable bottles of whiskey at an affordable price point while helping the region. Raffle tickets are $5 and are available for purchase each week at give270.org. 

Give 270 is a local 501(c)(3) crowdfunding organization that raises money to benefit projects and organizations in Hardin, LaRue and Meade counties. 

“Radcliff Rotary Club is a great example of civic-minded leaders coming  together to make a lasting difference for their friends and neighbors,” said Give 270 co-founder Kenny Rambo. “The mission of Give 270 is to support such efforts in our community.” 

Give 270 also hosts signature fundraising events like the Kentucky Craft Beer Festival scheduled for June 18 at The Haycraft and the Eric and Joe Show scheduled for November 18, 19, and 20 at the Historic State Theater. 

Through a new educational program known as CodeForce, Marion County elementary students are gaining game, app and web development skills while having fun. The program, which is the brainchild and passion project of Chris Porter, a local web designer and developer, is presented by local volunteers and is hosted weekly at the Marion County Public Library.

Through the CodeForce curriculum, students create games in Roblox, Minecraft and Scratch while learning skills in Javascript, HTML/CSS, Python, Unity, Lua and more. The program’s first day of class took place earlier this month, with 10 students enrolled in the program’s first 4-week session.

CodeForce is designed for children ages 8 to 12.

“The development of CodeForce came out of a simple desire to pass on the knowledge I’ve gained in coding over the years to a new generation of students,” Porter said. “Even if these kids don’t go on to pursue a career in programming, the ability to think logically and the presence of mind they can gain from learning these skills can help them in so many ways.”

CodeForce offers several tiers of learning, which includes Sidekick, Agent, Specialist, Hero and Super Hero levels. These tiers of learning range from basic programming concepts such as conditionals, loops, functions and variables to complex data structures in Python and web development concepts. By the time students enter the Super Hero tier, they will be building a web page with clean style and layout;

embedding Javascript programs within an existing web page; editing the page appearance through and CSS and more.

In addition to utilizing the Marion County Public Library, CodeForce also receives assistance from Children’s Librarian Rachael Lynch during class sessions.

“I am so excited to be able to assist in this innovative program,” Lynch said. “We’re always looking for community partners to engage with and educate local youth and CodeForce is a perfect facilitator of this mission.”

CodeForce receives support from sponsors and donors. In December, the program received an approximately $2,000 donation from Elizabethtown-based nonprofit Give 270, which covered the cost of 10 laptops, 10 mice and USB drives.

“When Chris mentioned this program and the potential it had to cultivate web developers in Marion County, we were on board to help make it happen,” said Kenny Rambo, co-founder of Give 270. “This is a perfect example of what our nonprofit is all about – connecting passionate people with resources to do awesome things.”

Due to the overwhelming response of the first session and the generous support of a new sponsor, C3 Consulting, an additional 10 spots have been added for the next session. Porter is also working with Marion County Schools to see how the curriculum can be incorporated into the system’s after-school program.

“As we gain momentum and find additional sponsorship opportunities, we hope to expand our class sizes and frequency of classes,” Porter said. “We are off to a great start and we hope that with time, we can make a substantial impact on area youth and even help shape the next generation of technologically-competent employees in the community.”

For more information on CodeForce, visit codeforcekids.org.

Give 270, a local nonprofit, recently partnered with the Elizabethtown and Radcliff congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to raise money for two area nonprofits – Hardin County Helping Hand of Hope and Warm Blessings. As part of a fundraiser called “Fast Relief,” the two congregations sponsored a community fund raising drive to raise more than $1,500 in one day. Each organization received a $762.22 check.

Fast Relief encouraged the community to fast the first Sunday of Advent in December and donate the money they would have spent on food to local nonprofits combating hunger and food insecurity.

“On the first Sunday of each month, our congregations fast and donate money to the church to help care for the poor and those in need in our congregations and community,” said Elizabethtown Bishop Micah Shirts. “In December, we wanted to invite the community to have the same experience of fasting and donating, and dedicate the funds for local nonprofits well-situated to help our communities.”

The Church reached out to Give 270 to identify ways to easily collect donations for the fundraiser and encourage others in the community to participate. Give 270 created a web page for crowdfunding donations.

 
“The holiday season is a great occasion to show the love of Christ to our communities and this fundraiser is a great opportunity,” said Arthur Russell, bishop of the Radcliff congregation. “We hope this becomes a regular tradition for the entire community.”

Following the check presentation, leaders from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints listened to the unique needs of both Hardin County Helping Hand of Hope and Warm Blessings, along with volunteer opportunities for families and small groups.

Dawn Cash, executive director of Warm Blessings, outlined the services provided to the nonprofit’s clients. These include immediate needs like a warm meal, but also long-term services overseen by an onstaff case manager to identify housing and support healthcare needs.

“Community contributions such as this one help us help others,” Cash said. “Monetary support and volunteers demonstrate to our clients that the community cares about them and wants to help them.”

Give 270 is a local 501(c)(3) crowdfunding organization that raises money to benefit projects and organizations in Hardin, LaRue and Meade counties. Give 270 also hosts the Eric and Joe Show and other fundraising events. 

“Give 270 is passionate about finding creative ways to support immediate and long-term needs in our local communities,” said Give 270 co-founder Kenny Rambo. “This is a perfect example of how Give 270 connects local donors and benefactors with the causes that deserve their support, thus creating a community that truly helps each other in times of need.”

Learn more about Give 270 and their current fundraising efforts at give270.org.

Immediately after the devastating tornados that impacted Kentucky in December 2021, Give 270 established a crowd sourcing effort called School to School. Through local crowdsourcing efforts, national efforts with Chrome Unboxed, and through weekly Whiskey Wednesday Bourbon Raffles, Give 270 raised $10,500 for Family Resource and Youth Services Centers (FRYSC) at Warren County Public Schools in the Bowling Green area.

Distributions have been made in the following forms:

• Chick-fila Gift Cards
• Walmart Gift Cards
• Monetary Donation to Warren County Schools Synergy Program

You can still help by making a tax-deductible donation at give270.org/school-to-school.