The Kentucky Chamber Foundation and Kentucky Sports Radio are giving $700,000 to Volunteers of America to support their Freedom House program they are bringing to Owensboro. Freedom House provides residential treatment for pregnant and parenting women overcoming substance use disorder.
is receiving $700,000 from the Kentucky Chamber after raising money from the tornado recovery fund from last year.
Kentucky Chamber President & CEO Ashli Watts and KSR Founder Matt Jones presented the check at January’s Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce Rooster Booster. The money comes from the tornado relief fundraiser, and will be used directly to assist families who were affected.
“We honestly didn’t know how much money we would raise [altogether],” Watts said. “We kind of set that first goal at $100,000 and crossed our fingers that we could get to it, and slowly over the next couple of days and couple of weeks, we raised $1.7 million for tornado relief here in Western Kentucky.”
After talking with leaders throughout the Commonwealth, the Kentucky Chamber Foundation decided to donate the funds to nonprofits that are and working to repair their communities. That included Habitat for Humanity in Dawson Springs and Volunteers of America (VOA).
VOA has long been trying to expand their Freedom House program to Owensboro, and in December they got approval to build a facility at 1111 Frederica Street on the former Fuller Muffler & Brakes lot, just north of the CVS that sits at the intersection with Parrish Avenue. VOA is earmarking the money to be used directly for those who were impacted by the tornado.
“This will be the closest Freedom House for (those impacted by the tornado) to go to, and so that’s what we’ve decided to do with $700,000,” Watts said.
