The University of Kentucky's Women & Philanthropy Network recently awarded grant funds to five academic initiatives on campus. One of these grants was awarded to the UK College of Public Health (CPH), in collaboration with the UK College of Communication & Information (CCI) and UK Libraries, towards “Documenting Kentucky’s COVID Stories” among vulnerable populations.
This grant, which is proposed to be a year-long project, will engage faculty and students across CPH, CCI, and UK Libraries to document the COVID experiences of vulnerable Kentuckians and memorialize the state’s “COVID experiences.” Through photos and interviews, this will capture and communicate the story and the impact of this once-in-a-century pandemic.
Furthermore, collected source materials will serve as an evidence base for developing new policies, and programs and interventions to support vulnerable populations in the future.
“I’m excited about this collective effort and leveraging the knowledge of faculty and students at UK Libraries and CCI,” says Dr. Donna Arnett, Dean of the UK College of Public Health. “The pandemic has had a devastating impact, especially on vulnerable populations. It is important to document these stories and continue to do our part in bridging the divide between the haves and have nots.”
Some of the possible themes that will be explored are survivor stories, Kentucky’s mitigation successes, long term health impacts, job loss and the impact on families, loss of family members, vaccine hesitancies, inequities (racial/ethnics and rural/urban), and mental health consequences of social isolation.
"We are very thankful to the Women in Philanthropy Network for awarding our college this grant," says Shelley Ward (pictured), Director of Philanthropy at the UK College of Public Health. "This grant will help us advance this proposal into action and continue supporting our vulnerable populations that have been impacted by COVID in Kentucky."
The Women and Philanthropy Network was formed in 2007 to motivate and foster women as leaders, donors, and advocates for UK. This group of women created a new culture of service and philanthropy through their gifts of time, talent, and resources, all in support of UK students.
Original UKNow story “UK Women & Philanthropy Network Awards $199,327 to 5 UK Academic Initiatives” can be found here.
