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Dunn tells Chamber members it's good to be home Barry Dunn's speech at the 2023 Columbia Adair Chamber of Commerce annual banquet is one to enjoy again and again, pointing out the best of people and places we know, and sharing the opportunities to help others. His comments to the crowd at Lindsey Wilson College June 6, 2023 follow: Oh, it's good to be home. It's good to be back to the place where I went to high school and college. It's good to be back to the place where I was baptized. It's good to be back to the place where I met my wife and got married. And now, I'm going to commit the cardinal sin of speaking, and I'm going to name a lot of people. Inevitably, I will leave out some folks who have been very important to me, including some who are likely in this room, and for that I'm sorry. With that said . . . It's good to be back to the place where I worked for Robert Hutchinson in tobacco fields - or, correction, backer fields -- while in high school with characters like Razor and Big Mama. It's good to be back to the place where I mowed my dear neighbor Sue Stivers' lawn for so many years, just to make a few bucks. It's good to be back to the place where my first job was to carry out groceries at Payless come rain, sleet, snow, or sun, and I can tell you that a lot of you never moved faster than when you got in your car during a rainstorm, only to leave this boy loading the car. And yes, it's good to be back to the place where I taught one year of eighth grade and went 27-3 as the basketball coach with a conference championship. Does anyone know if that banner is still up? It is? Awesome, I'm still in the rafters somewhere. My friends, it's good to be back. You see, when I was here, all I sometimes wanted was to leave. But today, I sometimes wonder why. I sometimes wonder what I was seeking. You can find good people in a lot of places, both big and small. But can you find people like Dennis Loy, whose goal isn't really to get re-elected, but to spread the gospel? Can you find Little League coaches like JD Zornes and Dan Antle and Larry Walker, or how about Joe Johnson or Roger Romines? Can you find a fire chief like Mike Glasgow, who was so important to me while I was on that department? And while it may be hard to believe, I try not to brag on myself too often. But I do want to pause and say how much I loved being on the Columbia-Adair County Fire Department from 2002 through 2008, and how much each of those guys mean to me. Man, I miss it. And in this room, twenty years ago, I was named the Firefighter of the Year. Now I'm proud of that. That said, can you find an English teacher like Jane Watson or a Sheriff like Josh Brockman just anywhere? Can you find a church deacon like Mike Talley who drove a hundred miles to Louisville to pray with my family when we weren't sure our newborn was going to make it? Can you find a school principal like Alma Rich who hired me for my first professional job? Can you find a person like Ellen Zornes who just wants to help as many people as possible? Can you find a school librarian like Jenny Myers who spent a lot of time calming down a hotheaded teenage boy? Can you find people like Larry and Cheri Hutchison who picked up a young high school kid and took him to church with their family? Can you find parents like mine, Bernie and Debbie Dunn? My friends, there are so many people I could name, but I already sound like I'm name-dropping. My point, with all due respect to Ronald Reagan, is that the most terrifying words in the English language are not always "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help." Sometimes, the most feared words are that "I'm from the big city, and I'm here to help." You see, sometimes I think the big city can help, but sometimes I think the big city tries to push too much down on the small town. And friends, that's where I call on you. You are the leaders of this community, perhaps a small one, but a community nonetheless. You know what is needed here. You are the business owners, the legislators, and the county judge. You have a responsibility to look after the flock, particularly our children. And while I'm sure that many of you here tonight are doing it and doing it well, let me encourage you to survey your heart to determine if you can do just a little bit more. Our children today are growing up in a world turned on its head. They are dealing with pressures and struggles that we didn't face. When I was young, we had the occasional classmate who got in trouble with drugs or hitting mailboxes. But earlier today, Adam Cravens told me that 20% of the Columbia Police Department's load comes from the school system. What are we doing about it? What are we doing to stem the tide? What are we doing to tell kids we love them? That they can succeed? That's where you come in. Earlier today, I searched the IRS website for nonprofits with a Columbia address. There were 74. Would you believe that there are 6,439 in Louisville? Now obviously there will be a gap. Sheer population differences dictate it. But are there some opportunities here locally to help? Are there opportunities to share what God has blessed you with? Perhaps, just maybe, there is something on your heart tonight. If you don't think you can make a difference, allow me to suggest otherwise. Allow me to share a story. One hundred years ago, Kosair Shriners decided that they could make a difference. They decided that they could change the world, or at least our state, one child at a time. So they banded together to form Kosair Charities Committee, Inc. with the purpose of building and operating a children's hospital. They went to work and opened the doors of Kosair Crippled Children Hospital in May 1926. Our hospital served thousands and thousands of children from 1926 to 1981. In 1981, our hospital on Eastern Parkway closed, but our focus on ensuring that kids in Kentucky received the medical care they needed never stopped. We worked with Norton Healthcare to build Kosair Children's Hospital in downtown Louisville, and we were the primary funder of that hospital from 1981 through 2016. Over those years, we spent over $250 million to construct facilities, buy life-saving equipment, and pay medical bills for indigent children. I dare say that many of you in this room know someone who benefited from that love. While our name is no longer on that hospital, we haven't lost sight of what matters - the kids we serve. Although we and Norton went our separate ways, we left behind the resources needed to pay the medical bills of indigent children for years to come. As we closed out our first century, we were proud to adopt Kosair for Kids as a new name earlier this year. We've done business as Kosair Crippled Children Hospital and Kosair Charities for 100 years. But we always called the children we served Kosair Kids. We always said we were for kids. Why shouldn't our name reflect it? So now we do our work and carry out our mission as Kosair for Kids. Today, Kosair for Kids serves children through four main programmatic areas. We pay medical bills for children through our Kosair Kids Financial Assistance Program, we fight child abuse and neglect through the Face It Movement, we provide grants to children's nonprofits, and we provide phenomenal Kosair Kids Experiences. If you hear nothing else I say today, please make it this: if you know a child with medical needs that a family cannot afford, call us. We love nothing more than to pay for the wheelchair, the hearing aids, or the surgery. We believe that children deserve care. And while the vast majority of children today have insurance, the insurance company sometimes says "no." Those of you in this room know the importance of a budget. You know that you try to keep expenses under budget. I'm proud to report that Kosair for Kids has allocated $1 million this year to pay for medical bills, medical equipment, and therapy for children in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. And if we get to $1 million, I've got a board of directors composed of people just like Robert Flowers who will say "keep going, help the child." So help us help more children in this area by sending them to us. Over the last few years, we have paid medical bills for twelve Adair County children at a cost of $28,000. We want to do more. One of our other areas of emphasis is the Face It Movement to end child abuse and neglect. We founded Face It ten years ago in response to the child abuse epidemic in Kentucky. And make no mistake, child abuse was the original epidemic in this state. What started with ten partners in Louisville has expanded to 140 partners statewide, all working together to end abuse and neglect. It's a sad fact that year after year, Kentucky is at or near the top in the nation in the rate of child abuse and neglect. We've made some progress, but not enough, having gone from worst in the nation to sixth worst. In 2021, 14,963 children were abused or neglected in Kentucky. Does that make you mad? Does it make you mad enough to do something about it? I'm glad that people like Max and Amy and Sarge in the General Assembly are passing laws like mandated reporting to try to do something about it. Now it's your turn to help. We are also proud of our third programmatic area, our grants program. We grant $12 to $15 million per year to children's nonprofits in Kentucky and Southern Indiana, including Columbia's own JOY Ministries, which receives funding for children's summer programming. We believe that children's nonprofits in Kentucky should be world-class, the best in the nation. Our partner agencies constantly tell us how their colleagues around the country are jealous of this special thing we have going in Kentucky, and how they have facilities and programming that is second to none. Maybe you have an idea tonight that we would want to fund. Finally, we are proud of our Kosair Kids Experiences. So many children just need to know that someone loves them. That they are capable. That they are good enough. That they fit in. Kids simply need to be kids, to feel the power of joy. In a few months, kids will go back to school. Teachers will ask them what they did over the summer. Some kids will have gone to the beach, and some to Disney or their favorite theme park.But some won't have an answer. For some, going to grandma's will be their best experience. And while going to grandma's is a great experience, we want to lift kids up and make dreams come true. I remember one such experience for me. Between my sophomore and junior years of high school, I was selected as a Rogers Scholar. I spent a week in Somerset at the Center for Rural Development with kids from across Kentucky. For the first time, I realized that I was smart and that I could hold my own. A little later in life, I had a similar experience while in college. Sandy, I'm not sure if you remember this, but you, Congressman Whitfield, and Michael Pape were here in late 2004. I asked about inauguration tickets, thinking that only the "important" people could get them. But you all made it happen. You got tickets for four Lindsey Wilson students, and my wife, two friends, and I drove through the night on January 19, 2005, to attend George Bush's second inauguration. That meant a lot.Thank you. Now, I'd be remiss if I didn't thank those who make our work possible. We have a great group of donors right here in Adair County, led by our Mark Twain Shrine Club, which has contributed tens of thousands of dollars over the years. Guys like Robert and Joe Flowers, Terry Moore, Fred Rowe, Steven Baker, Butch Rogers, and so many others. And there's Rogers Trucking, which has been a great sponsor of our UPS Golf Scramble for several years. And individuals like Adam Cravens and so many more. I can't thank you enough for what you make possible. There's a lot of joy to be had in giving, and I encourage each of you to support those causes that you hold dear. As I wrap up, let make ask you to examine your heart to find your passion. Examine your mind to discover what you think this community needs. Scripture tells us that we are but a mist, but if all of us combine our mists, we can make a movement. Of all places, why not build that movement right here, right at home? Thank you and God bless. Barry Dunn, President and CEO, Kosair Charities This story was posted on 2023-06-12 23:52:24
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