Kids Voting Northern Kentucky will present the organization’s highest honor, its Civic Leadership Award, to Jane Beshear, who served as First Lady of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015. In her many roles as a businesswoman, educator, community leader, and First Lady of Kentucky, Beshear has dedicated her life to the service of others throughout the Commonwealth, the organization said in a news release.
The Kids Voting Northern Kentucky Civic Leadership Award is presented to someone for exemplary leadership. Past recipients of the award include former Kenton County Judge/Executive Ralph Drees, Congressman Ken Lucas, former Secretary of State (and Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce president) Trey Grayson, Campbell County Clerk Jack Snodgrass, former Kenton County Schools superintendent Tim Hanner, Judge Karen Thomas, and Holly and Eric Specht from NKY Hates Heroin. Additionally, students and volunteers will be recognized with awards related to Kids Voting’s mission of civic education.
The event is a fundraiser for Kids Voting Northern Kentucky, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that trains the voters of tomorrow by helping them develop the habit of voting at an early age. On Election Day, kids go to the polls with their parents and cast votes in a separate booth. Along with top elective races, kids also vote in mock referendums on questions that appeal to them: such as whether their schools should have uniforms or should teach cursive writing.
In the last presidential election, nearly 11,000 young people voted, and since 1995, it’s estimated that well over 100,000 youth votes have been counted. In addition, more than 100 students volunteer each year to assemble ballot boxes, staff the polls and count the vote.
Proceeds from the luncheon will help buy civics education supplies for classrooms and help Kids Voting conduct future elections.
Beshear is being honored for a lifetime of work, including her work as First Lady while her husband, Steve Beshear, was governor. Under Mrs. Beshear’s leadership, the Office of the First Lady was active in a wide array of issues and initiatives that helped children.
In 2008 she energized the fight against students dropping out of school with “Graduate Kentucky: A Community Approach,” a campaign that included regional summits and culminated in Kentucky raising its compulsory school attendance age from 16 to 18.
She also raised over $250,000 from the private sector to create the Capitol Education Center, transforming an abandoned building into a place where Kentucky schoolchildren visiting the Capitol could eat lunch and learn about energy. In the area of literacy, Mrs. Beshear sponsored a week-long Kentucky Literacy Celebration, an annual “Feed the Mind” celebration, a quarterly recommended reading list and book distributions.
She currently serves on the board of America’s Promise Alliance, the organization run by General Colin Powell and Alma Powell that is called the nation’s largest network dedicated to improving the lives of young people.
The luncheon will be held March 21 at Radisson Hotel Cincinnati Riverfront (668 West Fifth St., Covington). Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. with lunch at noon.
Tickets are $35 each or $250 for a table of 8. Sponsorships are also available. For information, email KidsVotingNKY@aol.com or call 859.982.9353.
-Staff report
Photo: Jane Beshear