The Friday Finish - Pumpkins at Pop Up - Alumni Strengthening Legacy - "I want to be a nurse..." - Funding (Lack of) for Senior Meals - Field Reps Visit - Former Director Gives - Special Shoes
October 2, 2026
Pumpkins at the Pop Up
It’s been easier to get in the fall season mood with the cooler temperatures the last few days here in eastern Kentucky, and Tuesday’s Pop Up Market scheduled to coincide with Commodity Supplemental Food Program distribution had the right products available for a fall market. The usual market clientele at the Pop Up Market is 60 years and older but this month preschoolers were present. The Red Bird Christian School Early Childhood Development (ECD) Preschool doesn’t meet on Friday when the Red Bird Farmers Market is open during the growing season so the Tuesday market day was a perfect opportunity for a nice walk over to the Red Bird Mission Farmers Market.
Even though the market season is winding down, there was plenty of selection available for the 204 commodity box recipients and the preschool shoppers. Each of the preschoolers picked out a pumpkin to take home. Honey, baked goods, and late summer and early fall vegetables were picked up by adult patrons brought by the farmers. Local growers earned more than $1000 at Tuesday’s Pop Up Farmers Market.
Alumni Strengthening the Legacy
Final preparations continue for the annual Red Bird School Alumni Association (RBSAA) Homecoming October 9-11. Staff and volunteers have been doing the extra tasks of cleaning up and fixing up when you have family coming in for a few days.
The weekend will kick off with an alumna speaking at the weekly chapel for Red Bird Christian School. The Young Alumni evening that was a hit last year repeats this year on Friday night with campfire and an outdoor (weather permitting) movie. The focus event for the weekend is the association meeting on Saturday when the RBSAA will present awards recognizing people that contribute to the success of Red Bird School, and the featured speaker always takes everybody back in time with inspiring stories of “the good ol’ days”.
It’s also the time that alumni and friends of Red Bird Christian School give financially to ensure that the school that meant so much to them as a student and paved the way for their success continues for the current generation. Two alumni have pledged $45,000 to match dollar for dollar every donation to the school. This year, the goal for the fall campaign is $105,000 in recognition of the 105 years that Red Bird School has been providing education and spiritual formation to children and youth in and around the Red Bird River valley.
Matching funds are still available to double your gift to Red Bird Christian School. You can make your donation online using the link below, or mail a check payable to Red Bird Mission, Inc., 70 Queendale Ctr, Beverly, KY 40913-9607 marked “Homecoming Match”.
“I want to be a nurse…”
Each week, our little learners get a surprise. Somebody walks through the door, somebody who does a real job in the real world, and those kids' eyes light up like they've seen a superhero. Because honestly? They have.
Last week, it was builders. Bobby Bowling and Dane Sizemore from our Work Camp and Maintenance crew came in with helmets and safety goggles and taught those kids how to drive nails, run a drill, and fit PVC pipe together. This week, it was nurses. Two mamas, Kassidy (Natalie's mom) and Kamryn (Emmy Kate's mom), both nurses, walked into that classroom and turned it into a mini clinic.
They showed those kids how to use a stethoscope to listen to a heartbeat; how to carefully wrap a bandage; and how to give medicine with a syringe. And then, the stuffed animals came out, and the kids started practicing on each other, and you should have seen them. So many of those boys and girls said, "I want to be a nurse when I grow up!"
That's two weeks. Two careers. Two sets of surprise guests walked into a preschool classroom and showed a bunch of three- and four-year-olds that the world is big and full of things they can do. And I keep thinking, what happens next week? Who walks through that door?
These kids don't just learn about careers. They learn that they belong in them. That the future of building belongs to the girl with the hammer. That the future of nursing belongs to the boy with the stethoscope. That anybody can grow up to be a healthcare hero or a tradesman or whatever else walks through that door next.
Red Bird has always been about more than education. It's about showing kids what's possible and then handing them the tools to get there. Sometimes those tools are a drill and a bucket of nails. Sometimes they're a stethoscope and a stuffed bear with a bandage on its arm.
Either way, the dream gets bigger. And that's the whole point. So this week, thank you to Kassidy and Kamryn, for showing up for our babies. You didn't just teach them a skill. You showed them a future.
Now I just want to know, who's walking through that door next week? Find out on next week's Friday Finish!
— Kayla Smith, Development Gifts and Media, Red Bird Mission
Update on Funding (Lack of) for Senior Meals
The Kentucky Governor’s Office released press statements on 9/22/26 on WYMT proposing to “fully fund senior meals” and assist other social programs. On that same date, the Governor’s Communication email updates shared, “Gov. Beshear: $1.7 Billion in Additional Revenue Can Fully Fund Medicaid, Senior Meals, Pre-K and Help Families Afford What They Need.”
To the mainstream public, the understanding is that senior meals are now fully funded, however, what is not transparent is that this proposal must go in front of a legislative session that begins in January for approval. In addition, the Commissioner for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services announced to area development districts that funds would not be available to pay local senior meal providers until April 2027, if approved. This means as of today, seniors are going hungry, and will continue to not be fed with Kentucky surplus dollars for at least 7 months.
Red Bird Mission needs your help now to safeguard lifesaving, home delivered meals for older adults living in economically distressed food desert communities within Bell and Clay Counties. Our clients live deep within the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, 45 minutes from any small town. Many depend on these home delivered meals for the only hot nutritious meal they will get for the day. Chronic illness, exhaustion from dialysis or cancer treatments, inability to drive, and for some, lack of running water or electricity in the home, make cooking a well-balanced meal difficult. Food is a basic necessity, needed for sustenance and proper healing.
A home delivered meal is also a life line to emergency services, referrals for other services, and a wellness check. Living alone with no phone or internet access in isolation and rugged, rural terrain can also mean this is the only face, kind smile, or friendly exchange that this senior will see when their meal is delivered.
The Kentucky government budget that started July 1, 2026, reduced its senior meal allocation by 5.5 million dollars, meaning that our Cumberland Valley Area has 1.3 million dollars less than last year to feed our most vulnerable aging neighbors. Also, transportation services needed to access local senior centers has been significantly reduced over the last 2 years, further compounding access to food.
To prevent further aging service cuts at Red Bird Mission, we need to raise $10,000 per month for the next 7 months until the government funding can be released. You can cover the cost of meals with a monthly donation of $180 over the next seven months, or a one-time donation of $1,260. Use the link below for secure online donations, or mail a check payable to Red Bird Mission, Inc., 70 Queendale Ctr, Beverly, KY 40913-9607 marked “Elderly Meal Delivery”.
Kentuckians, contact legislators and let them know that the Senior Nutrition Program is a crucial service in our area and funding is needed now, not in April 2027. You can contact Tracy Nolan, Red Bird Mission Community Outreach Director, by email, tnolan@rbmission.org, or call Community Outreach, 606-598-0520, if you need more information. Thank you for your calls, prayers, and donations to help us sustain these services.
McConnell Field Reps Visit
Donna McClure, Field Representative, (pictured here with Tracy Nolan, Red Bird Mission Community Outreach Director) and Lynnell Fields, Field Assistant, toured Red Bird Mission again on Wednesday on behalf of Senator Mitch McConnell’s Office. Their service to our community has been an important link to Washington, D.C. for Red Bird Mission, other organizations, and the people served over the years. Thank you, Donna and Lynnell, for your advocacy for all of us!
Former Finance Director Still Gives
Linda Yetter came to Red Bird Mission in 2009 to serve as Finance Director for several years. She’s maintained connection over the years with people she met during those years. Now retired, Linda still finds ways to help the people served by Red Bird. We recently received handmade pillowcases and sheet sets that Linda customized.
Nine Fitted with Special Shoes
Kentucky Homeplace staff were at Red Bird Mission Community Outreach on Tuesday fitting 9 people with special shoes at the Diabetic Shoe Clinic. Kentucky Homeplace is an outreach of the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health.
Prizes and Smiles
It’s not just Friday, but today was an extra special Friday. Games, food and lots of joyful voices were present in the cafeteria and hallways for the annual Fall Festival at Red Bird Christian School. It’s a chance for some of the clubs and groups to earn a few dollars for their activities throughout the year. But, it’s also a time that lifts the heart and brings a smile to all ages as students excitedly move from table to table testing their skills in games. Like most places, the prizes don’t have much monetary value, but represent a personal accomplishment and memory that lasts for weeks that school is also fun at Red Bird Christian School.
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