Civic Engagement & Education Committee
Communication Opportunities
Partnerships for Democracy
Together Frankfort - A Look Back
Enjoy some photos from past events, from 2017 till the present!
Together Frankfort - Our History
Our Mission
Together Frankfort is a non-partisan, volunteer group of Kentuckians who seek to exercise and protect the principles embodied in our nation’s Constitution by being engaged and responsible participants in democracy.
We advocate for integrity and transparency in government and political actions, and fair and equal application of the law and civil rights for all people.
We support economic and social policies that ensure continuing opportunity for individuals and families.
We are committed to our country and to the welfare of our fellow citizens regardless of political affiliation, and to solutions that cross partisan divides. Membership is open to all -- please sign up, participate, learn, act!
Background
Our organization, Together Frankfort, formed on January 6, 2017. Several South Frankfort (KY) neighbors and friends, about 16, were planning to get together to go to the National Women's March on Washington & to sister marches. We met, shared contact information and our plans for travel and logistics. We discussed our reasons for going and the discussion became quite powerful, personal, and profound -- evolving into a passion to take action locally.
That night, we formed our organization, selected our name, established our next meeting date for debriefing after the march. We drafted a letter to Rep. Garland Hale Barr IV (Congressional representative for Frankfort/Franklin County, at that time), describing our concerns with proposed healthcare changes and invited him to attend the Women's March on Washington to learn more. On Jan. 18, 2017, we hand delivered the letter to his staff and issued a press release describing our new organization, our concerns and our actions.
The Frankfort State Journal ran an article about our invitation to Barr, with quotes from his staff who proclaimed Barr's utmost support for women's concerns. He declined our invitation to participate in the national Women's March on Washington.
Priorities Established in 2017
Since our formation in January 2017, Together Frankfort has conducted community meetings, inviting citizens to become more engaged in civic life. First we conducted an organizational meeting, working in small groups to define our priorities. The guiding priorities established were:
1. Increased civic engagement, particularly focused on specific national policies, particularly environmental protection and management, healthcare, campaign finance and "dark money," and racial discrimination;
2. Improving voter participation & voter education on public issues;
3. Educating citizens toward improved communications with elected officials about our concerns; and
4. Forming partnerships with like-minded organizations.
Early in 2017, we selected several focus areas:
~ healthcare;
~ campaign finance reform;
~ environmental management, particularly climate change, and;
~ voter registration.
On May 15, 2017 we launched our "Summer Study on the Impact of Money in Politics," with a briefing by U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth.The Summer Study activities included an open discussion on Jane Meyer's Dark Money (May 23, 2017), and workshops on the various strategies to curb the impact of money on elections.
Communication Tools Used by Together Frankfort -
Please help us by using these communication tools also!!
We communicate through:
1. Periodic "Action Alerts" and "Updates," which are e-mailed to anyone who has attended our meetings or have asked to be on the mailing list (if you're not receiving these, send your name, phone number, & email address to sign up here);
2. Member Updates: Emails to paying members of Together Frankfort with information about upcoming events and "member only" activities;
3. Public Facebook page (OVER 2,500 "likes/follows,");
4. Private Facebook group page for internal communications;
5. "Members Only" Facebook group (if you're not yet a member, click here to join!);
6. Our Twitter account (please "follow" us);
7. A YouTube channel
8. This website: Developing and updating this website rounds out the communication work of Together Frankfort.
Leadership
Together Frankfort's activities are managed by a group of citizens who have committed to being actively engaged in the organization's long-term stability, called the Coordinators Team. On January 5, 2023, at Together Frankfort's Annual Meeting, Barbara Hadley Smith, Chair, introduced new Together Frankfort Coordinators, as well as those returning to the role:
Together Frankfort Coordinators, elected in January 2023:
Harry Carver
Kelly Dycus
- Dawn Hale
- Kay Harker
David Stumbo
Together Frankfort Coordinators, re-elected in January 2023:
- Kemba Cofield
Mary Lynn Collins
Judy Goddard
- Dantrea Hampton
Bill Klier
Barbara Hadley Smith
Margaret Townsley
Linda Waller
Karen Armstrong-Cummings, Gae Broadwater, Karen Carey, and Kathy Murphy retired from the Coordinators' Team in Decembeer 2022.
Barbara Hadley Smith chairs of the Coordinators Team. Until the advent of COVID-19 closures, the Coordinators Team met every other Monday at 12:30 p.m., usually at the Completely Kentucky meeting room in downtown Frankfort (237 W Broadway St, Frankfort, KY, USA).
The Together Frankfort Coordinators' Meetings are open and interested persons are encouraged to attend. From June 2020 until summer of 2022, Together Frankfort Coordinators conducted team meetings every two weeks, still on alternate Monday's at 12:30 PM, by Zoom teleconferencing. Minutes of meetings may be requested from the Chair, Barbara Hadley Smith.
Membership
The organizational structure of Together Frankfort changes and evolves to meet organizational objectives, as defined by member interest. In April 2022, Together Frankfort established a membership structure, whereby citizens could join, in one of the following categories:
Regular Membership - $20
Youth Membership (18 and Under) - $10
Sustaining Membership - $75
Scholarship (Interested persons are asked to make a request for a scholarship if the above membership fees are prohibitive of joining. No one is turned away.)
If you have not already done so, please click here to join online! if you prefer to mail your membership or make a donation by mail, please click this link to download & print the form. Complete it and send with a check, payable to Together Frankfort, to the address below.
Together Frankfort
P. O. Box 870
Frankfort KY 40602-0870 USA
Or contact us by e-mail: togetherfrankfort21@gmail.com