Central Region Innovation and Commercialization Inc

On the night of Friday, 12/10, and early Saturday, 12/11, a series of tornadoes tore through Western Kentucky, leaving a path of destruction across the whole region and taking the lives--at current estimate--of 74 people, including 12 children. From Mayfield to Bowling Green, Dawson Springs to Bremen, the damage to families, businesses, and infrastructure was staggering. It has been called the costliest tornado event in U.S. history. More than 1,000 homes and businesses were lost; many more damaged--and families throughout the region enter this holiday season waiting for their power to be restored.

 

But this has also been a story of resilience for the Bluegrass State, of neighbors helping neighbors, and of the people of Western Kentucky putting one step after another and getting about the business of rebuilding their lives. Kentuckians have come together across any and all differences and have been joined by friends, neighbors, and strangers from around the country, and around the world--living up to the state's motto of "United We Stand, Divided We Fall."

 

We ask you to join in that effort--to help Kentuckians in their efforts to get their power, their infrastructure, and their lives restored, and to forge ahead in their process of rebuilding their homes, their businesses, their towns, and their lives. The strength, regenerative spirit, and resolve of Kentuckians has been a light in this darkness. To paraphrase Western Kentucky musical pioneer and "The Father of Bluegrass Music" Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky," we would like your help as Kentucky keeps that light shining. Let's Keep on Shining, Kentucky.

 

#KeepOnShiningKY

 

These funds are being raised for the Central Region Innovation and Commercialization Center in Kentucky, a 501(c)(3) located in the Western Kentucky University Center for Research & Development in Bowling Green, Kentucky, whose mission is to facilitate the creation, growth, recruitment, and retention of jobs based in this region. The CRICC knows that helping the towns and families impacted by this tragedy will be vital to that mission. The CRICC will distribute 100% of funds collected to multiple locally based efforts throughout Western Kentucky in the towns and rural areas directly affected by the tornadoes. This page was set up by Sam Ford, a fellow at the CRICC and Bowling Green resident. More about the CRICC here: https://centralregionicc.com.