Bring solar to Buckhorn Children and Family Services (BCFS) and help young people from troubled backgrounds be provided with the tools to embrace their individual capacities to heal. Buckhorn Children and Family Services takes the most severely abused/neglected children and youth throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and offers them a sanctuary of health, healing and hope.
This project is fully funded. See Pictures Here.
$91,370 Needed/ $91,370 Raised
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Every day, Buckhorn Children and Family Services provides services to over 200 children/youth. The children/youth have a broad range of backgrounds that have led them to need services. BCFS offer a tri-phasic approach to help their troubled youth cope with histories that include:
- 90% of children have a parent with history of drug abuse, with 60% of the youth having themselves used
- 75% of children have a history of attempted suicide
- 80% of children have a history of sexual abuse
- 70% of children have self-harmed
- 60% of children have multiple psychiatric hospitalizations
Guiding their work, BCFS provides trauma-informed care to their children and youth and ensure that each individual has a chance at health, healing, and hope.
According to the Ernie Weems, BCFS Vice President of Operations and Finance, “lighting, heating and cooling are ongoing concerns for operations…. utilizing an energy efficient strategy for lights is an immediate goal … It would be a blessing to take our entire campus infrastructure into the 21st century with energy saving devices and solar panels.”
In a state with the 43rd highest electricity prices and no renewable portfolio standard (state legislature mandating that a certain percentage of all energy generation come from renewable sources by a certain date), going solar isn’t easy*. But this makes it all the more valuable for Everybody Solar and our partners to help make this a reality.
Buckhorn Children and Family Services has two campuses and a large number of buildings. Currently, Everybody Solar is planning to bring a 20.48 kW solar array to one building - Roger's Cottage, which has electricity bills up to $1,445 in winter months. Every dollar saved will allow BCFS to offer better services to their children/youth. $100 in savings will enable the serve an uninsured child for several days, or offer recreation/special event activities, or even help remodel a facility damaged by a participant. This solar array will save Buckhorn Children and Family Services an average of $2,500 annually for the next 25 years. That's over $60,000 saved over the lifetime of the system, allowing them to do what they do best, offer children a chance to heal and grow.
As several members of the staff jointly said “The kids at BCFS have seen enough darkness in the world. They’ve come to us from poverty, broken homes, abusive homes, the streets, or even juvenile detention. But the point is they’re here now, we’ve got them, and it’s up to us not to let them down. Every dollar you give to us and help us raise will help save the life of another at-risk child.”
THANK YOU to individuals and organizations who made contributions to help bring solar to the Buckhorn Children and Family Services!
Special Thanks to...
. Anonymous . Anne Warmerdam . Benjamin Delman . Brigid Warmerdam . Carolyn McInnes . David Ellis . Drew Enamait . Ellen & Neil MacNeale . Emmett Miranker . Ericka Guzman . Frances Stewart . Heather Saunders . Jonathan Solari . Kathryn Cryts . Kelly Balaban . Madeleine Seneor . Michael Kraft . Michelle Fong . Mike Buffo . Phillip Woolery . Polly Wingfield . Sammus Prehn . Stacey Thornberry . Sravant Lavu . Susan Gordon . Tamir Lance .
and...
Gumerlock Family Foundation . The Solar Moonshot Program (managed by Hammond Climate Solutions and funded by Left Coast Fund) . Trader Joe's Knob Hill SF .
. MaxSolar . PopSockets . Tonic San Francisco . Patagonia SF.
*Kentucky Data Source: https://www.solarpowerrocks.com/kentucky/#policy