Clark County Equity Coalition founder briefs Rotary on its mission

As an active organization within the community, the Clark County Equity Coalition seeks to fulfill its goals.

Recently, they spoke to many locals.

The Clark County Equity Coalition was well represented during a meeting of the Rotary Club of Winchester at Winchester Country Club on Boone Avenue.

“I thought it’d be [good] if we just have a conversation and you get to know us a little better and we get to know you a little better,” said Donna Carter, founder of Clark County Equity Coalition.

As stated on its website, https://www.clarkco-equitycoalition.com , “Members of the Coalition share the goal of advancing equity in their work.”

The organization was founded in 2016, when Carter – a Winchester resident – sensed a need along with several others.

“I was at a site-based decision making council at one of our schools, and they did a survey where a certain percentage of the teachers were uncomfortable talking to a child of a different culture or race,” Carter said. “I did not want to complain. I want to be part of the solution.”

While such an event played a large part in starting the Coalition, they also desired to branch out in different ways.

“We also focus on any child who falls in a gap [and] parents who have a problem advocating for their children [as well as] children who may not have [or] know the resources that are available to them,” she said. “We have some great resources here in Winchester.”

Since its beginning, the organization has – among other actions – launched the Clark County Black & Hispanic Achievers Program.

The program has allowed numerous opportunities for citizens of Clark County, including visits to local sites such as Bluegrass Community & Technical College as well as a trip to Washington, DC for those who have met specific academic criteria, a chance to meet with professionals in a number of fields in order to learn about potential career prospects, and demonstrating civic commitment through projects such as repainting painter boxes downtown.

The latter is a focus that Clark County Equity Coalition wishes to hone in on.

“Our approach is about a meaningful moment and what that means to us is that we’re graduating people who are not just getting a piece of paper, but have skill and can be productive citizens and pour back into this city,” Carter said.

The organization also has a mental health task force seeking to provide support.

As the mother of a child within Clark County Public Schools, Carter finds the work even more motivating.

“I have a 14-year old going to high school. I live in this community and I have a specific skill set that I thought can help,” she said. “I could not sit back and not do anything.”

As time moves on, the Clark County Equity Coalition seeks to have further involvement with the widely supportive Clark County Public Schools.

“Next year, we’ll have two programs running in the school system. We hope that in 2026, we can have a summer camp,” Carter added. “The thing about the Coalition that is truly the vision is that we’re not recreating the wheel, but we invite other agencies to join with us.”

The students’ needs, as always, remain in the forefront.

“Our goal is to bring [others] together for [their] benefit,” Carter said.

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