All together now

BEREA – Those offering help, and those seeking it, gathered Monday night at the mayor's invitation. Their mission was to illuminate the breadth of services that exist in town, and to connect these to each other and to the public, to ensure no Berean dies of exposure or hunger, or is alone when they need support.

Referred to as, Bereans Helping Bereans, the event was held at the Acton Folk Center and co-hosted by Mayor Bruce Fraley and the Rev. Kent Gilbert, pastor of Union Church on Prospect Street. Zinnia Hensely, social worker for the Berea Police Department, introduced the panelists and managed their speaking time.

A dozen local service organization leaders each gave a brief presentation about their organization, noting what they do and how they do it, before Gilbert peppered the panelists with questions previously submitted by citizens. That was followed by more questions from the audience of well over a hundred.

Panelists represented a range of services, including a food bank, emergency housing, healthcare, student services, and employment. Several panelists spoke of how they help those without means or financial literacy, offering material support for rent, medical care, and other needs. (For a complete list of participating organizations, see below.)

Lisa Abbott, co-founder of the citizens action group, We Show Up, also was a panelist. Abbott had been removed by force from a recent City Council meeting at Fraley's request, claiming that she had not followed public comment procedure by speaking at length about federal actions orchestrated by the president, something Fraley had said the Council had no power to address.

The day after the fracas, Gilbert contacted the mayor to offer help bringing the community together, and to be united in protecting vulnerable neighbors, despite any political differences. After Fraley and Gilbert had begun collaborating on the forum, Fraley invited Abbott to participate in the event. He smiled throughout the duration of her presentation.

Abbott touched upon the same themes as when she'd spoke at the Council meeting, largely summarized as the need for citizens and their local governments to protect those targeted or unsupported by the federal government. We Show Up, she said, organizes people to do that, including by raising funds to help other organizations such as the UP Initiative, one of the evening's featured "one-stop shops" for folks who need a range of services. Abbott also noted how her organization recently donated money to help support two young women, both US citizens, she said, who had been left alone after their father had been deported.

In addition to the dozen leaders on the panel, Fraley also name checked several other human service leaders in the audience, including Katie Heckman, director of Berea Home Village, which allows senior citizens to stay in their homes by offering them supportive services, and Danny Helton, commander of the American Legion Post 50 in Berea, which helps local veterans obtain services they need. Shelbi Pool, founder of the UP Initiative, was also in attendance, as were representatives from multiple other service organizations.

After the panelists had finished speaking, Gilbert asked the audience if they had learned anything new about the range and scope of services in town. About two-thirds of the audience raised their hands.

"Another possible way we can all be supportive is to make sure people know what is going on," Gilbert told the audience. "If you know something good, make sure you tell at least three other people."

Comments and questions from the audience included several pleas to organize and distribute directories of all available services. Others asked for an explanation of what is being done to offer transitional housing, and there was a discussion about affordable housing, which prompted Planning and Zoning Commissioner Martin Richards to come to the microphone and urge citizens to take the City's land use survey, currently on line, part of the town's comprehensive planning process, now underway. Affordable housing is among the many topics citizens are urged to weigh in on as part of the planning process, according to Richards.

Whether and where there are cooling and heating centers for folks without air conditioning or heating, was also discussed. Fraley stated that it is a gap in City services, and would be addressed. Tornado shelters, too.

A question about whether it would be possible for the City to offer the option to round up utility bills with the extra cash being donated to charity was discussed, with Fraley praising the creativity, but expressing his doubts it would be possible to direct charity donations from public utility collection. He promised to look into it, however.

Lastly, Gilbert asked about whether Berea police are contracted to offer services to federal ICE officers. Fraley said no. Councilmember Katie Startzman said that ICE is primarily interested in working with counties that have additional space in local detention centers where they can detain those they've apprehended.

"So we might not be a county where it would be really easy to do their jobs," Startzman said, referencing Madison County's perpetually overcrowded detention center. Her comments were met with murmurs of laughter from the audience.

In addition to Fraley, Hensley, Richards and Startzman, the City was also represented by Councilmen Steve Davis and John Payne. Madison County Magistrate Brian Combs (R), from District 2, which includes Berea, was also in attendance, as were Berea's police chief, Jason Hays, and the city administrator, Shawn Sandlin.

Before releasing the audience to visit the tables set up by the various panelists' respective organizations, Fraley wrapped the discussion portion of the evening with kind words for his fellow citizens.

"This shows you something that I said at the last Council meeting, that as I thought about putting this together and working with Kent and Zinnia, and others, I don't know of another community anywhere – and I've been to a lot of communities and been involved with other mayors – I don't know any place that has the level of care for their neighbors, and the resources available for helping each other, than Berea. That makes me really proud."

Fraley then exhorted attendees to please volunteer or donate to any cause of their choice. "If you really want to help, open up your billfold," he said.

Fraley thanked Gilbert, calling him his "partner in crime" and said that while they have been friends for years, on a recent trip as delegates to Berea's sister city, Hokuto City, Japan, "we've gotten even closer".

The Mayor then asked for citizen feedback on the evening, and suggested it would be the first of many such events to bring the City together and help those in need.

Gilbert told the audience an audio recording of the evening had been made and would be used to strategize a plan to tighten gaps between services and those who need them. A timeline for when actions would be taken was not immediately available.

Following the discussion, Combs spoke with The Edge. "I've never seen anything like this in the community. It's great. My hope is that [our] differences don't take away from the things we can do."

Combs went on to say that the forum showed how well local communities can take care of their own, and said state and federal governments are less efficient.

"We've given up so much control to the federal and state government to do things on our behalf. It's a callousness. We're not doing our part. We pay taxes and the government does all these programs. I mean we're really not helping our communities," Combs said. "I would rather give my money to someone I know locally rather than to the federal government."

Combs, a Republican, is running for re-election in 2026. While county magistrates in the Commonwealth run on a party ticket, local mayoral and council races are nonpartisan, even if candidates are strongly affiliated with political parties outside of their respective campaigns. Magistrate candidates are currently running in the national election cycle. Local elected official races will begin next summer. Fraley also recently announced he will run for re-election next summer.

Sandy Bolster, a Berean, told The Edge in a text, "I was impressed with how polite people were. It was an example of how people with differing views can interact and be civil, even while discussing topics that people care deeply about, an emotionally charged set of concerns."

The event began at 6:30pm and wrapped at 8:30pm. Most of the time was spent in discussion, with only 10 minutes left for attendees to visit with the various panelists. There was much laughter and interaction between officials and citizens following the event.

To aid in the City's efforts, The Edge is launching a new bi-weekly column, "How Can I Help?" The column will run on Saturdays, and will include a brief explanation of a local service organization, and how to support it.

The first organization featured in the column will be Room In The Inn, the local emergency housing organization that has been more cash-strapped this season than in previous ones, limiting the number of Winter days they can operate. Disclosure: Alysia Mora, president of RITI, is an advisory board member to The Edge.

This has been updated to include Fraley's announcement he will run for re-election in 2026.

Bereans Helping Bereans participating organizations:

(in no particular order)

-Berea Community Schools Family Resource & Youth Services Centers
-Madison County Schools
-Kentucky Career Center
-Berea Food Bank
-Berea Baptist Church's God's Provision Food Pantry
-Saint Joseph Berea
-Madison County Department of Health
-Room in the Inn
-White House Clinics
-Madison County DCBS Family Support
-We Show Up
-Kentucky River Foothills Development Council