Source: The News-Enterprise
In a community meeting to share its vision and launch the final push toward its $2.5 million funding goal, the Knox Regional Development Alliance welcomed leaders of government, business and military retirees for breakfast at Grace Heartland Church.
After interviewing roughly 100 community stakeholders, a private firm helped organizers begin the fundraising effort in April. As of today, the effort is at 62 percent of its goal with $1,556,600 committed. All 43 campaign investors were announced at the meeting.
The push is on to raise the full $2.5 million target by year’s end.
The heads of two of the largest givers, Ray Springsteen of Fort Knox Federal Credit Union and Dennis Johnson of Hardin Memorial Health, also are contributing to the effort as co-chairman of the fundraising campaign.
The money will equip what retired Maj. Gen. Bill Barron, chairman of the Core Committee, called a proactive economic development initiative to serve the Fort Knox region for the next five years. The plan is to hire an executive director and two other staff members to promote the virtues and resources of Fort Knox as a hedge against budget cuts and a possible base realignment while simultaneously lobbying for new opportunities on post and in the neighboring civilian community.
The alliance described its three initiatives as advocating to retain existing missions and attract or recruit new Department of Defense missions; implement defense-related new business attraction and retention programs; and develop more partnerships between public entities plus public-private partnerships to fuel growth.