"A friend from out of town recently asked why I'd chosen to live in Lexington for the past 16 years. My wife and I relocated to the Bluegrass in our early 30s, planning to stay a few years before moving on. Instead, we've taken root.
I had no trouble giving my friend some reasons why we've stayed: Keeneland Race Track, Bluegrass horse farms, the Kentucky Theatre, the Red River Gorge, the Public Library system.
The secret gem in Lexington — the place I found myself describing to my friend most lavishly — was The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. Housed in a historic, architecturally significant building in Gratz Park, the Center serves as an extraordinary personal development hub and, I believe, a not yet fully appreciated resource for the Bluegrass business community.
As a small businessperson — a self-employed writer and consultant — I signed up for my first writing class at Carnegie a decade ago. Soon I was working in earnest on a non-fiction book, then celebrating its publication, and eventually, the publication of a second book. Since then, I have taught dozens of classes and workshops at the center and continue to teach and learn about writing, marketing, selling and networking.
While my own business has benefited enormously from the center, I've also seen what a resource it is for larger businesses. Recently, I talked with Lexington-based businessman Jed Bullard (owner of E.D. Bullard Company, a Cynthiana safety equipment manufacturer with 300 employees) to learn why he and other businesspeople believe the Carnegie Center is vital for the Bluegrass business community.
First, Bullard told me, there are the practical reasons. The center offers employers the chance to educate themselves and their staffs in crucial business skills: effective writing, efficient use of technology, and fluency in foreign languages. "A literate workforce is imperative in the global competitive environment," Bullard said. The existence of the Carnegie Center, he added, "demonstrates that Lexington is proactively dealing with the changing world."
Foreign language classes are a good example. Thousands of immigrants and refugees have found homes in the Lexington area in recent years. The low-cost language education offered at the Carnegie Center makes it possible for employers to learn Spanish and communicate with those non-English speakers. Meanwhile, immigrants and refugees can take free English classes at the Carnegie Center (through Operation Read) and prepare themselves for local jobs.
Bullard says that the existence of the Carnegie Center also demonstrates how much the Bluegrass community cares about education. This is important with recruitment. "If you can get people to focus on the facts, to see that we're very interested in literacy and learning, it puts Lexington in a strong light," Bullard said. "The Carnegie Center is the kind of place that can help turn the conversation."
Finally, as a busy businessman, Bullard said, he appreciates knowing that there is one agency that serves as the hub for literacy and learning in the region. Whenever he needs information on the topic, he knows where to turn. "Lots of people talk about doing something for literacy and learning," Bullard told me. "Through the center, Lexington has actually done something."
Indeed, as Bullard suggests, the credit goes to the larger Bluegrass community. Among those that help fund the Center are the Lexington Public Library system, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Woodford County horse-farm owner Will Farish, and hundreds of business leaders and individuals in the region.
As the community's needs expand, the center also is looking to expand its outreach, especially to the business community. If you'd like to contribute ideas or money, please contact the center's leaders at 859-254-4175. They'd be glad to welcome you into their widening circle of friends.
Neil Chethik is author of FatherLoss (Hyperion 2001) and VoiceMale (Simon & Schuster 2006). This fall, he'll be teaching a Carnegie Center class called "Business Writing With Impact!" It meets Wednesdays, noon to 1:30 p.m., from Sept. 12. to Nov. 14. The cost is $80 per person, with a discount for more than one person from the same business or agency. Call 859-254-4175 to register."