Robertson County has a population of 2,134 (2017) and is considered to be the smallest county in the state. Even though we are small, that does not define us and that has been made apparent in several ways. Robertson County is home to Blue Licks State Park where the last battle of the Revolutionary War took place. It is also home to the Robertson County School, which is a Pre-K through 12^th grade school all housed in one building. Most of the people who live here, were born and raised here. However, that is changing more and more as people are moving in wanting a more “small town” lifestyle. I was one of those people who was born and raised here, and now plan to better my community by partnering Cooperative Extension Service with CEDIK and Robertson County citizens. .

Last fall, when they asked us to complete the community assessments, one of the components was the focus group. I starting compiling names of people that represented different aspects of the county and the industry. Those who were invited represented the following: healthcare field, library, sheriff, jailer, farmers, senior citizen care, school, tourism, churches, city, county, etc. The main objective of the focus group was to identify the issues that Robertson County faced, the assets the county holds, and what they would like to see happen in the county in the near future. There was great discussion about all questions and topics presented to those in attendance. The focus group had been a success in my eyes at that point. I never would have thought that a mandatory focus group would turn into anything other than that, until the question was asked, “When do we meet again?”

That focus group is now a fully functioning committee that has their sights set on the improvement of Robertson County and the city, Mt. Olivet. They have met once a month since November and have made tiny steps in the right direction at each meeting. In order to help them along this journey, I invited Melissa Bond with UK CEDIK to our meeting in May. The committee loved the programs that CEDIK had to offer and one in which they took special interest in was “First Impressions”. At our meeting in June, Melissa reported what had been compiled when they did First Impressions in Robertson County. The committee was very open minded and they soon realized that it is the small things that could be fixed in order to make a huge impact on our county. CEDIK had suggested to combine youth in this process to see what all they noticed about the community as well and to help along the way.  

Therefore, this committee is focusing on Robertson County and its citizens and the youth. They are wanting to make everyone know that “just because we are small, does not mean that we aren’t worth the time and effort.” They are wanting to see the county grow and prosper! Bring businesses and industry in so that kids don’t have to leave to find a career. They want to see a city that we are proud to call our own and a place where alumni return and see what all they miss about growing us here. CEDIK loves the motivation our committee and community have to change, and by partnering with them, it will allow us to do so much that we never even though of.

I have very strong hope that this committee grows and can have the impact that they are striving for, for the betterment of Robertson County.