A crammed War Memorial Building played host to a joint meeting between the Hopkinsville Rotary and Kiwanis Club Tuesday afternoon — and all in the name of effort for the 2024-25 United Way of the Pennyrile Campaign.
With its theme “Shine Like the Stars” and its campaign chair Martha Steil leading the charge, officials noted that more than $250,000 has been raised toward the $700,000 goal — all of which will benefit 18 non-profit organizations in Trigg, Christian and Todd counties.
But among the breaking news nuggets of Tuesday’s gathering, was the announcement of Betsy Bond’s replacement as this region’s United Way executive director.
Bond’s retirement reportedly brought about a number of worthy applicants, and Steil revealed that Melanie Quinn Noffsinger will be following in her stead.
The daughter of Trigg County lawyer H.B. Quinn and retired district judge, Jill Clark, as well as a 2006 graduate of University Heights Academy, she returned to home roots with her husband, Cody, after studying at the University of Kentucky — and ever since has been entrenched in the servant leadership of Christian County.
Moving into this position, she said, just made personal and familial sense.
Noffsinger has also previously been involved with event management at the Bruce Convention Center, helped open Southern Springs Events in Trigg County and then on to The Silo and Bolinger Real Estate & Auctions until shifting to this new endeavor.
Bond will stay on in some capacity to delicately oversee the final months of this campaign structure, before Noffsinger fully dives in for the 2025-26 campaign strategy and beyond. However, Noffsinger also noted that the job requires more than just fundraising moxie, and she’s looking forward to further education and involvement with the 18 partner agencies served.
Meanwhile, the announcement of Noffsinger accented a gathering that brought light to some of the tougher situations in the three-county region — specifically because of the need for these non-profit organizations in places like Cadiz, Hopkinsville, Pembroke, Elkton, Trenton and Guthrie.
Hopkinsville Christian County Family YMCA Chief Executive Officer Sheryl Ellis, however, shared a strong story about how her organization is more than just a “gym and swim” — impacting everyone from six weeks old to their oldest current member at 92 years old.
Tuesday’s gathering also brought about a bit of light-hearted fun to the situation. Steil led a trivia challenge between Rotary and Kiwanis, with Cody and Brandon Killebrew edging Chandler Ladd and Nikki Chambers by a nose. Both teams donated cash to United Way for several correct answers.
