Log A Load Helping to Brighten Children's Futures

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2009) – For 22 years, an industry that touches every corner of the state has been helping Kentucky Children's Hospital. This year, members of the wood industry in Western Kentucky have raised the bar in helping the hospital by giving more than $20,000, a more than 42 percent increase from the highest amount they raised in any previous year.

The Kentucky Forest Industries Association (KFIA) spearheads the Kentucky version of Log A Load, a national giving campaign that benefits Children’s Miracle Network affiliated hospitals. Kentucky Children’s Hospital, part of UK HealthCare, is the direct beneficiary of their generosity.

Log A Load refers to the idea of loggers contributing the value of a truck load of logs. But the philanthropic program has grown to include other forest industries, such as sawmills and paper manufacturers. In more than 20 years of giving, Kentucky forest industries raised nearly $250,000, money that has been designated for several uses at the children’s hospital. Three custom wood murals now grace the halls of the hospital, and enormous trees in playrooms invite children to play and learn about the forest. When the youngsters press buttons on the tree’s trunk, the sounds of forest life emerge from its branches.

But the loggers’ generosity goes beyond playrooms to providing two research endowments. The first, which began in 2001, targets pediatric cardiology. The second, which began in 2006, focuses on recruiting people into the field of developmental pediatrics. Each five-year endowment was created with $125,000 from the Log A Load campaign and a matching state Research Challenge Trust Fund grant.

Forests are an essential component in the overall health of the Commonwealth, providing critical habitat for wildlife, important filtering for watersheds, recreational opportunities and income for Kentucky’s citizens. Careful harvesting of those forests plays an essential part in maintaining that health.

It’s not the only way forest industries contribute to the health of the state. According to Bob Bauer, executive director of KFIA, the forestry industry directly employs over 30,000 individuals and contributes approximately $4.6 billion in sales annually to the state’s economy.

Kentucky typically ranks third in hardwood lumber production in the country, producing over 900 million feet a year, according to Bauer. Of the state’s more than 25 million acres of land, 47 percent are forested. Of those 12 million forested acres, 78 percent are owned by private individuals.

"The renewable resource is more important than many people realize," said Bauer. “Employment in forest industries is double what the coal industry is in the state, which surprises a lot of people. You’ve got some form of wood industry in nearly every county in the state."

 “They have a real heart for the kids,” Bauer said, referring to the support from the industry. “We have some loggers that have had kids here at Kentucky Children's Hospital, or they know of somebody. I think that’s why they have an interest. I think it’s also a program that recognizes the wood industry, so that gives them some incentive. And I hope that one of the things the children take away from the hospital is a respect for the forest and a better understanding of who loggers are.”

Dr. Tim Bricker, professor and chairman of pediatrics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and physician-in-chief at Kentucky Children’s Hospital, appreciates the many people who contribute to the Log a Load program. “Members of the forest industry have made it their priority to work toward keeping children healthy in Kentucky. Their generosity and dedication is heart-warming."