BATH COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – In 2015, Aaron Williams was on his way to a homecoming dance in Bath County when he got into a crash that would change his life forever.

“His back tire fell off, and he overcorrected, and down the hill, he went and hit a tree. The car burst into flames,” said Aaron’s father, Chris Williams.

Chris Williams describes the night his son Aaron crashed on his way to his homecoming dance. The crash left him critically injured. Williams says his son died that night, taking his last breath before the ambulance was able to arrive on the scene.

“They said, This boy is gone. But the ambulance came down the road about the time he took his last breath and stopped breathing and startled him, and he started breathing again. Now that set a road that where he is today, that that next breath,” said Williams.

Nearly nine years later, Williams still finds it difficult to recall the conversation with his son’s doctor.

“He said, Mr Williams, your son won’t live through the night,” said Williams.

Yet, Aaron did live through the night. He’d go on to spend 43 days in a coma. Williams says hundreds of people came to the hospital to pray for his son. Friends, family, and strangers alike. One night at UK Hospital, he saw a large group passing around candles.

“I said, who you having prayer for? And they said, Well, there’s a boy named Aaron Williams who was in a car wreck, and we’re going to pray for him. I said, Can I join you? I didn’t tell them,” said Williams.

It’s those prayers that Williams credits for his son’s recovery. Countless stories like this are detailed in his book, “From Death to Life: The Aaron Williams Story.”

“I didn’t know when I was writing; I didn’t realize what it would do. I was just telling my story, but telling this story has helped people,” said Williams.

Williams has received letters and calls from people with stories similar to Aaron’s, asking for prayers and thanking him for giving them hope.

“I wrote it at the cost of my son, but what this book details gives people hope. When you’re told there is no hope,” said Williams.

Today, Williams says you’d never know what his son had been through by looking at him. He’s learned to walk again, enjoys playing basketball, and recently made the Dean’s List at Morehead. While Aaron has changed his major a few times, his current plan is to become a lawyer.

The book, “From Life to Death: The Aaron Williams Story,” is available now. To purchase, click here.

Copyright 2024 WKYT. All rights reserved.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) – Check your tickets!

The Kentucky Lottery says Saturday’s Powerball drawing produced a $150,000 winning ticket.

The winning ticket was purchased at Clark’s Pump-N-Shop at 100 Isaac Shelby Circle Way in Frankfort.

Saturday night’s winning Powerball numbers were: 26 – 51 – 54 – 61 – 69 Powerball 25.

The winning ticket matched four white ball winning numbers and the Powerball, winning $50,000, but the prize was multiplied to $150,000 since the winner added the Power Play feature to their ticket.

The Kentucky Lottery advises the winners to:

• Sign the back of their tickets.
• Keep them in a secure location.
• Claim their prize within 180 days from the date of the drawing.

Winners must claim their prizes at lottery headquarters, 1011 W. Main St. in Louisville. They should contact the lottery at 1-877-789-4532 to make an appointment to claim their prize.

Copyright 2024 WKYT. All rights reserved.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 1, 2024) — The Kentucky Kinship Resource Center (KKRC), housed in the College of Social Work (CoSW) at the University of Kentucky, is expanding to better serve caregivers and children across the Commonwealth.

The KKRC now offers resources for all caregivers, including those who have custody, are fostering, or for those caring for a child of a family member or friend.

“The relational dynamics and complexities of kinship care can be difficult for caregivers to navigate, regardless of whether a caregiver has custody or not,” said Sheila Rentfrow, director of KKRC. “Expanding the program will provide opportunities for caregivers to connect with other kinship caregivers and receive vital support — no matter where they are in their kinship journey.” 

Nearly 2.7 million young people are being raised by a relative and data suggests kinship rates throughout the Commonwealth are among the highest in the country. 

There are immense benefits of kinship arrangements — a form of care that allows children to grow up in a family environment. Studies show these children have healthier behavioral and emotional outcomes. But emerging research also takes a closer look at the struggles relatives often face when caring for young family members.

The CoSW has an established history of supporting kinship caregivers across Kentucky. From conducting research to launching programming, the college is on a mission to connect relatives caring for youth with an array of services designed to meet their unique needs.

In an effort to provide much-needed support for kinship families, in March 2020, the college launched KKRC. Through education and training programs, peer support and mentoring initiatives, and broad-based advocacy, the center provides a continuum of resources for kinship caregivers.

“We conceptualized and launched KKRC for a singular purpose: to meet the needs of kinship caregivers in Kentucky,” said CoSW Dean Jay Miller, Ph.D. “This center was the first of its kind in our state, and we are extremely excited to be able to continue serving kinship caregivers in an innovative way.”

Miller, who spent time in foster and kinship care as a youth, is passionate about providing useful information and valuable resources to caregivers. That’s why KKRC leads efforts to provide and promote evidence-based approaches. This is done through expansive research and evaluation in the field. 

With the expansion, KKRC will now offer programming to all relative caregivers in Kentucky, regardless of custodial status, which includes kinship foster caregivers.

“The KKRC is designed to provide a strong social support network easily accessible by participants in times of need,” said Missy Segress, director of centers and labs in the CoSW. “Through our innovative partnership with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, we have implemented a program that reduces the risk of placement instability and improves the quality of care. With this program expansion, we are able to provide these services to even more families across the Commonwealth.”

Families being served by KY-KINS have access to innovative peer support and mentoring initiatives. Additionally, Kinship Peer Supporters, who are caregivers themselves, undergo comprehensive training to provide the best support possible.

KY-KINS is based on the premise that by connecting kinship caregivers to a supportive network of trained professionals, the overall well-being of the entire family will improve, and the placement of children in the home will become safer and more stable.

“Our peer supporters and small group facilitators have been amazing people to work with. They are passionate about using their lived experiences in kinship care to serve and connect kinship families with needed resources and assistance,” Rentfrow said. “With this type of expansion, we’ll be able to offer more support services, utilizing more program leaders with lived kinship experience, including hiring more peer supporters and small group leaders that will allow us to serve more of Kentucky’s kinship families.”

In 2023, the KKRC was nationally recognized and named “Parent Group of the Year” by the North American Council on Adoptable Children. The award is designed to honor parent associations and groups for their excellence in supporting adoptive, foster and kinship families.

KY-KINS was also approved to certify kinship peer supporters, in accordance with Kentucky law. The program is recognized as meeting state certification requirements — allowing KKRC to address critical workforce and behavioral health needs in Kentucky.

“As a kinship caregiver, I wasn’t able to access programs like KKRC,” said Jessica Adkins, a kinship caregiver and certified Kinship Peer Supporter. “For many of our caregivers, it’s such a relief to know they are not alone — to know they are heard and to know there is help. That is what the KKRC is all about.” 

To learn more about KKRC, or if you are a kin caregiver in need of support, email kinship@uky.edu.