PULASKI COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — One non-profit based in Pulaski County is working to add some joy to struggling families during the holiday season.

Lengths of Love is designed especially for children who have a parent struggling with addiction.

A recovery center in Pulaski County is skating into the holiday season. “Gratitude adjustment” sponsors the Lengths of Love event and provides help to children who have been exposed to parental addiction.

“The idea came about when I worked at the detention center. I felt led to create a program that focused more on the children that had gone through the challenges of having parents with addiction problems,” Christy Fox, Lengths of Love founder, said. “It was a joint effort between myself and the inmates that created the program. And over the past six years, we’ve brought on different community partners and developed different forms of support for the program.”

The event allows kids and their caregivers to experience a night of games, food, skating, and even a visit from Santa.

Each year, during the holidays, the staff looks back to give back to those kids who have experienced so much in their short lives. Lengths of love partners with ‘toys for tots”
Ensuring each child goes home with a gift.

“The holidays are a stressful time for everybody, especially children who may not have their parents involved during the holidays. So just to do a special event, to let them know they have a lot of support in the community,” Fox said. “There are also other children that are going through the same struggles that they’re facing, which is the reason we chose Christmas time.”

Fox said we’re in the middle of an overdose epidemic, and the young population is really suffering from the consequences of absentee parenting.

“I did feel like it was a necessary program, but I’m also a little bit more passionate about it because I’m also in recovery myself. I am 18 years sober, and I’m starting to see where our community has needs that are not being met,” Fox said. “I think it’s important just to enhance the idea that this program is really geared toward the children and letting them know that they have support in the community and that they’re not alone in this struggle.”

This year’s program will take place at Skater’s Choice in Somerset on December 21st. Caretakers as well as children are welcome to attend, and you don’t have to live in Pulaski County to attend.

If you are interested in attending, click the link to register.