ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — A big announcement and a donation of $500,000 had people on the edge of their seats Thursday morning in Elizabethtown, eventually leading to a standing ovation. 

Tara Jones said she loves living in Elizabethtown. She was born and raised in the city. Back in 2012, she started college before she had to quit.

A single mother, she has faced difficulties over the years, but she kept pushing and even went back to school. Things were going well before losing her job last March. 

“I was really scared that I was going to have to quit school again," Jones said. "Because you're starting a new job, you’re not going to start off on day shift. Making sure my daughter’s taken care of, too, I knew it was going to be really hard. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to keep up with it.” 

She then got introduced to the Family Scholar House at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College’s (ECTC) campus. It provides resources for students and student-parents to stay on track with educational goals and issues in and out of the classroom. 

From getting business clothes for interviews to gas cards to get back and forth to school, Jones has benefited from the program. 

“Things have really turned around," she said.

Jones, who shared her story on stage with leaders, was there as leaders from ECTC and Blue Oval SK unveiled a $500,000 donation from Blue Oval to the ECTC for a five-year commitment to Family Scholar House. The donation will equip students and parents with necessary skills and tools to be successful, including housing, food and transportation, said Michael Adams, Blue Oval SK CEO. 

The site will also be home to the Blue Oval SK Family Services Building. It will be a 48-unit home for 48 families in a single-parent homeless situation. There will be playgrounds and exercise areas.

“This project is clearing a path for the future workforce of this region," said Juston Pate, president and CEO of Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. "We know that by removing stable housing as a barrier for our students, we're going to be able to increase that workforce." 

“To be able to fill the jobs that we’re going to have to fill in this area that’s the fastest-growing in Kentucky [is] going to require folks to relocate and to move here," said Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, D-Ky. "To know that these resources are available and that this community is opening its arms to support all of the future workers is something that's going to also draw people and families to want to move here." 

Now, Jones works at Blue Oval, has earned her dual-track associate degree and is on her way to earn her bachelor's in graphic design at Bellevue University, all while raising her daughter. 

According to ECTC, more than $14 million could be invested in the Family Scholar House, while the School’s “Home for Hope campaign” plans to raise more than $3 million and is planning on more than $11 million in low-income housing tax credits and vouchers.