VIPS Honored as 2025 Colonels Grant Recipient

June 18, 2025

Louisville, KY – VIPS is proud to announce it received a grant from the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels (HOKC) in the amount of $4,999.95 to purchase laptops for the educational and administrative staff. 

VIPS serves children, birth to five, who are blind or have low vision by providing early intervention and educational programming and services in Kentucky and Indiana.

HOKC awarded $2.5 million in grants supporting 333 non-profits, impacting more than 4 million Kentuckians.  Grants are made possible through donations from Kentucky Colonels from throughout the Commonwealth and around the world who choose to exercise the honor of being named a Kentucky Colonel in a meaningful way.

General Alex Lyttle (left) presents Mary Smyth of VIPS (right) with a $4,999.95 grant.

According to Commanding General Gary Boschert: “2024 / 2025 was a challenging year for fulfilling Grant Requests, with $5 million in total requests. We were able to distribute $2.5 million through the Good Works Program that each of you generously supports. Every dollar you contribute to the Good Works Program goes out to nonprofits in the Commonwealth. Together we helped support more than 4 million people this year.

About the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels 

The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels is a 501(c) (3) entity dedicated to supporting charitable activities throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The organization is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Trustees. The “Kentucky Colonel” commission is an honorary title granted by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Since 1951, the organization has pursued its mission through annual grants totaling $72 million to more than 1,700 nonprofits. Of those Colonels’ contributions, each grant is thoroughly vetted by the trustees and staff. Though the corporate name is The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, most know it by its long-term trademark, KENTUCKY COLONELS. Visit kycolonels.org to learn more. 

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