Education has always been important to Crystal Fox. So, after noticing education gaps in her Mayfield, Kentucky, community, she knew she needed to do something for the students of color who needed more support.
Five years ago, she and fellow Mayfield resident Derrick Parrott founded Mayfield Enrichment Center, a nonprofit that started with students in mind and now supports families, older adults and others.
“We needed to address the whole family before we could help those children,” says Crystal, a mother of four. “We had to meet everyone’s needs in order for the children to thrive.”
For more than a year, the center helped students and their families address basic needs. But when a devastating tornado hit Mayfield in late 2021 — destroying over 400 structures and killing more than 20 Mayfield residents — Mayfield Enrichment Center expanded its focus and began helping the city’s marginalized and underserved communities bridge disaster relief gaps.
It also changed the way Crystal and Mayfield Enrichment Center (previously named Mayfield Minority Enrichment Center) raised funds. The organization went from small community fundraisers like fish fries and salad sales to helping residents by obtaining funds from disaster relief grants and receiving donations.
Beyond the thanks she regularly receives in the Mayfield community, Crystal’s volunteer work is receiving recognition from organizations in Kentucky. In 2024, Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky gave Crystal one of its Healthy Kentucky Champion awards, the Kentucky Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers gave her a Social Justice Star in 2023 and WellCare of Kentucky gave her a Community Health Champion award in 2022.
What is your job at Aetna?
I’m a Case Management Analyst with Aetna, and a part of the Supporting Kentucky Youth (SKY) team. We provide support to children who are in foster care, were adopted from foster care, were formerly in foster care or have been placed in the care of a person who has a positive relationship with them. We wrap around the child and make sure they have the resources they need to be in their home.
How is Mayfield Enrichment Center currently helping community members in need?
One of the great things about Mayfield Enrichment Center is that community members feel like they have a direct connection to us. We know these families. They can reach out to us and say, “Hey, Crystal, listen, I have COVID. Can you get me this?” Or, “My child has a fever, and he needs Tylenol.” Or, if we go grocery shopping for them, we ask what kind of milk they drink. We’re not going to get them green beans if they really wanted peas. I think it is important to provide dignity to people who are going through hard times. I’ve been a mother of four who’s gone through hard times, and it’s empowering to know you have support.
Why do you volunteer?
Because I live in the community where I volunteer, and I want the community to thrive. So, in order for us to thrive as a community, we have to make sure our neighbors are thriving and their needs are being met. It is hard for me to go into my home and have my needs met but know my neighbor is struggling. It’s important to have a community connection and to look out for one another.
When I started Mayfield Enrichment Center, I focused on education because I saw kids graduating from high school who weren’t ready to get a job or continue their education. There seemed to be a school-to-prison pipeline. These kids weren’t strangers. Mayfield is a small community. So, if my kid’s friend is going to graduate from high school and wasn’t going to be ready for a job or their next level of education, we had to take some responsibility as a community and say, “What can we do? How can we help bridge that gap? How can we break this cycle of poverty?” We had to start somewhere.
What have you learned from volunteering?
That everybody can use some type of support at some time. There's not much difference between the people we help each day and us, our family members and our friends. It doesn't take much to have a conversation with a person to see what they need.
How has your volunteer work helped people in Mayfield?
We assist with everything. I’m constantly getting messages from the people we’ve helped. I got one today from a young lady we helped get housing. I walked her through that process. She has lupus and it’s having an impact on her life and kids, but she knew she could reach out to me. She just got approved for housing, and I was one of the first people she called. When a mother tells me, “Thank you for the food,” or I’m told, “I just started my job,” those moments are what keep us going — knowing that one mother has a safe place to live or that another mother isn’t stressed about how she’s going to feed her kids this week.
What does Mayfield Enrichment Center have planned for 2025?
People are settling into their new places and the need for disaster recovery efforts is decreasing. We will focus on our yearly events and help with food resources and utilities. We had essay contests in February for Black History Month, and we gave the kids who participated gift cards. For Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, we’ll partner with others in the community and have events with free snow cones, yoga and healing events.
We sponsor Juneteenth events for the community, and later this summer, we’ll sponsor back-to-school events and give school supplies to children. We are also working with local partners to open a client-choice food bank in the community. And then we’ll close out the year with our Change the Narrative fundraising event. It’s where we recognize those in the community who are giving back to the populations we serve.
