A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Covington Sixth District school’s late janitor donates his estate, $175,000, to Child Victims’ Trust Fund


A man who spent his career as a school janitor — lifting a child’s spirits with a smile — left his entire estate of $175,000 to Kentucky’s Child Victims’ Trust Fund.

The bequest allows Alvin L. Randlett’s devotion to child welfare to continue. The trust fund protects Kentucky children from abuse and neglect.

Attorney General Andy Beshear joined students and staff at the Sixth District Elementary School in Covington to honor the late Randlett who died in 2015.

Following his passing, Randlett, a former employee of the Covington Independent School District donated his estate, more than $175,000, to the Office of the Attorney General’s Child Victims’ Trust Fund.

The donation helps to protect children from abuse, a cause Randlett’s embraced while serving as a janitor at the Sixth District Elementary School for 32-years.

Alvin Randlett

Beshear said Randlett’s award would hang in the elementary school as a permanent reminder of his contributions and true compassion for Kentucky’s children.

“The generous bequest from Mr. Randlett deserves never-ending remembrance and appreciation,” said Beshear. “Mr. Randlett’s act allows the Child Victims’ Trust Fund to protect more Kentucky from abuse and make a positive difference in the lives of thousands of children for years to come.”

The letter from the estate said Randlett believed he could lift a child’s spirits with a smile, a kind word or a joke and upon realizing the unfortunate circumstance of many of the children he served, he developed a passion for protecting children.

“Mr. Randlett was a wonderful man who not only looked out for the students at school, but he also lived in our neighborhood and would do anything to help us out,” said former student and current instructional assistant Renee Fuson. “I remember seeing him walking home from work on a daily basis and he would always say “hi” to us and ask us if everything was ok.

“Henri-Dominique Lacordaire once stated, it is not genius, nor glory, nor love that reflects the greatness of the human soul; it is kindness,” said Covington Independent Schools Superintendent Alvin Garrison. “Through Mr. Randlett’s act of kindness, he exemplifies how great the human soul can be.”

Created in 1984, the Child Victims’ Trust Fund provides financial support to help reduce the incidence and impact of child sexual abuse in Kentucky.

The fund supports organizations with educational and promotional programs that help inform Kentuckians on how to identify and report the crime and how to access preventative resources in each community.

The trust fund’s prevention activities and child advocacy programs are funded through private donations, proceeds from the purchase of “I Care About Kids” license plates and donations made through the state income tax refund check-off program.

Beshear said every donation to the trust fund goes directly toward fighting child abuse in Kentucky.

Annually, the Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention Board, within the Office of the Attorney General, announces the availability of Child Victims’ Trust Fund grants and selects regional and statewide recipients.

Over the past two years, the trust fund has provided $260,000 to support statewide and regional child abuse prevention programs and organizations.

Recently trainings were conducted in partnership with Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky to help youth-serving organizations like daycares, summer camps, and churches to evaluate their programs and implement an action plan that will strengthen protocols and policies to safeguard children from sexual abuse.

The trust fund also supported the training of more than 1,200 prosecutors, social workers and community advocates on how to protect Kentucky’s children from sexual abuse.

More than $160,000 in funding also went to support the state’s Children’s Advocacy Centers, helping pay the costs of hundreds of child sexual abuse medical exams.

Since taking office, Beshear has made protecting children from abuse one of the top priorities for his office.

The number of arrests, indictments, and convictions by Beshear’s cyber investigators has reached historic levels, totaling more than 155.

Beshear reminds Kentuckians that everyone has a moral and legal duty to report any instance of child abuse to local law enforcement or to Kentucky’s Child Abuse hotline at 877-597-2331 or 877-KYSAFE1.


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