PARTNER AGENCIES CREATING A MULTITIDE OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH APRIL

LOUISVILLE (March 9, 2022) – Mayor Greg Fischer today joined representatives from Metro United Way, Jefferson County Public Schools, GE Appliances, Brown-Forman, YouthBuild Louisville and a variety of volunteers and nonprofit organizations to announce the 2022 Mayor’s Give A Day, a Celebration of Service with support from Metro United Way.

This year’s Give A Day is a full month of giving, beginning April 1 through April 30, 2022.

“Today is a little bittersweet,” Mayor Fischer said, noting that it’s his last year announcing plans for the annual celebration of service, but how proud he is leading a city that embraces compassion as an action word.

“When I took office in 2011 and described compassion as one of our core city values, some folks were doubtful,” the Mayor said. “But over the past 11 years, Louisvillians have stepped up and today, this city-wide celebration of service, which humbly began as a single day of service, is now a month-long event. My hope is that we’ve inspired our community to ensure the success of Give A Day will continue long into the future.”

Give A Day started as a one-day service opportunity in 2011, and then grew to a week, and in 2019, it spanned 10 days, setting records each year for volunteers and acts of compassion – a total of 235,000 in 2019. Since 2011, Give a Day has amassed 1.3 million acts of compassion.

With support from Metro United Way and community organizations throughout the city, hundreds of volunteer opportunities will be available for this year’s Give A Day. Group and individual projects will be offered; some may be virtual, while others will be in-person.

Metro United Way supports the volunteer engagement platform for the Mayor’s Give A Day by connecting those who need help with those who want to help.

“Metro United Way is proud to once again serve as the backbone of Mayor’s Give A Day, a Celebration of Service by connecting volunteers to meaningful opportunities in creating a stronger, more equitable community,” said Adria Johnson, President and CEO of Metro United Way. “No matter how much or little time you have to give, there is a way for you to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors.”

A sampling of this year’s projects and initiatives include:
• Thousands of volunteers will come together throughout April to pick up litter and beautify the city through the Brightside Community-Wide Cleanup, one of the largest Give A Day service projects. All cleanup group participants will receive Brightside litter bags and gloves. Residents also can organize their own clean-ups on streets and in neighborhoods with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Brightside has rallied more than 103,000 volunteers during the Mayor’s Give a Day celebrations.
• The 10th Annual WE Day Kentucky Celebration will take place April 20. This event has, in the past, drawn some 2,400 students and teachers to The Kentucky Center for a celebration of students’ commitment to service, and over 4,000 for the WE Walk for Compassion. This year’s celebration be a virtual/in person hybrid event at Paristown Point, with 150 students onsite and a livestream reaching 10,000 students throughout Kentucky. This year’s Call To Action will focus on the well-being of youth affected by the devasting tornado earlier this year in Western Kentucky.
• Louisville Pride Foundation, which is opening the first LGBTQ+ Center in the Louisville area, will have several projects involving painting, landscaping, and other renovation and beautification work.
• Love the Hungry will host a food packaging event with 100+ participants assembling 20,000 meal kits for children and families assisted through Operation Ukraine in Poland. For the past 10 years, Love the Hungry has hosted more than 40,000 volunteers of all ages who have helped create 7.5 million fortified meals shared with families vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition across the world. This includes 600,000 meals packaged during the Mayor’s Give A Day celebrations.
• Habitat for Humanity will host a “spring cleaning” in the Russell community, and Molo Village will host a clean-up at the St. Peter’s United Church of Christ at 1225 W. Jefferson in preparation of a renovation project.
• Young Authors Greenhouse will plant a Poetry Garden in celebration of Poetry Month. Volunteers will distribute yard signs of poetry written by Greenhouse authors for “planting” at locations across Louisville.
• The Salvation Army will host a “Block Party,” where people experiencing homelessness can pick up free socks, underwear, toiletries, and non-perishable food items. There also will be grilled hotdogs, smores, music, and a variety of outside games at the event.
• The Building Industry Association of Greater Louisville (BIA) will build a house in one day that will be delivered to a family affected by the deadly tornado in Western Kentucky earlier this year.
• St. Bernadette Diaper Bank and the city’s Office for Women will have a diaper supply drive. Nearly 1 in 3 families lack resources for diapers, a challenge that disproportionately impacts women, who, because they cannot afford diapers, may be unable to send their kids to daycare, suffer higher rates of postpartum depression or lack of attachment with their child. St. Bernadette Catholic Church offers the only diaper bank in Kentucky, located in a donated warehouse space on Poplar Level Road. They distribute diapers to 13 agencies, amounting to about 100,000 diapers a year.
• The American Red Cross blood supply remains vulnerable. You can help by scheduling a blood or platelet donation to help ensure patients receive the care they need. Make an appointment by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Companies and organizations of all sizes will have employee teams in action during Give A Day, including GE Appliances and Brown-Forman.

“Give A Day is really a community-wide effort and that absolutely includes our private-sector, which provides so many of the volunteers that make these projects a reality that improve the lives of people in our city,” said the Mayor.

“For over 150 years here at Brown-Forman, giving back has been important to us, especially in our hometown. Encouraging our employees to volunteer where they live and work contributes to a robust and vibrant community for everyone,” said Jill Horn, Director Global Community Relations, Brown-Forman.

“GE Appliances has been part of Mayor Fischer’s Give a Day from the beginning. This partnership Louisville Metro Government and Metro United Way allows our employees and other businesses in our community to come together to support non-profits, create possibilities for increased impact and come together as a community to make good things, for life.” Allison Martin, Senior Director of Citizenship and Digital Communications, GE Appliances, a Haier company

Another critical component of Give A Day is the involvement of Louisville youth. Since the start, Jefferson County Public Schools students and teachers have joined thousands of private and Catholic school students for service projects during Give A Day.

“We are grateful that each year, JCPS schools and thousands of students benefit from the selflessness of Louisvillians who step up to volunteer as part of the Mayor’s Give A Day initiative,” said JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio. “It’s also a great opportunity for our students and staff to show their appreciation by giving back to the community that so often steps up and supports them.”

The Mayor also recognized Kentucky Derby Festival (KDF) for its work galvanizing Louisville’s community spirit and attracting and organizing great volunteers. This year, KDF will offer an opportunity for one volunteer to win a special Festival gift package, including a framed 2022 Derby Festival Official Poster and a $100 gift card for Derby Festival merchandise. Individuals must register at mygiveaday.com to volunteer for a project by March 25 to be eligible to win.

“The Derby Festival is fortunate to have such a large network of volunteers. We couldn’t return to producing all our events this year without them,” said Matt Gibson, KDF President and CEO. “It’s a real tribute to our community that we have so many people willing to give of themselves to help make Louisville a more compassionate place to live, work, and play.”

Individuals or groups wanting to find a project should visit mygiveaday.com, where projects and needs submitted by local non-profit agencies and other groups are listed. The Mayor urged individuals and companies to also use the website to report their own community service.

2021 Give A Day — Notable Numbers:
• 27,958 total volunteer hours given to projects during Give A Day Week 2021.
• 2,806 Brightside volunteers cleaned up neighborhoods and parks in Louisville.
• 1,500 individuals donated blood at Red Cross blood drives.
• 1,110 pounds of shoes donated to local non-profit WaterStep from MSD and Louisville Metro Government.
• 118 volunteers devoted 332 hours to planting trees around the community.