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Louisville’s fifth Financial Empowerment Summit will bring together local and national speakers, community leaders, service providers, and nonprofits and financial institutions eager to help individuals and families improve their financial well-being.
The Summit — presented by Metro United Way and Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services — will take place on Wed., March 7, from 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Bellarmine University, 2001 Newburg Road in the Amelia Brown Frazier Hall. More than 100 attendees are anticipated. They will participate in activities and workshops geared to build on their personal finances so they can better understand and secure their own financial success, and better assist with the financial success of their clients.
Registration can be made through March 1 on-line at https://www.cnpe.org/event/financial-empowerment-summit-building-financial-resilience-tips-strategies-across-lifespan/.
The $25 registration fee includes a continental breakfast, buffet lunch, all workshops, door prizes and giveaways.
The goal of financial empowerment is to help people make informed financial choices and to make progress toward their financial goals. This includes expanding financial literacy and education opportunities so people learn how to reduce debt and manage their budgets, build credit, and plan and save for long-term goals.
Mayor Greg Fischer and Theresa Reno-Weber, president and CEO of Metro United Way, will jointly open the day sharing their support for Louisville’s community-wide financial empowerment efforts; and to encourage the strengthening of partnerships to meet the needs of our residents.
“Louisville’s financial empowerment movement continues to gain momentum because of many of the individuals and agencies who will be represented at this summit”, said Fischer. “I thank each and every one of them for working together to turn challenges into possibilities, and for seeking new and innovative ways to help all residents find the long-term path to economic stability.”
Theresa Reno-Weber agrees, and notes the synergies present: “Over the course of the last five years, our collective efforts in the financial empowerment space keep growing because of the steadfast commitment of individuals from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. This is a great example of our community coming together and Living United so that people can achieve their fullest potential.”
Keynote speakers at the Summit include:
- Desmond Brown, Deputy Assistant Director for the Office of Financial Empowerment at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), will provide an overview about the field of financial coaching and how it fits within the overall work of the CFPB.
- Eric Friedlander, Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Louisville, and Erik Cole, Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Nashville, will discuss how Louisville and Nashville are building resilience with the growing social, economic, and physical challenges of the 21st century.
A variety of workshops will be offered at the event around local resources and initiatives related to financial stability and resilience.
Also highlighted at the summit are lessons learned from the 79 individuals representing 29 organizations who took part in the 2017 Personal Finance Empowerment Series (PFES). The series aimed to provide social service frontline staff with personal finance workshops to enable them to become more secure in their own financial situation. The PFES series and the Financial Empowerment Summit are made possible by a grant from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation through a partnership with United Way Worldwide. Local partners include Louisville Metro Resilience and Community Services and Metro United Way, with support from Apprisen, Louisville Urban League, Bellarmine University, AARP, the Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions and Fulton180 Coaching, Consulting and Training Projects and the Center for Nonprofit Excellence.
Pay It Forward is paying off for Metro Animal Services and its shelter pets. Hundreds of cats and dogs have been adopted into loving homes for Free since the program began! Pay It Forward relies on donations which allows MAS to waive adoption fees for certain cats and dogs. Below explains how the program works.
What is Pay It Forward Friends of Metro Animal Services, a local non-profit organization, initially donated $1,000 to cover free adoptions. FOMAS raised funds during its first-ever Pet Photos with Santa event at Animal House Adoption Center in 2016. An overwhelming success, the fundraiser paved the way for the first free adoptions of shelter pets. A variety of fundraisers continue to support the program.
How Does It Work Fundraising events and private donations continue to fund Pay It Forward, allowing LMAS to waive adoption fees for cats older than 6 months, large breed dogs weighing 40lbs or more, Pit Bulls and senior shelter pets.
Minimum donations apply for small breed dogs, puppies and kittens that do not fall under the PIF program. To adopt a small breed dog or puppy, we ask for a minimum $125 donation to PIF. The minimum donation is $55 for kittens under six months of age. Of course you can donate any amount and Pay it Forward to help cover the cost of future adoptions.
Why You Should Adopt from MAS Adopting instead of shopping saves lives. Shelter adoptions allow MAS to prevent overcrowding, eliminating euthanizations because of lack of space. Shelter adoptions are also much cheaper than going to a breeder or rescue organization. You could easily spend $200 or more on just the adoption. Donations to our Pay it Forward program not only covers the adoption fee, but the cost of spay/neuter surgery, a microchip and all vaccinations. Expect to pay a lot more elsewhere.
What is the Adoption Process While MAS is waiving adoption fees for certain shelter pets, it is not waiving the adoption process. You must fill out an application and be approved before taking home a furry companion!
If you would like to adopt from MAS, you can view our adoptable pets here or at Animal House Adoption Center (3516 Newburg Rd.). *You do not have to reside in Jefferson County to adopt from MAS.
Want to help but can’t Adopt We appreciate all donations to keep our Pay It Forward program going and save the lives of shelter pets. You can donate any amount to FOMAS/Pay it Forward. Donate $75 or more and you’ll receive a free t-shirt saying ‘I Paid it Forward’. To make a donation, click here or visit Animal House Adoption Center (3516 Newburg Rd.).
The Louisville Metro Council’s Public Safety Committee will discuss the recent Accreditation Results for the Youth Detention Center when it meets on Wednesday, February 28th.
“I am very interested in hearing about the current situation with the Youth Detention Center,” says Councilwoman Jessica Green (D-10) who chairs the Committee. “There have been recent media reports which have raised some serious questions about operations there. I believe the Committee would like to get a better understanding of just what is going on since we are responsible juveniles in our custody.”
The Councilwoman has asked Dr. Ursula Mullins of Youth Detention Services to discuss the accreditation results. She will be joined by Vincent James of the Mayor’s Office. They will discuss the recently completed audit of the Center’s operations and programs.
The Public Safety Committee meets at 3:30pm in Council Chambers, Historic City Hall, 601 West Jefferson Street.
The meeting is carried live on Metro TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 184 or on UVERSE at Channel 99. All meetings of the Metro Council are streamed live. Go to the Metro Council Home page at Louisvilleky.gov/metrocouncil and click on the Metro Council Agendas link.
The Muhammad Ali Center will be closed to visitors until Tuesday, March 6th, due to the Ohio River’s historic flooding.
Rising water levels within the city-owned parking garage and elevator pits have forced the Ali Center to shut down power to its elevators. Once the flooding recedes, the Ali Center will need adequate time to clean and evaluate the safety and integrity of the elevators. There is no reported damage to the Ali Center at this time.
Donald Lassere, President and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center, said, “The safety of the Ali Center’s visitors and employees is of the utmost importance to us, so we appreciate the public’s understanding and patience as we continue to monitor the effects that Ohio River flooding is having on our facility and the PARC garage.”
Visit alicenter.org for updates and information about the modified hours of operation.
On Monday, March 5 from 5:30-6:30 p.m., Botanica, Inc. will present a proposal to repurpose building artifacts from the Marriott block and the Board of Trade Building into the design of the future Waterfront Botanical Gardens, now under construction. The presentation will take place at a meeting of the Repurpose, Reuse, Revive (R3) working group in conference room 101 at the Metro Development Center (444 S. 5th Street). This working group aims to take a more proactive approach to protecting and preserving the city’s most historic structures. All are welcome to join the meeting and participate in the discussion.
The artifacts are currently in the city’s possession and are stored at the site of the future Waterfront Botanical Gardens and the city’s Impound Lot. The R3 working group does not have the authority to vote on this proposal but will provide Botanica, Inc. with valuable feedback and suggestions about this opportunity to reuse these pieces of our city’s history.
The R3 working group meets when the topic of artifact reuse is presented as part of a development project. The last time the group met was in 2015 to discuss the preservation and storage of artifacts from the Board of Trade building.
Joined by representatives from local organizations and volunteer committees, Mayor Greg Fischer today announced plans for his 2018 Give A Day week of service.
This year’s Give A Day week is set for April 14-22, although the Mayor noted that many projects will be under way earlier, to avoid conflicts with Thunder over Louisville at the end of the week. Give A Day is an official Kentucky Derby Festival event, and kicks off the festival season.
This year’s Give A Day week also leads into the 2018 Festival of Faiths, another volunteer-driven event.
“The people of Louisville give of their time, talent and treasure every single day, which is how we’ve earned recognition as an International Model City of Compassion year after year,” the Mayor said. “The Give A Day week of service is our way to showcase and celebrate all those great efforts in one week. I am so grateful for all those who help make this annual event bigger every year.”
Give a Day started in 2011 as a one-day call to serve others. Last year’s Give A Day Week of Service produced a world-record 180,000 volunteers and acts of compassion. Mayor Fischer said this year’s goal is to top that, with even more volunteers, donations and other good deeds.
The ultimate goal, he said, is to see compassion spread, and he pointed to the OGO JAR project being spearheaded by Global Game Changers Student Empowerment Program in collaboration with Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program. This year, all 130,000+ K-12 students enrolled in JCPS, Archdiocese of Louisville and independent and private schools will be invited to participate in this project, which encourages students and educators to create and sustain a culture of kindness, recognition and gratitude.
Other projects this year include:
- The annual Walk of Compassion, a short, student-led walk through downtown on April 17 that is part of the international WE Day. Downtown workers and others are invited to join more than 4,000 students participating in the lunch-time walk, which is sponsored by WLKY. WE Day is a celebration for our young people in grades 3-12 who have committed themselves to community service. They are already collecting hygiene products to be shared with JCPS’ resource centers and the community. Highland Cleaners has agreed to serve as the drop-off center for citizens wanting to contribute.
- The Build A Bed project, which is a JCPS-AmeriCorps-sponsored effort to build beds for children who otherwise don’t have one. New this year, volunteers will be building about a half dozen bunk beds. With the support of nearly a dozen local companies, including K&I Lumber, this project provides a bed, bedding, books and stuffed animals – some of the basics of a good night’s sleep. The first Build a Bed event in Louisville was hosted by JCPS Office of Community Support Services in 2012 and has grown, with volunteers and agencies setting up events throughout the year.
During a kickoff press conference held today at the Boys and Girls Haven, Mayor Fischer praised community organizations like the YMCA for their leadership, and he specifically called out Metro United Way, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary, for its unflagging support of Give A Day.
“We’re proud to support our community in solving problems through volunteer service all year round,” said Theresa Reno-Weber, president and CEO of Metro United Way. “As a part of that continuous work, we are excited to again serve as the backbone of Mayor’s Give A Day by connecting volunteers to meaningful opportunities to give back and address the needs of our neighbors. Connecting people with the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done is at the heart of what we do in our fight for the education, financial stability and health of every person in our seven county region.”
The Mayor also praised the community’s schoolchildren, both public and private, for their support and involvement in Give A Day, noting that they are responsible for a huge percentage of the volunteers and acts of compassion counted every year.
“Last year, we had 100 percent participation from our schools, and our students donated the equivalent of 1,145 days of service – that’s more than two years of service projects in just one day,” said Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio. “We are proud of what our students and staff were able to accomplish and the difference we made in the neighborhoods surrounding our schools. This is a perfect way for us to give back to our community – a community that steps up and supports our students throughout the year.”
“Service and outreach are important components of Catholic schools throughout the year, and schools in the Archdiocese of Louisville look forward to participating in Mayor Fisher’s Give a Day week of service,” said Leisa Schulz, Superintendent of Catholic schools. “Catholic schools will be engaging in activities throughout the community.”
Also today, Mayor Fischer announced the formation of a founding Give A Day Board whose purpose is to sustain and grow the great service and compassion work that has taken place over the past 7 years. Mary Pat Regan will chair this founding board.
Individuals or groups wanting to find a project for Give A Day week are encouraged to visit http://www.mygiveaday.com where projects and needs submitted by local non-profit agencies and other groups are listed. There you can also record your acts of compassion.
The Mayor urged individuals and companies to use the website to report their own community service. “If your church or civic group is doing a project that week, let us know about it so it can count toward our new world record,” he said.
The Brightside and Passport Health Plan Community-Wide Cleanup on April 14 is one of the most popular ways to participate in Give A Day. Every year, thousands help clean up neighborhoods, schools and parks. To learn more:https://louisvilleky.gov/government/brightside/brightside-passport-healt…
Companies and organizations of all sizes also will have employee teams in action, including GE, Computershare, UPS and Ford.
Mayor Fischer said having Give A Day week as the lead-up to the Kentucky Derby Festival helps put Louisville’s caring deeds in the world spotlight. And Festival president and CEO Mike Berry said the timing is perfect.
“With more than 70 events to produce each year, we couldn’t do it without our large network of volunteers,” Berry said. “It’s a real tribute to this community that we have so many people living and working here who are willing to give of themselves to make our city a better and more caring place.”
To accomplish their task of developing principles for evaluating Louisville’s existing public art and monuments, the Public Art and Monuments Advisory Committee will hold several more public meetings before completing its work in June.
The meeting schedule is as follows:
- March 6, 6 p.m. at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage
- April 14, 10:30 a.m. at the Cyril Allgeier Community Center
- May 18, 12 p.m. at the South Central Regional Library
- June 5, 6 p.m. at the Main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL)
Planning for an additional meeting at the University of Louisville is in progress, and details are pending.
To view information pertaining to the Public Art & Monuments Advisory Committee, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/public-art/public-art-and-monuments-…
