Free Electric Fans For Seniors And Disabled Individuals

Photo: Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Service

Thanks to the generosity of local businesses, community organizations, and residents, hundreds of electric fans have been collected to provide heat relief for seniors and people with disabilities.  A “Fan Fair” giveaway and resource event is scheduled for Saturday, June 16 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Edison Center, 701 W. Ormsby Ave., Louisville, KY 40203.

Fans will be available for seniors 60 and older, as well as for individuals with documented disabilities, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Fan Fair qualifications and guidelines are as follows:

• Person 60 years or older
• Or documentation verified by a physician of a disability
• Resident of Jefferson, Oldham, Henry, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble or Bullitt Counties
• Proof of address and age
• ​One fan per household

A Resource Fair will coincide with the fan giveaway event to provide basic health checks and information from local resources. Participating vendors include Aetna, AARP, JenCare, Kentuckiana Regional Planning & Development Agency (KIPDA), National Kidney Foundation, Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services, Senior Medicare Patrol and several other Metro Government divisions.

The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Senior Protection will also be educating and distributing prescription drug disposal kits to properly and safely dispose of unwanted or expired prescription drugs in the home.

Staff with Louisville Asset Building Coalition’s VITA (the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program) will provide resources, answer questions and set up appointments for individuals needing assistance with past due and amended tax returns.

Fan Fair is sponsored by KIPDA Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living and Louisville Metro Office for Aging & Disabled Citizens (OADC).  These organizations joined forces in 2016 to implement a fan drive and for the first annual Fan Fair in response to the numerous calls they received requesting heat relief.

This year’s fan collection will end June 13. Drop-off donations of new box fans can be made Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at one of the following: KIPDA, 11520 Commonwealth Drive (Lou., KY 40299) or WLKY Studio, 1918 Mellwood Ave. (Lou, KY 40206).  Monetary donations are also appreciated to purchase fans and checks can be made payable to KIPDA, Attn:  Fan Fair, mailed to the address above on Commonwealth Drive, and postmarked by June 8.

To date, more than 250 fans have been donated, and more than $3500 in monetary donations have been received to purchase additional fans.  Some of the many donors include:

• AARP
• Aetna
• CareSource
• JenCare
• Lowe’s
• WLKY
• Numerous individual donors
• Local churches

WLKY served as the media partner providing both on-air and on-line advertising to promote the fan collection and serving as one of the donation drop-off sites.  Lowe’s provided multiple levels of support including donating more than 200 fans and allowing the purchase of additional fans at cost from the monetary donations that were collected.

“The amazing generosity we’ve received again this year is evidence of the compassion and desire to take care of one’s neighbor that exists in the Louisville community,” stated Sarah Teeters, Coordinator for OADC, part of the Office of Resilience and Community Services. “We hope to offer Fan Fair every summer as long as the need and the interest continue.”

“The increased support from the business community this year has been astonishing! It shows just how much dedication our city’s professionals have towards increasing the overall health of our community,” stated Jennifer Craig, Aging and Disability Resource Specialist for KIPDA.

For more information about the Fan Fair event, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/resilience-and-community-services  or  www.KIPDA.org.