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The National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament will be hosted by Louisville Parks and Recreation’s Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation program (AIR) from April 12-15, and the organization is looking for volunteers to help staff the event.
There are a large array of opportunities for those interested in helping out with the event, AIR administrator BJ Levis said. The NWBA is recruiting for the following positions to volunteer for throughout the 2018 NWBT: shot clock; rimekeeper; scorekeeper; event setup; event breakdown; water service; registration/will call assistant; statistician; store assistant; 50/50 raffle volunteer; and greeters/unloaders.
Click here to register.
Louisville has hosted the tournament since 2013. For more information, visit www.nwba.org.
Photo: Neighborhood Place
Neighborhood Place partners offer healthy events and services in April to benefit the entire family including a month-long athletic shoes collection for JCPS students; employment recruitment opportunities with FedEx Ground, ElderCare 4 Families and Sodexo; a Family Spring Fling at Portland Community Center and much more. To learn more about these offerings and several others please refer to the list below.
Now through May 4, Athletic Shoe Collection for JCPS Students at Neighborhood Place locations
Donate new or gently used athletic shoes now through May 4th to benefit JCPS students in need, grades Kindergarten through 12th grade Drop off at any of the eight Neighborhood Place locations (find addresses here) or at the Edison Center, 701 W. Ormsby Ave., 2nd floor, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Sample items include running shoes, basketball shoes, Chuck Taylors or sneakers. Sponsored by the 15th District Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Clothing Assistance Program (CAP) in partnership with (JCPS) and other community partners.
April. 3, FedEx Ground Employment Opportunities at First Neighborhood Place, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Located at 1503 Rangeland Rd. Call (502) 313-4700 for more information. A FedEx human resources recruiter will talk one-on-one with individuals interested in a career as a package handler with FedEx Ground.
April 3, ElderCare 4 Families Employment Recruitment at Ujima Neighborhood Place, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Located at 3610 Bohne Ave. Call 244-8446 for more information. An employment recruiter will be on-hand for ElderCare 4 Families, a non-medical in-homecare service for seniors provide help with cooking, cleaning, laundry and personal care.
April 3, Car Seat Safety Check at Ujima Neighborhood Place, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Located at 3610 Bohne Ave. Call Norton Children’s Hospital at 629-7358 to make an appointment. Learn how to install your child’s car seat or booster seat. Find out if it’s time for a change. Car seat-fitting by appointment only.
April 3, 10 and April 17, Free Tax Preparation Services at First Neighborhood Place, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Located at 1503 Rangeland Rd., side of Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Call 502-305-0005 or visit louisvillekyvita.cascheduler.com to make an appointment and to check out IRS documentation needed. Sponsored by VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) with support from First Neighborhood Place.
April 5 and 9, Sodexo Hiring Opportunities
Sodexo, a food-service agency, will provide on-the-spot interviews for positions with Jewish Hospital, Our Lady of Peace and University of Louisville Hospital. Bring your resume and be prepared for an interview. This is one of Sodexo’s busiest hiring seasons. Stop by if you are looking for employment that can lead to a full-time or part-time position.
- April 5, First Neighborhood Place, 1503 Rangeland Road (T.J. Middle School in the W.D. Bruce Building – door #24), 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Call 313-4700 for more information.
- April 9, South Central Neighborhood Place, 4255 Hazelwood Ave., 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Call 313-4089 for more information.
April. 5, Community Dental Care Information Sessions at First Neighborhood Place, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Located at 1503 Rangeland Road (T. J. Middle School in the W.D. Bruce Building – door #24). Call 502-366-4442 for more information. Community Dental Care is a full-service dental organization designed to increase access to health care in communities with the goal of improving the overall health of the population. Representatives will be on site to provide information about services offered and to assist in scheduling appointments for dental needs or for pediatric health needs.
Mondays and Thursdays, YMCA’s “Caring and Learning with Me” program at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Located at 1503 Rangeland Rd., side of Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Call Keyonna Humphrey at 974-8457 for more information and to register. This free program provides a wonderful learning environment for children ages 3-5 years old and their caregivers focusing on play and exploration. The adult caregiver is required to attend with the child/ren and you may also bring other children ages (0-2).
April 10 and 29, Foster Parent Recruitment Meeting
Call 595-5437 (KIDS) for more information. Detailed information will be provided on the requirements and process of how to become a foster or adoptive parent. Information such as an explanation of foster care, special needs adoption, and information on foster parent training classes will be provided. Sponsored by Kentucky Foster Care and the training classes will be provided. Sponsored by Kentucky Foster Care and the Special Needs Adoption Program.
- April 10, First Neighborhood Place, 1503 Rangeland Rd., side of Thomas Jefferson Middle School, 6 – 8 p.m.
- April 29, NorthWest Neighborhood Place, 4018 W. Market St., at the Academy of Shawnee, 6 – 8 p.m.
April 12, A Healthy Journey for Two Educational Baby Shower at First Neighborhood Place, 1 – 3 p.m.
Located at 1503 Rangeland Rd. Call 341-5400 for more information. A Healthy Journey for Two is an educational baby shower open to any expectant mothers. The class will include a range of information and resources, as well as free baby items, gift cards, prizes, and snacks. Hosted by Seven Counties and KIDSNow. Fathers are welcome but must be registered.
April 12, 25 and 26, Weekly Resource School at Bridges of Hope Neighborhood Place
Located at 1411 Algonquin Pkwy. Contact Nannette Bertram Dix at 634-6057 to RSVP and for more information. The Bridges of Hope staff is teaming up with an array of service providers to provide weekly programming and resources focusing on substance prevention, self-sufficiency, health, safety and resiliency. All workshops are free and open to the public.
- April 12 and 26, CHOICES, presented by the Center for Women and Families, is an educational and support program for people affected by and/or sexual violence, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- April 25, ADHD, presented by Our Lady of Peace, will explain how Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) impacts children beyond impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattentiveness. Open to parents, grandparents, teachers, counselors and other concerned individuals, 5 – 8 p.m.
April 14, Family Spring Fling at the Molly Leonard Portland Community Center, 12 – 4 p.m.
Located at the Portland Community Center, 640 North 27th Street. Call 776-0913 for more information. Join us for a day of free fun and games, prizes, food, vendors, “Rec on the Go”, nutrition education, free health screenings and more. Sponsored in collaboration by Portland Community Center, Kentucky State University, 4H, NorthWest Neighborhood Place, JCPS Family Resource Youth Services Centers of Byck Elementary, Portland Elementary, Atkinson Elementary, Kammerer Middle, Western Middle, Ballard High and Academy at Shawnee schools.
April 19, Passport Health Care Informational Table at Ujima Neighborhood Place, 1 – 3 p.m.
Located at 3610 Bohne Ave. Call 313-4635 for more information. A community engagement representative is onsite to answer any questions that Passport members have regarding their plan, benefits and updates on the upcoming waiver.
April 21, Second Annual Spring Parkhill Community Resource Fair at St. Ann’s Campus
Located at 1515 Algonquin Pkwy. Contact Nannette Bertram Dix at 634-6057 for more information. Themed “Sowing the Seeds of Hope”, this event invites community members to come together to connect with agencies and individuals providing helpful resources and services.
April 26, Park DuValle and Parkland Bring it Back Meet Up at Ujima Neighborhood Place 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Located at 3610 Bohne Ave. Call Brianna Harlan with the Center for Neighborhoods for more information at 724-9486. All residents are invited to this opportunity to meet neighbors and to socialize. The Center for Neighborhoods has a great team of people that bring a diversity of skills and perspectives to the work of neighborhood engagement, education and planning.
The Worksite Wellness Council of Louisville, a Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement partner, is encouraging Louisville businesses with worksite wellness programs to apply for the 2018 Worksite Wellness Awards.
The Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement has been recognizing businesses committed to fostering employee health and wellness for 10 years. The awards are based on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Worksite Health ScoreCard criteria, in recognition of policies, programs and strategies proven to work. Four levels of winners will be awarded based on ScoreCard results: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. In addition, several “Fleur de Lis” awards will be presented to honor businesses with exemplary or unique worksite wellness programs or initiatives.
“We want to honor businesses that have implemented policies and practices that foster healthy, productive employees, and we encourage them to apply for the awards,” said Allison Ledford, board of director’s president for the Worksite Wellness Council of Louisville.
Winners will be announced on May 17 at the Worksite Wellness Council of Louisville’s Annual Conference to be held at Gheens Foundation Lodge at Beckley Creek Park in the beautiful Parklands of Floyds Fork. For conference registration, sponsorship or vendor information, or to apply for an award, visit https://www.louisvilleworksitewellness.org/2018-conference. The annual conference and awards are sponsored by Norton Healthcare, Humana, Anthem, Musselman Hotels and the Louisville chapter of the Society of Human Resource Managers.
The Worksite Wellness Council of Louisville assists area employers to establish and improve worksite wellness through workshops and conversations on a variety of wellness topics throughout the year, as well as an annual conference. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), worksite wellness programs enhance worker productivity, reduce absences, reduce health care costs and help to shift the health care paradigm from treatment to prevention.
Photo: AT&T Kentucky
AT&T is continuing efforts to drive economic development and investment in Kentucky. AT&T and local officials today announced that the Louisville & Jefferson County Riverport Authority, more commonly known as Riverport Industrial Park, has been designated AT&T Fiber Ready.
The AT&T Fiber Ready designation helps economic development leaders more effectively position their communities for site selection by emphasizing the availability of high-speed, fiber-based services.
In today’s world, connectivity is vital to new employers and businesses of every type.
“It is always encouraging when the business community comes alongside local leadership and provides a resource like this designation to highlight what our community brings to the table, when companies are making the important decisions on where they have the best chance to succeed,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “Our community has many wonderful aspects to attract businesses looking to locate or move, and having the ‘Fiber Ready’ designation is a key tool in the toolbox to emphasize that we are ready to face the challenges of a modern economy.”
“The AT&T Fiber Ready designation provides a clear stamp to tell the business community that we have the fiber-optic infrastructure in place to meet the needs of businesses,” said Kent Oyler, president & CEO, Greater Louisville Inc. “I am grateful for the leadership of our elected officials here in the city and in our state legislature who have created a more positive, pro-investment environment in the Commonwealth.”
AT&T has been deploying high-speed, fiber-optic infrastructure across Kentucky for years, totaling nearly 980,000 strand miles of fiber-optics to date, and the AT&T Fiber Ready designation is a tool for economic development leaders to highlight the assets available in their facilities.
“For years, AT&T has invested in Kentucky to deliver high-speed Internet in urban and rural areas all across the Commonwealth using the latest wired and wireless technologies, and this announcement offers an opportunity to highlight AT&T’s fiber infrastructure in the Riverport Industrial Park – infrastructure that is helping local businesses drive job creation,” said Hood Harris, president, AT&T Kentucky. “AT&T Kentucky’s employees are working hard every day to deploy our fiber-based network that delivers the high-speed Internet access that Kentuckians want and need, and the fiber optic connectivity that is available in the Riverport Industrial Park is in place to meet the communications needs of businesses of all sizes.”
Photo: Bloomberg Philanthropies
Louisville is among 35 Champion Cities announced today as finalists in the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2018 U.S. Mayors Challenge, a nationwide competition that encourages city leaders to uncover bold, inventive ideas that confront the toughest problems cities face.
Chosen from a competitive pool of more than 320 applications, the Champion Cities will now begin a six-month testing phase where they will conduct public prototypes of their ideas with grant funding of up to $100,000 per city.
Louisville’s proposal, developed by the city’s Office for Civic Innovation, Louisville Metro Police and community partners, proposes building on the recently installed gunshot detection system Shotspotter to dispatch aerial drones in the seconds after shots are detected. The aerial drones could help officers win valuable time in capturing critical evidence from crime scenes, aiding investigations in a way that reduces the privacy concerns of static cameras.
“When our city is confronted with a major challenge, we respond in a big way. That’s why we implemented our six-point violence prevention strategy last year, and why we focused on public safety in entering this prestigious national challenge,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “Louisville’s finalist status in the 2018 U.S. Mayors Challenge is a testament to the creative, entrepreneurial spirit that makes our city one of the most innovative in the nation.”
The Mayors Challenge returns to the U.S. as the first investment in the American Cities Initiative, a $200 million suite of new and expanded programs that will empower cities to generate innovation and advance policy that moves the nation forward.
During the six-month “Test, Learn, and Adapt” phase of the competition, cities will refine their ideas using up to $100,000 in funding, as well as personalized support from innovation experts, as they prepare a new application for additional support by August 2018.
In October, four cities will receive $1 million awards and one will receive a grand prize of $5 million to bring their ideas to life.
“We received hundreds of bold and creative ideas from cities around the country in response to the 2018 Mayors Challenge, and these 35 really stood out for their potential to improve people’s lives. The next six months are a great opportunity for the cities to test their ideas and make them even more innovative and effective,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term Mayor of New York City.
The 35 Champion Cities performed the best against four key criteria: vision, potential for impact, implementation plan, and potential to spread to other cities. A prestigious selection committee Co-Chaired by Former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and Former Xerox Chairman & CEO Ursula Burns and comprising distinguished policy experts, artists, academics, business executives and social innovation leaders assessed the applications.
The 2018 Mayors Challenge builds on the success of previous Bloomberg-sponsored Challenges in the U.S. (2013), Europe (2014), and Latin America and the Caribbean (2016). For more information, visit mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org and @BloombergCities on Twitter and Instagram.
Mayor Greg Fischer is taking part in a 10-day trip to India, organized by the international Strong Cities Network (SCN), that will include a visit with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
As part of the trip, funded by the U.S. Embassy in India, Mayor Fischer and Tom Tait, Mayor of Anaheim, Calif., will meet with government, business, media and thought leaders to discuss approaches to making cities safer and communities stronger amid the rise in violent extremist groups around the globe.
Mayor Fischer also will be speaking to members of India’s business community at the Indian Merchant Chamber of Commerce, and industry, interfaith and community leaders at various stops throughout the trip. He’ll also meet with state and city officials, including the mayor of Mumbai Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, and discuss Louisville’s story in interviews with India’s media.
“Visits like this are great opportunities to promote our city,” Mayor Fischer said. “Our focus on compassion is something that resonates worldwide and is so relevant in today’s world. And I always welcome to the chance to tell our city’s story to potential investors and business interests that may be looking to expand in the U.S.”
India’s population is 1.3 billion, and its GDP is about $2.3 trillion.
SCN Manager Rebecca Skellett said the two mayors were chosen for the trip because of their focus on compassion, which has been championed by the Dalai Lama. Anaheim’s City of Kindness initiative parallels Louisville Compassionate City efforts.
“Mayor Fischer and Mayor Tait are both driving forward innovative practices to build social cohesion with city-wide Charters for Compassion and Kindness, which offer tremendous value to residents and businesses alike,” Skellett said. “This is why we’re delighted to be taking these two U.S. Mayors to Delhi, Mumbai and Dharamsala — to share their journeys, inspire Indian cities and policy makers, and learn more about how India’s diverse range of communities live together side by side.”
Mayor Tait said, “As a city, we must always respond to daily needs for public safety and community services. But kindness is our long game. It has the potential for positive change over generations. While cities across the world may face different issues, the impact of kindness is the same. We are honored that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has embraced what we are doing in Anaheim. His words to us sum it up perfectly: ‘Creating cultures of kindness and compassion throughout the world is the key to achieving world peace.’”
Launched by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue at the United Nations in September 2015, SCN “is the first ever global network of mayors, municipal-level policy makers and practitioners united in building social cohesion and community resilience to counter violent extremism in all its forms,” according to its website.
SCN membership is diverse, including large megacities like London and Mumbai, to smaller municipalities such as Kristiansand and Tripoli. What unites SCN members is their desire to share their experiences, learn from others and build community resilience against the divisive ideologies of hate, division and violence in all its forms.
“The network catalyzes, inspires and multiplies community-centric approaches and action to counter violent extremism through peer learning and expert training including city exchanges, annual summits, regional workshops and providing consultancy to cities,” the website said.
Mayor Fischer, who leaves for India Tuesday afternoon, said he’s pleased to share Louisville’s successes in compassion, community building and economic growth, and to learn best practices from others while visiting India.
DPL Financial Partners LLC, an independent insurance consulting firm, will expand in Louisville with a $3.6 million-plus investment expected to create 40 full-time, high-paying jobs, Gov. Matt Bevin and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced today.
“The financial services industry is building momentum in Kentucky, which is yet another sign of a fast growing economy,” Gov. Bevin said. “DPL’s expansion is proof that service companies are realizing the many advantages of doing business in Kentucky, including our skilled employees, high quality of life, low business costs and close proximity to much of our nation’s population. We welcome DPL to the commonwealth and are grateful to them for their investment here.”
DPL, currently on Stanley Gault Parkway, will move within Louisville as part of its expansion. Company leaders have yet to finalize the exact location. Following a soft launch in 2017 and with recent recruitment of investors, the company stands primed for growth. In the coming months, DPL will add sales and marketing, information technology and finance positions to its current staff.
“Louisville is an ideal location for our growing firm,” said David Lau, DPL founder and CEO. “We’ve attracted experienced, talented individuals to our team and appreciate the governor’s support as we look to expand our staff in the future.”
DPL is an insurance network for registered investment advisors, providing them and other fee-based advisory practices with a new model for offering low-cost, commission-free insurance to consumers. Lau founded DPL in 2014 to provide consultation to some of the nation’s largest insurance carriers on commission-free products. The commission-free approach saves money for customers, increases value and, ultimately, improves insurance products.
Mayor Fischer said the company makes a great fit in the city’s existing insurance and financial business community.
“Louisville is proud to have a historically strong financial services sector that can support new business growth such as these new, high-wage jobs at DPL Financial Partners,” he said. “I applaud DPL’s double down on investment in our city and look forward to seeing their fast-paced rise on the national financial services scene.”
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in January preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $600,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over a five-year agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting certain targets. Those targets are: creation of up to 40 jobs paying at least an average $62 an hour including benefits, and the investment of $3.6 million. The company has since decided to inject more capital into the project without additional incentives.
In addition, DPL can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. In fiscal 2017, the Kentucky Skills Network provided training for more than 120,000 Kentuckians and 5,700 companies from a variety of industry sectors.
For more information on DPL Financial Partners, visit www.dplfp.com.
