Louisville
Louisville
Our hometown of Louisville, Kentucky is no different than any other region we serve. We have diverse groups yearning to work together to achieve a common goal. We want to bridge the gap of various areas in Louisville by creating conversation, enhancing the community and building lasting relationships for our town through community impact projects such as alley clean-ups and safety & accessibility projects.
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” – Muhammad Ali, Louisville’s Hometown Hero
West Louisville has a rich and complicated history. Like all history, some parts are beautiful and easy to celebrate while others are traumatic and hard to talk about. West Louisville is no different. Hand in Hand works to educate our volunteers on all aspects. We believe we must understand our past in order to move forward to a more peaceful and just future for all. Spending a day with us in West Louisville will involve learning & service, exposure to new places, exposure to old challenges, and you will be put to work doing beautification, safety & accessibility projects, yard work, or alley clean-ups. We believe we are all in need of being restored, and when we join in the work of restoration not only will we have opportunities to help others experience restoration, but we will continue to experience restoration in our own lives. Whether the group comes for a day, or an overnight trip, here are some of the things you can expect: Half-Day: 9am-1pm, Weekdays $25 per person - bring your own lunch - March - November season Overnight Retreat: 1-2 nights, Weekends, Weekdays $75 per person/night, most meals included Service Learning 5-day Experience: $300 per person This program is geared towards University and out-of-town groups. Mornings will included a two to three hour work project each day. Afternoons will include in-depth discussions about social justice topics. These discussions will be facilitated by friends, scholars, and pastors with knowledge and experience. Topics range from redlining, faith and racial justice, history of the church in West Louisville, Compassionate Listening, poverty simulations (Making Choices), Working Across Cultural and Faith Barriers, Lessons from Thomas Merton, and more. Meals include self-serve continental breakfast each morning and brown bag lunches. Dinner will be prepared by Hand in Hand volunteers or local restaurants most evenings. You will have access to a full kitchen for snacks and special meal requests, but we ask you to leave most of the cooking to us. We do encourage groups to visit a local restaurant at least once during their stay with us. Louisville has a great food scene, we guarantee you won't be disappointed! Click here to take a virtual tour of the Louisville Retreat Center! Are you a stay at-home parent, retiree, student or just looking to get involved once a month? Join us the 3rd Thursday of each month to work on a community project. Groups work on a variety of projects: replacing floors, small repair projects, painting, neighborhood cleanup, etc. Skills are not necessary. *All dates are $20 and are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.* 
Our immersion trip volunteers fuel our mission with their smiles, their sweat, and their financial support. Our desire to expand to work in our own neighborhood of Louisville began in 2016 with a few projects. Since then we have hosted 162 groups, building relationships with our community and homeowners.
Hand in Hand’s Community Engagement Projects give us the opportunity to collaborate and partner with other non-profits and organizations in West Louisville who have their own project wish list. We have been thankful to build relationships with these organizations and together we work to find ways we can support one another as we all work to build a better community. Our projects are completed by volunteer groups as part of our Louisville Program. 
West Louisville has some of our cities oldest and most beautiful homes! It is also home to many elderly residents, who face health and safety issues in their aging homes. Our Homeowner Assistance Program seeks to address mobility and safety concerns for our elderly or disabled neighbors. Most repairs are completed by our Construction Manager; however, groups occasionally assist with construction of wheelchair ramps, repairing steps/railings and installing fences. We work in the nine neighborhoods of West Louisville: Shawnee, Chickasaw, Park DuValle, Parkland, Algonquin, Park Hill, California, Russell and Portland.
This program is ideal for school groups, business teams, church groups and individuals who are looking for an introduction to Hand in Hand and our work in West Louisville. Your four-hour experience will include dialogue about the challenges and opportunities facing our city. You will work on a community engagement project and enjoy your own bag lunch as you learn more about each other, our community, and Hand in Hand.
Maximum Group Size: 20 Check out the sample schedule.
This program is ideal for high school and University groups, church groups, sorority and fraternity groups. Morning activities are similar to the half-day program. Afternoons include guest presenters who can facilitate discussions about topics like redlining, faith and racial justice, poverty simulations (Making Choices), and forgiveness. After 5:00pm, groups are free to socialize, explore the city of Louisville, or facilitate their own discussions and/or group activities.
Maximum group size: 18
Evening activities will be organized by group leaders and include visits to local attractions or it can simply be a time to deepen connections within your group with games and other group activities. Our staff will provide you with ideas of local attractions that are not to be missed. We have a short list of suggested books and videos you might want to explore before joining us for a 5-day experience.
Groups maximum size: 18. 
Contact Allison Ridenour, for more information or 502-459-9930.