Louisville
Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky has served as Hand in Hand’s headquarters since the organization was founded in 1999. After years of providing support services for our regional and international programs we decided it was time to develop a program for our own city. We invite you to join us for a Louisville experience where you can explore our unique culture and help to enhance relationships through projects with community stakeholders and residents.
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” – Muhammad Ali, Louisville’s Hometown Hero
Appalachia | Belize | Nicaragua
It has a been a journey of discovery filled with challenges, setbacks, and victories. We thought we could replicate our home repair program in Eastern Kentucky. We soon learned that home repairs were a complicated, costly endeavor in an urban setting. We looked for another way. We met some elderly folks who love their homes, but mobility issues were essentially trapping them in those homes. We started building a few wheelchair ramps and replacing crumbling steps and the phones started ringing. At that point we shifted our project focus for residents from general home repairs to safety and accessibility projects. Our work with residents and community stakeholders begins and ends with volunteer groups who donate their time, talent, and yes, treasure to support our Louisville Program. As our youngest program we are still evolving, growing, and learning. We do hope you join us one day to help us build a stronger Louisville one person, one neighborhood at a time. Residents: Our primary objective with residents is to make their homes safe and accessible by building wheelchair ramps, installing safety bars in bathrooms, repairing steps, installing handrails, and building fences. Community Stakeholders: We do light construction projects for community stakeholders, which allows us to offer support for youth sport programs, childcare centers, programs to support victims of human trafficking, home ownership programs, violence prevention programs and other neighborhood initiatives. We love collaboration! We welcome small groups of eager participants to help us meet the needs of residents and community stakeholders for a brief, or extended immersion experience. We can customize your experience to meet your group’s specific needs. Check out our guidelines below to help you get started. Day Trip: *Ideal for school groups, business teams, church groups and individuals looking for an introduction to Hand in Hand and our work in Louisville. To ensure a productive experience for youth groups we maintain a 4:1 adult to student ratio. Maximum group size: 18 Overnight/Multi-Night Trip Experience: *Ideal for school groups, church groups, individuals looking for an introduction to Hand in Hand and our work in Louisville. Maximum group size: 18 5-night Retreat: *Ideal for university teams looking for an alternative break or summer youth groups. Maximum group size: 18 Our Louisville Program staff will work with you to customize your experience and will accompany you each day. Most cultural excursions, evening activities and meals are the responsibility of the visiting teams. Click here to take a virtual tour of the Louisville Retreat Center! With each of these options your group of up to 18 participants will have an opportunity to work on a project for a resident or community stakeholder. Our Louisville Program staff will offer safety training and oversight to help your group with your project. The only skill needed is a willing heart. In addition to working on projects for homeowners and/or community stakeholders there are opportunities to volunteer with community stakeholders, learn about challenges and opportunities for change in our city, and visit cultural sites like the Muhammad Ali Center, Churchill Downs, and the Louisville Slugger Museum. Ok – I’m interested. What should I do next? If you’d like to learn more about scheduling your group for a Louisville Experience, contact Allison Ridenour, or call our office at 502-459-9930. 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: safety & accessibility projects, small repair projects around our office, painting, etc. Skills are not necessary. *All dates are from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.* 2023 Dates 
When we first launched our Louisville program in 2016, we didn’t have a specific goal in mind. We knew we wanted to develop a program that would help people living in marginalized communities in our city. We also wanted volunteers to be a big part of our response because building relationships across cultural boundaries is a founding principle of everything we do at Hand in Hand. Our first step was to move our headquarters to a West End neighborhood so we could listen and learn. So, we could find out what the community wants and needs and determine our best course of action for meeting those needs.
Once we built a few ramps. local non–profit organizations started asking if our volunteers could help them build a ramp, a shed, a fence, or paint a dugout. Because these organizations share our passion for supporting our community we said yes. We refer to these organizations as community stakeholders. It’s been a great way for us to multiply our impact in the community.
Participants: They are the lifeblood of our Louisville Program. They volunteer their time. They help cover the costs associated with our projects. But, most importantly, they meet people. They see new things. They open their hearts and minds to people who may not look like them, think like them, or live like them. In a world where division is the norm, we seek to bring people together.
Contact John Fitzgerald, for more information or call 502-459-9930.
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