Dear
Friends and Supporters,
As I reflect upon the quote above, I am struck by
how succinctly Dr. King described the nature of our interdependence with one
another here in Louisville and throughout the world. While many in our
community experience good health, happiness and comfort, we sometimes take
for granted that all our neighbors experience the same. As you know, this is
not the case.
We continue to see and hear accounts depicting the
overwhelming life challenges that thousands face daily. The need persists,
and thankfully, so does your support in response. Your history of providing
financial and in-kind support to many community non-profit organizations has
helped to keep the hope alive of positively changing lives. I thank you for
that invaluable ongoing support.
As evidence of the positive impact your support
creates, the Urban League had another exceptional year in 2014. We sustained
our positive momentum in assisting individuals through the areas of housing
and financial education, workforce development and the promotion of youth
education. We served more than 12,000 clients, assisting them through a
multitude of services, such as: 1) saving homes from foreclosure; 2)
ensuring tax returns are accurate and filed timely (VITA); 3) training the
unemployed and underemployed and then assisting them with job placement; 4)
walking prospective home-owners through understanding the critical steps to
buying a home; and 5) helping youth to engage in seeking higher levels of
education through out-of-school programs.
Thanks to your contributing support, the Urban
League’s $3.2 million budget has resulted in a positive annual economic
impact for our community of nearly $39 million. That’s quite an impact when
you consider it . . . and one that we plan to further build upon next year.
In early 2015, we will introduce two new
initiatives--a "Financial Empowerment Center" (FEC) and "Zones of Hope"--that
enhance our core work. The FEC initiative seeks to fill vocational,
educational and financial service gaps in order to help families earn more,
to keep more of what they earn, to begin building savings and assets . . . and to
progress up the financial ladder. The second effort--Zones of Hope--aspires
to be a "community empowerment" engine driven by a grass roots effort that
utilizes the strength of neighborhoods, faith-based organizations, schools,
and other community-based organizations to jointly restore a sense of place
and connection to Louisville’s urban core.
I personally thank you for your past support and
respectfully ask that you consider making a donation to this year’s Annual
Fund Drive, so that the good work of the Louisville Urban League continues
to its fullest potential. If you would like more details about any of the
2015 Louisville Urban League initiatives described above, please do not
hesitate to contact me.