Source: WLKY
September 17, 2021

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It may look like any other beautiful day at Waterfront Park — dog walkers, joggers and moms with babies strolling — but this day is specially set aside to give.

“About 75% of our budget is earned revenue or donations so that is a big percentage to us,” Ashley Smith said.

Smith is the director of development with Waterfront Park. She said the pandemic temporarily stopped one of their largest revenue sources.

“Special events make up so much of our budget and we were not able to hold one single event last year,” Smith said. “We had an entire third of our budget that was completely wiped out.”

And Smith and Waterfront Park of course were not alone.

Nonprofits all over the Louisville Metro had to pivot, plan and prepare to work with smaller budgets, making this year’s Community Foundation of Louisville “Give for Good Louisville” campaign even more important.

“We were able to thankfully have a lot of events this summer and we are thankful for all the ways we were able to gather together but we didn’t make a full rebound so this campaign for us is really really important,” Smith said.

The Nazareth Home is all about the residents, offering them the best possible care. And to do that, they are raising money for a wheelchair-accessible van, hoping the Give For Good Louisville campaign will help them reach their goal.

“Our focus here is providing mission-centered, person-centered care. We make certain every person feels at home here,” Roberta Steutermann said.

Steutermann is the director of development for the nonprofit faith-based nursing home and says the pandemic hit them hard. They had to do without everything from the volunteers who could not come in to help to money that was not donated.

“Without the donations, truly the mission-centered piece, the piece that makes Nazareth so special and so unique, doesn’t exist,” she said.

Keonna Williams comes to Waterfront Park often. She said she loves it and is hopeful others will donate to support one of Louisville’s gems.

“I bring my niece when she says has good days at daycare. It is very good park to come and spend a nice beautiful day,” Williams said.

If an organization is able to raise $2,500 in the campaign, the Community Foundation will match it. Check out the link here to learn more about how to donate.