Service Projects

The Rotary Club of Louisville and its affiliated foundation, the Rotary Fund of Louisville, will provide volunteers and financial support for the following service projects during the 2025-2026 Rotary year. Projects are sponsored by Club committees, shown below.

Archives Committee

This project/grant will support storytelling through professionally produced video(s) - to preserve our legacy and to engage current and future Rotarians. It will include interviews with some of our Club’s most impactful leaders and incorporate Club history and achievements.

Awards & Recognition Committee

We provide a grant to help offset the costs of planting trees in area parks in memory of Rotarians who have passed away during the Rotary year.

Community Impact Committee

West Louisville Housing Initiative

The West Louisville Housing Initiative (WLHI) is one of the Club’s signature projects. We established a dedicated pool of funds, administered by Park Community Credit Union, for the purpose of providing full mortgages for first-time home buyers in the nine traditional West Louisville neighborhoods who can demonstrate an ability to make payments but otherwise cannot qualify for a conventional bank mortgage. The WLHI program, the first of its kind in the U.S., will lessen the dependency on exorbitant rental rates, establish community pride, and, improve education and health outcomes in West Louisville. To date, over $2.5 million has been contributed/pledged. Learn more HERE.

Gun Violence Reduction Initiative

Through listening sessions, data collection and input from many individuals and organizations working to reduce gun violence in Louisville, committee members have been learning about the issues and causes related to gun violence in our community and evaluating ways that Rotary can contribute to solutions. We have supported the mission of several Rotarian-led organizations, including Whitney/Strong, First Hour Grief Recovery, and Cycle Breakers Breaking Chains. We hope to share more information soon about a project currently in development.

Environmental Initiatives

Brightside Community-Wide Cleanup
Held in the spring and fall, neighborhood cleanup events help keep Louisville clean and green throughout the year. Gloves, trash bags, brooms, rakes and shovels are provided and collected litter and debris will be picked up. Our goal is to have 25 Rotarian-led teams this fall. All are welcome; contact director@louisvillerotary.org for more info.

Louisville Knot Refresh
Spanning the entire width of the Ninth Street highway overpass at West Main Street, this public art installation (unveiled in September 2019) conveys multiple ideas: the visual reminder of Louisville’s urban planning past, the ongoing work to reconnect downtown communities, and the commitment of our Club to help bridge the "Ninth Street Divide." Volunteers gather each spring to clean and spruce up the structure and landscaping. Repairs and painting are funded as needed.

Ohio River Sweep
We partner with the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) and Kentucky Waterways Alliance to clean the Ohio River shoreline at Eva Bandman Park - part of a six-state Ohio River Sweep involving three other Rotary Clubs and thousands of volunteers.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

West Louisville Economic Mobility Summit and Awards
We support the annual West Louisville Economic Mobility Summit and entrepreneur awards program in partnership with the Louisville Central Community Centers (LCCC) Old Walnut Plaza Business Intelligence Center. Rotarian volunteers help underserved business owners and family leaders thrive economically through financial wealth-building education, peace initiatives collaboration, and mentoring as well as being very involved in the summit/awards event. View the most recent Impact Report.

International Service Committee

POLIO PLUS
We support Rotary International’s 30+ year campaign to eradicate polio in the world. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation matches every dollar donated with two dollars. Learn more at endpolio.org.

We partner with other Rotary Clubs in the U.S. and abroad as well as The Rotary Foundation to support the following projects:

Toileton Water and Sanitation Project - Phase 5 (El Salvador) GG 2462895
Our Club is the lead U.S. Club in this continuing partnership with clubs in El Salvador to bring clean water, sanitation and hygiene education to schools and communities in rural El Salvador. This project will provide students, teachers, and administrative staff in seven rural public schools in El Salvador with access to filtered and purified drinking water, hygienic toilets (gender-separated) and sinks, and clean kitchen space, as well as providing training on maintenance and WASH-related topics to teachers, students, and members of the community. Club members make periodic visits to the area to stay in close communication with the local Rotarians responsible for continuing oversight.

Riverbank Filtration Wells (Egypt) GG 2567626
We are the lead U.S. club for this global grant which will provide 2 riverbank filtration stations serving 34,500 people in rural villages in Qift, Egypt.

Clean Water Project (Western Kenya) GG 2461677
Rural areas around Migori have needs for safe water beyond what previous projects have provided in Migori. This project will include a water system for one area and adding hand pumps to boreholes that have been drilled by the government, but they didn’t provide any way to retrieve the water.

Malaria Treatment for Mothers & Children (Uganda) 
Continuing partnership with a New Zealand Rotary Club to support purchase and administration of malaria medication while work is underway to build a hospital in Kamuli District.

Water for Goma (Democratic Republic of Congo) GG 2465663
This project/grant in collaboration with the Louisville Suburban Rotary Club and WaterStep supports the establishment of drinking water at eight health clinics in remote areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Accompanying hand washing stations and improved community hygiene knowledge, behaviors, and practices will help prevent the spread of disease.

Roots to Resilience (British Virgin Islands)
This project/grant will support the Rotary Club of Tortola in BVI in engaging youth in several projects focused on rebuilding following recent devastating hurricanes, to include community beautification, debris removal (vehicles and boats), tree planting, and recycled art.

Clean Water & Sanitation Project (Ghana) GG 2572618
This project will support drilling 34 new wells and the construction of 63 Microflush toilets in Kumasi, Ghana to provide clean water and sanitation to more than 21,500 beneficiaries.

Home Health Mobile Clinic (Colombia) GG 2576098
This project/grant will support a Mobile Clinic to improve access to care for elderly, indigenous, displaced, and disabled populations in Buga and five nearby municipalities. The clinic will offer medical visits, laboratory services, diagnostic imaging and other clinical services.

Equipment for Bone Marrow Transplants for Children’s Cancer Clinic (Uruguay) GG 2576503
This project/grant will support a Uruguayan Rotary Club in enhancing the capabilities of the only center for children's cancers in the country, by providing equipment and staff training for bone marrow transplants.

Leadership Fellows Committee

Leadership Fellows Program
The Rotary Leadership Fellows program originated in 1996 as the Landrum Prize for Leadership. In 2001, we partnered with the Landrum Family to create this unique three-year development program, in collaboration with the UofL MBA program. Rotary Leadership Fellows plan meetings, participate in service projects and Club meetings/events, and are partnered with Club members for focused mentoring. In addition to scholarships (for which costs are shared by the Rotary Fund and the Baylor Landrum Fund), we subsidize costs of meetings organized by the Fellows as well as their participation in regular weekly Club meetings/events.

Lifeline Committee

Salvation Army "Battle of the Bells"
Bell ringing on Saturdays at Kroger during December is a Club tradition. We kick off the annual "Battle of the Bells" fundraising competition with the Kiwanis Club at a joint luncheon the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We invite anyone to join us and children are welcome; contact director@louisvillerotary.org for more info.

Honor Flight Bluegrass
Honor Flight Bluegrass takes veterans on a one-day trip to Washington DC to visit the war memorial of the war they served in. We have sponsored veterans and “guardians” who accompany veterans on the trip. Rotarian volunteers and family/friends are encouraged to serve as Ground Crew at the Louisville airport in the morning, or to show up to celebrate the returning veterans in the evening.

Days for Girls Louisville
This project/grant will help the local Days for Girls Louisville Team of 11 volunteers provide 300 kits of washable period supplies for girls in Papua New Guinea, to be delivered/distributed along with educational curriculum by WaterStep volunteers working with a community building a new school there.

Kentucky Humane Society (KHS) Care-a-van Day
The KHS CARE-a-van mobile veterinary clinic parks at the Louisville Central Community Center and serves up to 50 pet owners in one day for no or low fees. Pet care services may include vaccines, microchips, and wellness exams.

Kentucky Humane Society (KHS) Equine-Assisted Learning Day
We partner with KHS to provide a "mental health" day to decompress, recharge and work on team building through interaction with horses at Willow Hope Farm, to groups such as the LMPD Victims Unit, First Hour Grief Recovery, etc.

Hydration Station at G.G. Moore Park
We partner with Parks Alliance of Louisville to provide park visitors with access to a safe drinking water hydration station at G.G. Moore Park; last year we funded a station at Ballard Park.

HopeWave Youth Grief Support Program
First Hour Grief Recovery's HopeWave is a ten-week program led by retired teachers and trained grief mentors, currently offered in 15 Jefferson County schools. Grief mentoring and workshops help youth learn to navigate loss in productive ways and to break the cycle of violence.

Habitat for Humanity House (District Matching Grant)
Volunteers participate in the construction of a new home for a first-time homebuyer in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville. Rotary District 6710 provides a matching grant.

Member Transportation
We help arrange transport for members who are unable to drive themselves to Club meetings and activities. When no volunteer drivers are available or specialized wheelchair transportation is required, we help cover the costs.

Re:Center Ministries Monthly Meal Service
We provide and serve a meal to and engage with men in the addiction recovery program at Re:Center Ministries, formerly Louisville Rescue Mission.

Repair Affair
Volunteers provide basic home repair and maintenance services focused on safety, security, weatherization, and neighborhood stability, for elderly, disabled, or low-income homeowners in partnership with the New Directions Housing Corporation Repair Affair program.

United Nations Association of the USA, Kentucky Division
We partner with the UNA-USA Louisville Chapter to support programming addressing issues of concern to Rotary and the UN such as clean water, PFAS, human trafficking, and women’s rights.

Support for Louisville Refugee Families
We partner with Kentucky Refugee Ministries to address immediate needs for food, rent, clothing and job-seeking assistance of refugee families living legally in Louisville, resulting from the loss of federal funding.

Youth & Education Committee

Rotary Honors Scholars Mentoring Program
More than 80 Rotarians and community volunteers serve as mentors to students at Iroquois High School and Western High School who meet defined academic, behavioral and attendance standards. We provide a handbook and six sessions each year at each school, focused on life skills, college readiness, job preparation, etc., to prepare these promising young scholars with the tools to move from high school to college and ultimately to a successful career. We host an celebration luncheon for the scholars each May.

Interact Clubs
We sponsor Interact Clubs at Western High School and Iroquois High School. Interact Clubs bring together youth ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self. Benefits include connecting with leaders in our community and around the world to 1) take action and make a difference in the school and community, 2) discover new cultures and promote international understanding, 3) develop leadership skills, and 4) have fun and make new friends. Learn more HERE.

Rotaract Club
We sponsor and provide support for the Rotaract Club of Louisville, which currently meets online and at the University of Louisville. Rotaract clubs bring together people ages 18 and older to exchange ideas with leaders in the community, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service. Learn more HERE.

West End School 
We support the literacy program at West End School by funding reading and testing materials; Rotarian volunteers foster literacy through reading and discussion with 8th grade students each spring.

Speech Competition
We host an annual competition for high school students in March where presenters deliver original speeches on an assigned Rotary theme. Other clubs in District 6710 also host contests, which culminate in a final competition at the District Conference. Cash prizes are awarded to winners at each level. Learn more about our speech competition HERE.

Rotary Unsung Hero Program
Louisville area schools are invited to nominate outstanding high school seniors for their volunteer efforts, consistent with Rotary's commitment to Service Above Self. In collaboration with Metro Louisville Rotary Clubs Charities, Inc. and Kosair for Kids, we host an annual luncheon to recognize and celebrate finalists. They receive gifts and a small scholarship along with the opportunity to apply for renewable four-year Theodore Buerck Scholarships (see next item).

Theodore Buerck Scholarships
We provide renewable four-year scholarships for recipients chosen from among Unsung Hero finalist applicants (see above), which are matched with funds from either UofL, Bellarmine, or Spalding. Funded by a large bequest to the Rotary Fund from former member Theodore Buerck.

Educational Justice
The Educational Justice program strives to end educational inequity by pairing a 5th-8th grade student with a high-achieving high school student for long-term academic mentorship and tutoring which improves academic performance and provides a meaningful student leadership experience. Rotarians volunteer at tabling events to recruit participants as well as at other EJ events such as the Great Bourbon Spelling Bee.

Imagination Library of Louisville
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library supports early childhood literacy by mailing a free, age-appropriate, monthly book to children ages birth to five years old. In addition to a grant, Rotarian volunteers help the Imagination Library of Louisville staff tables at events to enroll families.

Click HERE to view a slide show of our projects and impact over the years.

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