Focus Louisville

Over the past few days, I had the opportunity to participate in a program called "Focus Louisville" that is sponsored by the Leadership Louisville Center. It was a remarkably eye-opening experience that I feel very fortunate to have attended. For two-and-one-half days, about 40 classmates and myself received an insiders view of the city that many people probably never have the chance to see or appreciate.

Our first day focused on a tour of the city, the arts, and an overview of our metro city government. From downtown, to Portage, to Shawnee, to East Market street, we got a great glimpse at the history behind our great city and a look into the future of what we in the medical district hope to create. The arts we have in this town are also second-to-none in a city of our size. From great museums like the Science Center and the 21c art museum to the Actors Theater and the Performing Arts Center, our city has a lot to offer whatever your taste. Most impressively getting to see and talk to our metro government leaders and learn about how they have taken us from the merger of city and county to present day was quite eye-opening. The amount of work that Mayor Abramson does to keep our city running and growing is quite admirable and it is easy to see why he has been in office as long as he has - and deservedly so I might add!

Our second day focused on education and social services. The class got a look into several of the Jefferson County Public Schools and I think all walked away with a new appreciation for the good work that those teachers and principals are doing to educate our future generation and a renewed respect for the public school system. The afternoon allowed us the opportunity to visit several agencies that are taking care of the disadvantaged in our community. I got to tour the West End School for Boys and in the process learned a new meaning of what commitment and dedication is in today's world. The headmaster of this boarding school is Robert Blair - he is a true definition of what a difference one person can make in the lives of others. Several years ago, he and his wife decided to start this school to give at-risk boys a chance for a better life. They moved out of their house and began personally renovating a closed down school on the west end where they now live full-time. Today they have 12 students enrolled in their school and are looking to grow as funding allows. These 12 boys, all from broken and troubled homes, are getting a chance to go further in life than would otherwise have been possible because of the remarkable dedication of this one man and his passion.

Our last day we got to spend at one of the city's true gems - the Kentucky Derby Museum. We were able to reflect on what we saw and more importantly on what we can do as citizens in this community to make it better. To me, one of the most striking things about the whole experience is that nothing that we saw on our tours was secretive or privileged. Anyone with the time and ambition could go and visit, see, and speak to the people that we met along our travels and get involved. Unfortunately, what I also learned along the way is that many people never take the time to learn about the communities they live in and all of the great things they have to offer or how they can give back. The Mayor has made it his mission to get the people of Louisville to be not only residents of the city, but citizens of it - a city with people that are actively engaged and contributing to make the city be all that it can be. From my perspective, it is a very worthy goal and one that I hope I can live up to!

Focus Louisville