Leaders in Action

Publish date: September 2, 2010

Leaders in Action is a series of articles showing how Leadership Louisville Center programs help produce tangible results by connecting people, places, and resources in our community.

Focus Louisville connection helps propel merger to save Arcadia Community Center

One of the most inspiring parts of a Focus Louisville session is the “Power of One” speaker. At each session, a Leadership Louisville Center program graduate talks about his or her experiences answering the call to community leadership.

One Focus Louisville graduate’s story plants seed for another

At the September 2009 Focus Louisville session, attorney Greg Belzley (FL '05), left, told his story. As a result of his own Focus Louisville experience, Greg had visited the Arcadia Community Center. The Center partners with refugee and immigrant groups to help them adjust to life in the United States with a focus on youth development programming. Impressed with the Center’s work, he decided it was time to step up and get involved. Greg volunteered and eventually became chair of Arcadia Community Center’s board. He also recruited other Leadership Louisville Center program graduates who served on the board with him for years, including Richard Ellis (BF ’08, LL ’07, FL ’00) and Jenny Stith (IL ’06, FL ’02).

As Greg shared his experiences with the Focus Louisville participants during his talk, he advised them on the do’s and don’ts of serving on a volunteer board.  Greg also spoke of the Center’s Executive Director, Jennifer Hurley (FL ’09), and her tireless enthusiasm for the Center’s mission. Greg and Jennifer were totally dedicated to Arcadia and had a great working relationship. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough.

Greg told the participants that the economic downturn had hit the Center hard. Funding had been cut drastically and the Community Center was closing. Metro United Way had stepped in to plug life support into Arcadia Community Center, and coached the Center on finding a suitable alternative home for Arcadia and its programming. Arcadia and Metro United Way were exploring various institutions around Louisville, including the YMCA of Greater Louisville.

Sometimes all you need to move forward is the right connection

In the Focus Louisville audience that day was participant Tom Whortan. Tom had just moved to Louisville to become executive director of the Southeast YMCA, the most internationally diverse YMCA in the community. Before he left the Focus Louisville session, Tom asked Greg and Jennifer to let him know if the Southeast Y could help.

With Metro United Way already speaking to the YMCA of Greater Louisville on behalf of Arcadia, the connection made in Focus Louisville that day provided “an additional spring board to connecting Arcadia Community Center and the YMCA of Greater Louisville,” according to Tom and Jennifer. Tom assisted with bringing Steve Tarver (LL ’02, FL ’00) YMCA chief executive officer and the YMCA of Greater Louisville to the table with Metro United Way and Arcadia.

Over the past year, with the guidance of Metro United Way, Greg, Tom, and Jennifer, along with Steve Tarver and many others, have worked to transition Arcadia’s partnerships and programs to the YMCA of Greater Louisville.  Jennifer is now the Arcadia Program Director for the YMCA, and expects to be providing services again shortly after Labor Day. Greg Belzley continues to serve in an advisory role and will roll onto the YMCA board. Daryle Unseld (IL ’10), current Program Director for the Southeast YMCA, has also been instrumental in helping to navigate the merger.