Leaders in Action

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.

Leadership Louisville Center grads still making a difference at Arcadia Community Center

Arcadia Community Center, formed in 2001, helps refugee and immigrant groups in South Louisville adjust to all aspects of their new life in Louisville. The Center's mission is to help these families "take a step onto the road of economic well-being".

According to director Jen Hurley, the center struggled tremendously in its early years. A turning point came when a Focus Louisville group visited the center in 2005. An attorney with Dinsmore & Shohl, Greg Belzley (left), was part of that class and heard fellow participants speaking highly of their visit to Arcadia Community Center. Shortly after, Greg visited on his own time and was inspired by what he saw. Within 3 months of his Focus Louisville experience, he became a volunteer, a board member, then chair of the Arcadia Community Center board.  Jen said, "Greg's leadership really got things going. He was instrumental in building capacity."

A year or so later, Richard Ellis (left), senior vice president and senior relationship manager at PNC, responded to a call for Arcadia Community Center board members at that came via PNC Bank. Ellis says he "wanted to work with a startup organization where I could get my hands dirty". Hurley said Ellis, a Leadership Louisville 2007 grad and member of the Bingham Fellows Class of 2008, is a very active board member who continues to foster connections between Leadership Louisville Center program participants and graduates.

The link between Arcadia and Leadership Louisville Center grew stronger in 2006, when an Ignite Louisville team chose Arcadia Community Center for their Make Your Mark Challenge project. The team raised money to hire an executive director, plus each team member volunteered their time through a literacy program called Building Futures. Team members were (back row, from left) Bob Frank, Jeff Polson, Vince Jackson, Scott Graff; (front row, from left) Ashley Pack, Kimberly Nasief,  and Jenny Stith. The team won the 2006 Make Your Mark Challenge competition.

Team members Kim Naisef, president of Measure, went on to become a board member and Jenny Stith, director of development for Children's Hospital Foundation, mentored a family for a year before joining the board on which she still serves.

Jen Hurley participated in the April Focus Louisville session this year and in September 2008 presented to the Focus Louisville group on community efforts to help the international community in Louisville. During that September session, a group visited Arcadia and several of those participants have expressed strong interest in volunteering at the center. 

When speaking of the talented and hard-working individuals who have come their way via Leadership Louisville Center programs, Jen Hurley says, "We really lucked out. These people are amazing! This is a tough job. These volunteers all have jobs, yet it's almost like they work here too."